Article by Pat Schrawder
BE PREPARED
It hardly seems possible, but another season is slipping away from us and cold weather will be here before we know it. While some boaters will start to get ready to head south to Florida, it bears repeating that the Eastern Shore enjoys some really great fishing and perfect weather for quite a while into the fall.
Sooner or later, however, it will be time for the local boaters to put their vessels away for 2013. If you didn’t have occasion to purchase new equipment this year and you are not taking your boat south, this is not the time to buy anything. You will lose valuable months of warranty. However, it is time to access what you have and take some precautions to protect your equipment over the winter.
Many of you shrink wrap your boat for the winter and that is an excellent way to protect everything but your electronic equipment. The shrink wrapping traps moisture and the temperature variations, particularly if it is in direct sunlight, can create some real corrosion problems. It is best, whenever possible, to remove all of the equipment displays you can and store them in a cool, dry place. Be sure to clean them up first or take them to an electronics shop to do it for you.
Hopefully you remembered not to clean your LCD display screen(s) with anything other than a microfiber cloth. Even doing that, they can still get pretty grungy. One product came out this year made especially for cleaning LCD screens and I really like it. CRC Visiclear™ Display Cleaner is an aerosol spray foam that CRC says can be applied directly to your LCD screen and then wiped off with that microfiber cloth. I have tried it and it works well. The foam does not run down but stays right where you sprayed it. It can be used not only on your marine equipment but also on your computer screens and LCD television sets. You can find more information on this product and other items for marine use at their web site: www.crcindustries.com.
As we look towards the next season, it’s usually pretty predictable insofar as what items will be likely to come along, but recent years have not followed that pattern. The generally, sluggish economy has had an impact on many manufacturers and it does not appear that a great deal of money is being put into research and development. One thing we can expect is the continuing expansion of the use of touch screens and wireless communications between your marine equipment and other personal items such as Smartphones and tablets. Flexibility and the ability to add items to your marine electronics package as you go along seems to be the trend. For example, if you are looking into a new GPS/plotter, check to see what else can be added to it. Can you add radar by just purchasing a top unit scanner or radome? Can you add weather fax or sound systems? Make plans for next year.
So what can we expect for 2014? At one time, boaters were reluctant to use one display for multiple uses for fear of losing everything if the display went out, but these units have proven to be very reliable, so now folks are looking for the maximum in integration of multiple items. It will be interesting to see if Airmar comes out with CHIRP technology transducers in smaller, transom-mounted transducers. That will open up the superior detailing of fish finders to more and more boaters. I’ll be looking with great interest to see what comes along. I know that late January and early February will be the benchmark dates for whatever is new for 2014. I wish you all a safe and healthy winter.
Pat and her husband, Larry are owners of L&L Marine Electronics on Golf Course Road in West Ocean City, MD.