Article by Capt. Steve Katz
Beyond the Cockpit - Tournament Preparation
Tournament season is in full swing here on the Mid-Atlantic coast. Some of the best boats and teams have converged in our area to compete for millions in prize money – from New Jersey to South Carolina there is a tournament for every angler in every size boat.
Working on sportfishing boats year-round, I see my fair share of service and repairs to these vessels. Though it seems that just before or during a big tournament, boat service issues arise that have not been a problem all year!
Just in the last couple of days, a few big projects were performed “overnight” at Sunset Marina, a complete large Seakeeper replacement and an Omni Sonar replacement. These projects are usually planned out in advance, with detailed coordination of the marina, parts, and skilled service providers. When it comes to tournament time, repairs, and service like this can only happen “overnight” with the dedication of service providers whom you have an established relationship with.
The projects this week would not have happened so quickly without the help of the manufacturers bypassing their normal channels and getting products to the service providers amazingly fast. A special thanks to all manufacturers who have helped and continue to support us all year long but especially during a tournament emergency. Of course, the local service providers and especially the marinas for staying “open” until the jobs are done.
Preparing for the Tournament
The fishing part of the boat is usually well stocked with mates, bait, tackle, and a lot of backup supplies, but that is not always the case with the mechanical/electrical/electronics part of the boat. It is difficult to have a spare or backup of everything on your boat and is not generally needed. Though there are a few items that prove to be critical and seem to stop working during a tournament.
One popular item that seems to go out at the worst time is the Garmin SiriusXM weather antenna power supply. This is a special module that supplies power to the Garmin SiriusXM antenna which is necessary to receive marine weather data, such as sea surface temperature and offshore weather. There is a small led light on the power supply, red is bad, green is good. Carrying a spare power supply is a good idea, it is not too expensive, not too difficult to install and seems to go bad when you need it the most.
On that topic, it is a good idea to check SiriusXM, DirectTV and other subscription-based services. While most boaters have these services on an automatic renewal, a subscription issue seems to only happen during the tournament. Nowadays, with Starlink and satellite phones, the captain or crew could easily call the service provider to update the subscription if needed. Though you often need account numbers and serial numbers and an unnecessary lengthy conversation to get your service re-activated, all while tournament fishing, not the best time but it can certainly get you going again.
If your boat has air conditioning, refrigeration and or ice makers, these systems really get a workout during tournament season. For instance, some larger boats have numerous air conditioning systems that are not often needed at the dock with just a few crew members onboard. Come tournament week, a boatload of crew, friends, and family pack the boat full of people, creating an extra warm environment for the air conditioner to cool. These systems need to be in tip-top operation condition to keep everyone cool. An air conditioner that is dirty or low on refrigerant might be OK when the boat is empty but when you have a full house, it cannot keep up with the cooling requirements. It is best to go through these systems in advance of tournaments to assure they are operating 100% before the team arrives.
Helm Electronics
Most chart plotters manufacturers offer regular software updates to enhance their products. Unfortunately, the combination of hardware vintage and brands on any given boat may not play well with the latest version of software or some old feature is removed to make room for a new feature.
If it has been a while since you updated your chartplotters or peripheral software, it is a good idea to review the notes on the latest version and see if it fixes or contains the enhancements you desire. If so, update the software at least a few weeks before the tournament so you can adjust to the changes and be sure it is functioning properly. The possibility of a botched software update the night before fishing outweighs the updated features.
When it comes to Tournament fishing preparation – do not forget about the boat’s systems while preparing the fishing gear and tackle. §
