Monthly Archives: October 2012

Furuno TZ Touch and other upgrades

Posted on by October 25, 2012

One of the joys (and expenses) of boat ownership is that new technology is always arriving on the scene. This technology can be as simple as a new Ipad mount or as complicated and sophisticated as touch screen plotters and radar. The later is what brought me back to Big Smile for five days this past week. I had contracted with Whiticar Marine, specifically Darrell Zeran, formerly of DZ Performance Marine, to install two new 14″ Furuno TZ Touch monitors and a new 24″ HD radome. During our initial review of the project Darrell had recommended upgrading the Sirius weather system with Furuno’s latest generation weather receiver.

The existing original Furuno Navnet 2 system was working fine. What I decided to do was bring half the system up to current technology ie. HD, digital, touch screen technology introduced by Furuno at the Miami boat show last winter. I had played with the new system at their Miami booth but I had two concerns that needed to be addressed. First I did not want to be the first on the block with new, untested equipment and second I wanted to make sure it could all be interfaced with the analog system already in place. I followed the blogs and equipment reviews online but unfortunately did not have much luck finding anything helpful. I was assured by Darrell and Furuno that the systems could be interfaced using NMEA 0183 to NMEA 2000 adapters where necessary. In September I made the decision to do the install.

To make room for this equipment one monitor each from the flybridge and pilot house had to be removed. The new 14″ Furuno TZ fit perfectly in the pilot house with no woodwork needed. The Nauticomp monitor with black box interface was left in its original position.

Pilot House with new TZ touch

The flybridge panel required some rework to get the new 14″ in place. Whiticar fabricated a simple black face panel and moved the original plotter to the left. Unfortunately that interfered with the hinges so new hinges are on order.

Flybridge with TZ Touch

The new Furuno DRS4D Ultra High def 4kw 36NM 24″ radome easily replaced the 24″ analog version on the same mast bracket. We had previously decided to keep the 48″ open array and leave it hooked up to the Navnet 2. A new digital gps was mounted halfway up the mast instead of on the antenna farm atop the pilothouse.

As previously mentioned the Furuno weather module was to be replaced. A new Furuno BBWX2 weather system with antenna replaced the old Furuno BBWX1. While the pilot house and ceilings were apart the old stereo/Sirius system and speakers were removed and a new Fusion 600 system with integral Sirius radio and Ipod dock was installed in the same location as the old one. However this left two, 1 inch holes that now need to be covered by some piece of equipment.  A remote was installed on the flybridge. All four original speakers were replaced and two were added in the salon. My wife and I have had Sirius radio for years now and love it. The account transfer with Sirius was simply a phone call and within minutes the radio and weather were up and working.

Pilot house as now configured.

The system was 95% up and running. The weather for Saturday and Sunday was perfect for a 20 mile run down the ICW single handed. While the channel is tight the auto pilot gave me time to play with the new equipment. Unfortunately the flybridge chart plotter was not reading the card. This it turns out two days later was simply a result of the SD card not being pushed completely in the slot. Other than that the system worked perfectly. Being a Mac pro and Ipad user I am very familiar with the two finger touch screen approach. It worked flawlessly on the TZ.

TZ Touch screen

Navnet 2

The 22 nautical mile run from Ft Pierce to Hooker Cove is a pleasant and easy three hour afternoon jaunt. Hooker Cove is a simple anchorage to enter. Busy during the day but quiet at night it is not a place for nightlife ashore. Kayaking is a good way to sight see but be mindful of the currents.

Anchored in Hooker Cove

Oregon and Washington

Posted on by October 1, 2012

While not a boat related post we did just spend eight great days on or near the water in Oregon and Washington. Reason for the trip was to attend a wedding in Gearhart, Oregon. Where is Gearhart? That’s what we asked ourselves when we received the invitation from Peter and Shannon. Peter is the son of our Lake George neighbor and friends Bob and Tibby Christenberry. The decision was easy. Sure we will go.

Gearhart it turns out is on the coast approximately 1.5 hours from Portland, Oregon. We flew in on a Friday and stayed at a great B&B in Seaside three miles to the south. The wedding was Saturday at the “Lodge at Little Beach”. While the wind was up and a chill was in the air the setting and event could not have been better. The funky band played for hours under the tent and Cath and I had a blast. Thank you Peter and Shannon. Hope your trip was fun.

Peter and Shannon

The Oregon coast is wet and wild. Just to the south of Seaside was Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park. Cannon Beach had the gray clapboard homes that reminded us of Rhode Island. A long day trip after the wedding took us to Fort Stevens State Park at the very northern tip of Oregon. Standing on the shore one can view the often deadly entrance to the Columbia River. Known as the graveyard of the Pacific the waters around the Columbia River mouth have claimed nearly 2000 wrecks and over 700 lives. On the shore at Fort Stevens sits the remains of the Peter Iredale. Wrecked in 1906 only the skeleton of the bow is still visible. Several miles up river lies the historic town of Astoria. Known originally for its canneries and logging Astoria now hosts visitors for dining and its museum. The Columbia River Maritime Museum is well worth the visit. A small movie theater runs a 10 minute show describing the power and might of the Columbia River and its glorious past.

Ecola State Park

Wreck of the Peter Iredale

Mouth of the Columbia River

We spent the next day driving up the Columbia River gorge stopping at every waterfall along the way. As scenic as I had read we were however surprised at the lack of boat traffic. There were some wind surfers and the occasional commercial boats but nothing else. The river actually seemed quite serene compared to the depiction in the movie.

 

Multnomah Falls

Columbia River Gorge

 

We spent two nights in Yakima WA. A decent venue for visiting Washington wine country. We were disappointed in the wines of this region as they tend to be Reislings, Syrahs and Cabernets but not much in the way of Chardonnays. Our second day trip from Yakima found us at Mt Rainier. What a spectacular National Park. Rising to 14,410 feet Mt Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous US. There are several visitor areas and we chose Sunrise, the highest elevation available by car. A long hike provided awesome scenery and the siting of a bear. A couple from Idaho said it was a grizzly but we learned later that grizzlys don’t inhabit this part of the US so it had to be a brown “black bear”.

Mt Rainier

Black Bear

From Yakima it was on to the Olympic Peninsula for a three day stay at the George Washington Inn. The inn, a replica of George Washington’s Mount Vernon sits on a bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The host and owner Janet was wonderful and provided breakfast each morning on a glass enclosed porch with view of Vancouver BC.

 

George Washington Inn

Strait of Juan de Fuca from George Washington Inn

Olympic National Park rivals Mt Rainier park for its beauty. Over the course of two long days we traveled to the Hoh Rain Forest, took a guided walking tour to learn about Marmots, (groundhogs in NJ) and hiked to Third Beach on the Pacific. Janet had recommended the historic (circa 1916) Lake Crescent Lodge for dinner. We were able to eat on the porch and watch a beautiful sunset. Lake Crescent reminded us of our own Lake George.

 

Olympic Mountains

Third Beach

While it is unclear whether we will ever cross the Columbia River bar on “Big Smile” we did promise ourselves a return visit someday.