Electronics question

[Bonzai]

I have the chance to add AIS to my trailersailer...just how useful would it be? I plan to do coastal,Keys,Bahamas and prolly some ICW/river sailing.I heard that most commercial fishing boats do not even use it.Am looking at the West Marine transceiver unit. Thanks!

 

[CaptDon01]

Can't hurt, and it's becoming more and more popular. Not sure about inland waters, or how big a vessel has to be before it's required equipment, but a similar system is already in use in aviation. Radar's are on their way out, at least for terminal airport facilities.

Don

 

[Bill Roosa]

The AIS advantage

AIS is required on commercial ships over a certain tonnage (100 tons I think). These are LARGE ships. It was primary developed for them. Recreational sailors can use it to keep tabs on them and any other ship with an AIS transmitter. As you noted the vast majority of boats you are going to encounter will not have AIS transmitters.
So you still have to (and always will) maintain a lookout.
Some will say that "in fog......." or "after dark......" '...AIS can ..........."
Well woopty do Basil, stay out of shipping lanes in fog and after dark. You are probably going to do that anyway. So ask yourself, how will this benefit me in avoiding a collision given that most of the boats I'll have a collision with will not be on my plotter for me to avoid and I'm going to detect them by eyeball.
Another way of saying this is I have to keep a lookout for the non-AIS equipped boats so I'll be able to find the AIS boats by eye too.

 

[Steve Dion]

Check out Milltech $190.

http://www.milltechmarine.com/AIS-Receivers_c_13.html

 

[Chuckbear]

We found AIS absolutely invaluable traveling the ICW. Take a close look at this photo, http://tinyurl.com/68n6k8h , all of those triangles were commercial vessels that we had to thread through, the pink line our track. We were able to see this a long way before we arrived at the spot and with AIS giving us vessel names, we were able to call ahead before we ever saw them and get the info we needed to transit. The commercial vessels were both surprised and appreciative that we knew they were there and that we bothered to call. Chuck

 

[Sumner]

... So ask yourself, how will this benefit me in avoiding a collision given that most of the boats I'll have a collision with will not be on my plotter for me to avoid and I'm going to detect them by eyeball.
Another way of saying this is I have to keep a lookout for the non-AIS equipped boats so I'll be able to find the AIS boats by eye too.

We were looking at this one....

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|1209728|1215767&id=1604926

...but as Bill mentioned above would it really benefit us where we are going to be with the boat? I thought for now the answer was no, so we are putting it off.

Where we were and where we are going in Florida I don't think it would be doing us much good. We might reconsider when we go the Long Island Sound and then hopefully up the Hudson to the Erie. Still there I doubt there are too many big boats in Long Island Sound.

A couple other things to think about. Where is the display going to be in the boat that is going to show the AIS targets? We have a computer/chart plotter running down below with SeaClear where we could keep watch, but I don't want to be down there when my eyes would be put to better use in the cockpit. The hand held GPS that we download trip waypoints into is in the cockpit, but it won't show AIS targets.

We hopefully won't be moving after dark or in bad conditions so I'd probably do better seeing another boat and deciding where to go when I do. Seeing a bunch of targets a ways off might be information overload for me .

If you do get one I would make sure it is a true 'two channel' one.

If you do get it please report back and give us your thoughts,

Sum

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Bonzai]

Thanks.All good advice to be sure.I absolutely know that an real lookout must be kept regardless of whatever electronic assists are utilized.Only a nearly dead man puts total faith in doo dads...but i think it might be a good extra measure of safety in that I plan to use a transceiver so will be broadcasting my info to other equipped vessels also, and when I am on the ICW or near a busy coastal port with skinny passing room.Sometimes you seeing them just isnt enough.Those big buggers move deceptively fast I hear.Most of the time I prolly won't really need it,but being in a small slow boat I am seriously considering it.I will have a plotter in the cockpit and a laptop in the nav sta below.The unit I was looking at is 499.00 minus some discounts...w the Matrix radios,equipped w omly a receiver being around 400.00 I though the price/functionality factor was attractive.If I go w the dedicated transceiver,and get a 120.00 dsc radio it seems alot more for the money.I never figure on being able to use power sucking radar on my little boat so this is the next best thing til I can afford broadband radar.

 

[Bonzai]

We found AIS absolutely invaluable traveling the ICW. Take a close look at this photo, http://tinyurl.com/68n6k8h , all of those triangles were commercial vessels that we had to thread through, the pink line our track. We were able to see this a long way before we arrived at the spot and with AIS giving us vessel names, we were able to call ahead before we ever saw them and get the info we needed to transit. The commercial vessels were both surprised and appreciative that we knew they were there and that we bothered to call. Chuck

Looked at your link Chuck..wow.And my God what a beautiful boat you have...

 

[Stu Jackson]

There's kinda a philosophical discussion going on about whether small recreational boats should bother putting out signals, rather than just receiving them. Would reduce a lot of clutter, 'cuz if we all had AIS outputs, it'd be harder to spot the big boys.

 

[kenn]

There's kinda a philosophical discussion going on about whether small recreational boats should bother putting out signals, rather than just receiving them. Would reduce a lot of clutter, 'cuz if we all had AIS outputs, it'd be harder to spot the big boys.

True dat. Does the AIS system have vessel class info (commercial, recreation), and do current systems allow filtering the display by class? If so, you could set controls to show all commercial/big traffic, and only show recreational boats when they come within x-hundred feet of you or are on an intewrsecting course.

Just thinking out loud.