Post by HONDAM on Jan 20, 2013 18:09:22 GMT -5
Most people who own and know how to use a simple drill are more then capable or installing most of their own marine electronics such as GPS and sonar. Especially these days where most of the wires and plugs are all color coded even across different manufactures.
So why bring it to someone like myself, a NMEA certified installer, to do it? The reason being in the details. Electronics installation manuals could not possibly give you all the regulations of the governing committees such as NMEA and ABYC, the NMEA regulations alone are nearly 200 pages. Also could not outline all the tips and technological advantages in supporting installation materials. These attributes only come from the training and testing required to be certified and more importantly the experience of being immersed in the industry every day for years that the recreational boater is not exposed to.
Now this isn't all about me blowing smoke, ill share some very common examples. Some of these most of you will know but I still commonly see it and some of it may be new to you but these are intended to be examples of information I obtained over time either through experience or training.
First, the sealant you buy at Lowes/Home Depot for your shower/windows is not the same as Marine Sealant. Marine Sealant is specifically designed for the environment it is in and will resist breakdown from UV rays, Gas/Oil/Harsh Chemicals, and vibration. Now the other sealant may work for a while but quickly breaks down and leads to leaks and possibly a rotten boat over time.
Second, when hardware is needed zinc plated steel will break down in the marine environment, SS must be used. I see it all the time where someone needs 1 or 2 screws and is looking around the house and that's all they have so it ends up rusting in the back of the boat and leaking and if left in there long enough a rotten transom.
Specialized tools and materials help do a better job. One of these tools is a zip tie tensioning tool, it pulls a zip tie to a specified tension and cuts it off flush leaving absolutely no tail. I've scraped myself many many times on sharp tails and if your fishing lines ever get close to your cables or electric trolling motor with these sharp tails, then say goodbye to what could be a tournament winning fish. Also things like weld mount fastening systems and transducer mounting boards help secure equipment and wires to the hull with minimizing holes. Any time you can minimize holes in the boat is a good thing, reduces the risk of leaks, cosmetically better, and less to fix if something needs to move or be removed.
Now the less obvious items, there should be no more then 4 leads on any terminal, including batteries. Where is would take 10 minutes and $5 for a professional to install a terminal strip, the DIY almost always just stacks them up. This is a ABYC and NMEA regulation which supposed to cut down on corrosion and loose connections. A lot of the regulations are designed to make your boating experience safer and more reliable. Are you able to supply power to 10 different leads on one batter terminal? Yes, although it is much more likely that you will have issues down the line.
This is an example of what not to do
How far does the GPS antenna need to be away from the VHF and how far does the VHF antenna need to be from your cell phone? There are regulations for this also to ensure that you get the most out of your antennas and have a reliable signal. The GPS needs to be at least 3 ft. from VHF and cell phones should be at least 2 ft. from VHF and cell phones actually need to be at least 5 ft. from a GPS antenna. Again these are rules to ensure proper signal, will all cell phones cause this interference, no, but later down the road you get a new cell phone and it does cause a problem and your left moving your antenna and holes in your boat or turning off your phone.
Just because it looks pretty doesn't mean its right.
I could not possibly cover everything here. Even though most DIYers are very capable and will do a great job. If your looking for long term reliability, optimal performance, trouble free operation, and usually a cleaner/neater presentation a professional will take it to the next level and do everything possible to insure this. And the manufactures even know this Garmin for example not only doubles the warranty on certain units when installed by a NMEA professional it even give the dealer a kickback to insure they do everything they can do earn your installation business. Lowrance gives rebates too. They aren't much, usually less then $50 but they understand the value of a professional installation and helps them out down the line with minimizing warranty claims.
Now just because I've spent a lot of time in the classroom and years doing this for a living doesn't mean I wont do anything I can to help. I understand that in this economy a lot of people don't have the extra money and others just enjoy doing it themselves. Calumet Marine would just appreciate any opportunity I can for the work and ensure you that I will do the best job we can bringing the years of experience and training we obtained over time.
So why bring it to someone like myself, a NMEA certified installer, to do it? The reason being in the details. Electronics installation manuals could not possibly give you all the regulations of the governing committees such as NMEA and ABYC, the NMEA regulations alone are nearly 200 pages. Also could not outline all the tips and technological advantages in supporting installation materials. These attributes only come from the training and testing required to be certified and more importantly the experience of being immersed in the industry every day for years that the recreational boater is not exposed to.
Now this isn't all about me blowing smoke, ill share some very common examples. Some of these most of you will know but I still commonly see it and some of it may be new to you but these are intended to be examples of information I obtained over time either through experience or training.
First, the sealant you buy at Lowes/Home Depot for your shower/windows is not the same as Marine Sealant. Marine Sealant is specifically designed for the environment it is in and will resist breakdown from UV rays, Gas/Oil/Harsh Chemicals, and vibration. Now the other sealant may work for a while but quickly breaks down and leads to leaks and possibly a rotten boat over time.
Second, when hardware is needed zinc plated steel will break down in the marine environment, SS must be used. I see it all the time where someone needs 1 or 2 screws and is looking around the house and that's all they have so it ends up rusting in the back of the boat and leaking and if left in there long enough a rotten transom.
Specialized tools and materials help do a better job. One of these tools is a zip tie tensioning tool, it pulls a zip tie to a specified tension and cuts it off flush leaving absolutely no tail. I've scraped myself many many times on sharp tails and if your fishing lines ever get close to your cables or electric trolling motor with these sharp tails, then say goodbye to what could be a tournament winning fish. Also things like weld mount fastening systems and transducer mounting boards help secure equipment and wires to the hull with minimizing holes. Any time you can minimize holes in the boat is a good thing, reduces the risk of leaks, cosmetically better, and less to fix if something needs to move or be removed.
Now the less obvious items, there should be no more then 4 leads on any terminal, including batteries. Where is would take 10 minutes and $5 for a professional to install a terminal strip, the DIY almost always just stacks them up. This is a ABYC and NMEA regulation which supposed to cut down on corrosion and loose connections. A lot of the regulations are designed to make your boating experience safer and more reliable. Are you able to supply power to 10 different leads on one batter terminal? Yes, although it is much more likely that you will have issues down the line.
This is an example of what not to do
How far does the GPS antenna need to be away from the VHF and how far does the VHF antenna need to be from your cell phone? There are regulations for this also to ensure that you get the most out of your antennas and have a reliable signal. The GPS needs to be at least 3 ft. from VHF and cell phones should be at least 2 ft. from VHF and cell phones actually need to be at least 5 ft. from a GPS antenna. Again these are rules to ensure proper signal, will all cell phones cause this interference, no, but later down the road you get a new cell phone and it does cause a problem and your left moving your antenna and holes in your boat or turning off your phone.
Just because it looks pretty doesn't mean its right.
I could not possibly cover everything here. Even though most DIYers are very capable and will do a great job. If your looking for long term reliability, optimal performance, trouble free operation, and usually a cleaner/neater presentation a professional will take it to the next level and do everything possible to insure this. And the manufactures even know this Garmin for example not only doubles the warranty on certain units when installed by a NMEA professional it even give the dealer a kickback to insure they do everything they can do earn your installation business. Lowrance gives rebates too. They aren't much, usually less then $50 but they understand the value of a professional installation and helps them out down the line with minimizing warranty claims.
Now just because I've spent a lot of time in the classroom and years doing this for a living doesn't mean I wont do anything I can to help. I understand that in this economy a lot of people don't have the extra money and others just enjoy doing it themselves. Calumet Marine would just appreciate any opportunity I can for the work and ensure you that I will do the best job we can bringing the years of experience and training we obtained over time.