Monthly Archives: April 2012

We have just started to add a range of Lowrance fishfinders to our fishfinder and chartplotter range. We have started with the excellent X-4 range of entry level units, but expect to see their more advanced fishfinders appearing over the next few weeks. The Lowrance X-4 range comprise of 3 compact fishfinder models with 4 [...]

A Personal Location Beacon (PLB) is an emergency direct communication to the Search and Rescue satellite system. When a PLB is activated the emergency serves in the area are immediately informed that you are in urgent need of assistance. A coded message is transmitted on the international 406 MHz distress frequency, this is relayed by satellites and ground stations to a rescue [...]

Giles Miskin & Roy Griffiths from the “Great Team-Working” Programme at Weymouth Charters

A new "Great Team-Working” Programme has been launched by Weymouth Charters, who are working with Sunsail International yacht operators and training experts The Colour Works. This sailing based workshop will be taught at sea on high-performance Sunsail F40 yachts.

The aim of the program is to improve team performance by developing a better understanding of different peoples working styles. By learning to understand why we find some people seem to work on the same level as us, while others we find irritating, we can value the differences and strengths of the different approaches. This leads to stronger team dynamics. Racing yachts provide the perfect environment for this. Everyone has to pull together, and no individual can slack off. It requires trust and collaboration in often stressful conditions, and needs solid leadership and clear communication skills. Continue Reading

Coming to to the Good Boat Shop's marine audio and video department is the new Fusion RA50 marine stereo. The perfect choice for the budget conscious boater, the compact RA50 is built for the marine environment. It is water resistant to IPx5 standards, and features a tough electrically isolated aluminium chassis. It can be wither fluch mounted or [...]

The Chief Executive of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Paul Boissier, during a visit to Aith as part of his first official visit to Scotland (15-17 June 2010). Mr Boissier and wife Susan joined the local lifeboat crew aboard for a training exercise.

The RNLI has announced plans that will save £3.7 million a year, by building and maintaining their feet of all weather boats at its Poole HQ. Planing permission has been applied for in the Borough of Poole, for a workshop on RNLI land in Holes Bay. The £11.2 million project will create up to 90 new jobs, and will pay for itself within 10 years. It is hoped that once planning is granted work will start on the site, next to the Lifeboat College, in 2013.

The RNLI already manufactures their own inshore lifeboats a their Isle of Wight facility, as well as designing the all weather lifeboats and producing the hulls. The new facility will allow then to complete all the fitting out work and engineering, saving £3.7 million a year in contractors fees. Continue Reading

Launched at the 2012 London Boat Show, the new Icom IC-M91D is the much waited for innovative handheld VHF radio. It features an integrated GPS and full DSC functionality, allowing you to send and receive DSC communications.
The integrated GPS device can also be used to navigate a route, with its waypoint/compass function, and the man overboard function [...]

There are many good quality fixed VHF radios on the market at the moment, and its difficult to choose between them. This is the list of our top 5 most popular VHF radios.

Icom IC-M411 Euro DSC/VHF Radio

The Icom M411 is our most popular marine VHF radio, and probably the best-selling fixed set on the market at the [...]

M-Tech MT-550 Marine DSC VHF Radio with AIS reciver

New to our VHF radio range is the M-Tech MT-550, an innovative full function Class-D DSC VHF radio, with a built-in dual channel AIS receiver. The AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver will allow you to track surrounding boats and ships that have been fitted with class A or B AIS transponders. The AIS data can [...]

A large portion of the RNLI's work is responding to emergency callouts when vessels suffer mechanical breakdowns. Nearly half of all emergency callouts in 2011 were to assit boat crews after a mechanical failure. Sunderland RNLI volunteers have taken the initiative to help reduce these often avoidable callouts, and are launching a boat mechanics workshop at the lifeboat station this weekend. Advice is being offered to boaters on [...]

SeaJet 031 Samurai performance antifouling

We are now stocking the new SeaJet 031 Samurai performance antifouling. This is a new self polishing antifouling paint designed with the budget in mind. By carefully reducing the quantity of biocide in this copper based antifouling, SeaJet have produced a paint that is kind to the pocket, but not to the weeds. A [...]