Good Boat Blog

We are currently running an amazing offer on a Comar AIS/GPS Bundle. The bundle consists of a Comar CSB 200 Class B AIS transponder, a Comar AST 200 Class B AIS VHF Antenna splitter, and a Comar AG100 GPS Antenna.

The Comar CSB 200 is the ideal low cost AIS solution, designed specifically for recreational boaters and small commercial vessels. The CSB 200 will allow you to both receive AIS broadcasts from vessels within VHF range, and to transmit your AIS information so you can be ”seen” by other boats and ships in the area. It is a fully compliant class B transponder, is lightweight and rugged, and is easy to install. The AG 100 GPS antenna supplies the GPS information to the CSB 200, and comes with a pole mount and 10m cable for installation. The AST 200 AIS VHF antenna splitter is designed to make fitting your CSB easy, by allowing it to use your existing VHF antenna. It has a built in fail safe mode that ensures priority is given to your VHF and DSC radio communications, even if the splitter power supply fails.

The offer ends on May 31st 2011, so you'll need to be quick to take advantage of this great offer.

The new SPOT Connect, available mid June at the Good Boat Shop

The SPOT Connect allows you to connect your smartphone to a global satellite network, simply by pairing your phone using the wirless bluetooth connection. Once connected you will be able to send text and email messages, tweet or update your Facebook status, and send GPS coordinates from virtually anywhere on the planet. In the event of an emergency the SOS feature on the SPOT Connect can be activated. This will send a signal, with your GPS coordinates, to the GEOS international Emergency Response Coordination Center, who will then notify the appropriate authorities in your area. A message can be added to this signal, updating the emergency services on your situation.

The SPOT Connect can also be used to track progress on Google Maps. Tracking can be started or stopped via the SPOT Connect App, and you can mark reference points and send check-in messages as you go.

Buy the SPOT Connect at the Good Boat Shop

Garmin have announced the release of another great new innovative product, the GDL 40.
The Garmin GDL 40 is an on demand cellular marine weather receiver, an affordable marine weather solution that allows you to use your NMEA 2000 Garmin chartplotter to view graphical weather and radar data on demand. This is a completely new innovation [...]

X86GRHYN8YPJ

The local Rolls Royce owners club came down for a day out on one of City Boats (our neighbours) river buses, and asked if they could use our boatyard car park. How could we refuse! I can't imagin how much they were worth, but its fair to say its the classiest the car park has ever looked.

Click on an image to see the full size version.

Continue Reading

Humminbird is the No. 1 fishfinder brand in the US, and since its introduction to the UK market it has risen quickly to compete for the top spot here. One of their fastest selling lines is the innovative SmartCast range of fishfinders. These use a sonar sensor built into a float that you can cast on a [...]

We stock a comprehensive range of chartplotters at the Good Boat Shop, so we though we’d write you a short guide to our best value plotters. Full featured GPS plotters can cost you an arm and a leg, but as Garmin have proved, you needn't break the bank to get a feature rich chartplotter.

The Garmin GPSMAP 451

Garmin GPSMAP 451 Chartplotter

This entry level GPS plotter is our best seller, but don’t let the price fool you. With a 4″ colour screen, a built in internal GPS antenna, and NMEA 2000 support its a fully featured GPS chart plotter.

If space is an issue the compact size of the Garmin GPSMAP 451 makes it ideal for smaller boats. Information is displayed on the ultra-bright 4” QVGA colour screen for easy viewing. It also features a high-speed digital design which increases the map drawing and panning speeds, and an easy-to-use software interface, making plotting your course easy and enjoyable. Continue Reading

The Garmin fishfinder 90 is one of the most popular fishfinders we sell, and probably the best value at the budget end of the scale. With a price tag of only £84.95* this is one of the cheapest fishfinders available. However don't think that means its slim on features.
The Fishfinder 90 comes with a transom mount [...]

Single Beam
A single beam sonar system is optimised for scanning the bottom, returning an excellent level of detail. It has a narrow 20˚ beam for precise returns of the bottom, and fish holding close to the structure. The beam will cover an area roughly equal to one third of the depth.
Popular single beam systems include the Humminbird 110x, and [...]

Cobra MR-HH330

We sell a lot of handheld VHF radios at the Good Boat chandlers, but there is one radio that outsells them all. We thought we'd take a few minutes to tell you all why its so popular.

The main features that make the Cobra MR-HH330 so popular are without doubt the fact that its both waterproof, and that it floats, but there's more to the MR-HH330 than its rugged design.

The selectable 1, 3, or even 6 watts or output makes this handheld VHF the idea radio in any conditions. It allows you to save battery power while conditions are good, but also make that all important call when conditions get tough. The MR-HH330 also features a noise cancelling microphone, to make sure the message gets across when operating in a rough environment.

The Tri Watch channel monitoring systems allows you to listen in to 3 separate channels all at the same time. The important International Distress Channel 16, and two other channels of your choice. This is supplemented with unlimited memory channels, allowing you  to program in as many channels as you want for easy retrieval or scanning.

The rotary power and volume knob is another popular feature of the Cobra MR-HH330. This is much better than a set of simple up-down buttons, giving much better access and control of the volume. Most of the radios functions are controlled by the eight buttons on the front of the radio, and together with the large clear display, make this a very simple radio to operate.  You also have the option to activate a back light on the display, and the function keys are illuminated, to make operating this radio easy in rougher environments.   If you are planning on using your radio on a boat you might also be interested in the external Speaker/Mic Jack.

If all of that wasn't enough, the Cobra MR-HH330 handheld VHF also comes with its own desktop charger, with 12V and 240V cables, and a belt clip, all supplied as standard.

The Cobra HH330 handheld VHF radio is available at the Good Boat Shop

RRP: £124.95

Good Price: £119.95

See our VHF radio section for a full range of radio equipment.