Herbs73

What braid are you guys recommending/ are there any good deals out there. ? I’ve always used 50lb ish breaking strain as it’s thicker and doesn’t dig in. I tried some thinner stuff years back and didn’t get on with it but maybe it was just me at the time and I should be using lighter braid. What do you guys think? tia

It’s always disappointing when the dogfish don’t turn up,

We had some fresh peeler which they went mad for. The rag worm fished ok as well

I’ve remotely hacked your gps and stolen all your marks. Today was the first one on the list. 😎

Went out today from Brightlingsea for the first session of the summer season and had a cracking day, 25 hounds between the 2 of us, 5 flatties only 4 dogfish, 1 small bass and 3 whiting.

Afternoon gents, Getting the boat ready to go back on the water and usually get last years petrol taken out when it’s serviced as there’s not usually a lot in the tank. This year however there’s nearly a full tank so thought I would empty it myself and stick it In the wife’s car. But do I really need to ? the boat came out the water in October (i think I filled it up in august) and I always use premium fuel not the E10 crap and I did put stabiliser in. Or is it just best practice to change it regardless ? tia

I agree that electronics doesn’t replace good seamanship but I see these as aids for when things go wrong. I’m also planning on weekends away in the boat and I’ll be sailing around Harwich and Felixstowe and I like the idea of ais in that scenario. I also like the idea of an ais mob beacon in conjunction with my PLB.

I find it’s cheaper than mooring costs but I did get a dodgy look off some old boy washing down his caravan when I cast a 50z uptide. Don’t catch much though

Yep, I have Navionics on my phone and tablet as well as the plotter. I can also mirror the plotter on the iPad although the resolution isn’t as good I get a bigger screen. I can control the plotter from the iPad as well

With more people using tablets you would think that other brands would have taken Furuno idea and come up with a wireless radar that was as good as hard wired units,

Isn’t b&g geared more towards sailing ?

As far asi can tell only Navico units will work with each other. Also I have a Simrad go7 xse which isn’t radar ready, I was planning on getting a bare go7xsr and having the 2, (I wouldn’t have to buy a transducer) but it’s still another £550 on the cost. I’ve got used to the simrad which is keeping my staying with the brand. However I’m also keen on saving money amd I could sell the one I have and switch to garmin.

Is that the wireless Furuno ?

So which radar would you guys recomend ? I have a Simrad plotter so I’m leaning towards a Simrad radar. However the cheapest Simrad plotter is 2k. For the same money I can get get a garmin and a plotter. Is there much difference between the 2 and if there is does the Simrad just have capabilities/ features that I will never use. I’m not a yachtsman planning on sailing round the United Kingdom or cross the Atlantic and a cheaper garmin will do me just fine. It’s bloody confusing and I can read product reviews all day but it’s the experience you guys have that’s invaluable .

Will do

Yes it has NMEA 2000, could I connect the vhf to the transponder via NMEA 0183 instead of trying to connect it to the mfd?

Just had a look on cactus, that’s a decent price as well. I take it that it will work with a Simrad mfd ?

Do you have a splitter and run the ais from your vhf Ariel or a separate Ariel ?

Isn’t it illegal for a commercial to be moving and have ais turned off ?

Yeah I guess not many recreational boaters use it, I guess my thoughts are that with my intention of going out further I want to avoid being run down by a commercial. ?

So far no I’ve not gone out out much in fog or travelled at night, this has been due mainly to me staying within my comfort zone, however I am planning on going out further and want to be as safe as I can be. I am based in brightlingsea so have traffic in the Thames estuary to contend with and I’ve promised the wife some weekends away in the boat ( this was a proviso on buying the boat 5 years ago which hasn’t really happened) . Im also wanting to all round improve my seamanship in general to get the most out of my boat and improving the electronics I think is a part of that process. But yes my plan is ais first and then radar maybe next season

Morning guys, im looking at getting AIS and then radar at a later date, however I’m finding it a bit confusing to decide which is the best and most cost effective way to go. I upgraded the plotter to a Simrad go 7 with NMEA 2000 but my standard horizon vhf only has NMEA 0183 it going to cost £100 to get the converter so should I just get a vhf with built in Ais ? or a separate transponder? I’ve pretty much decided I want to transmit as well as receive but don’t know if class b is good enough or do I need b+. My boat will do 27 knots but I only cruise at 18 ? would this be a good buy and if so what else would I need to buy ie splitter/ Ariel. ? And can I make my existing radio work with it ? https://www.cactusnav.com/ocean-signal-atb1-transceiver-class-sotdma-with-wifi-external-antenna-p-28023.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6bvDo5Od_gIVp4BQBh2kJg7zEAQYASABEgJuuPD_BwE TIA

I didn’t even know there was a Brightlingsea comp, who organises it.

So we fish in the same area Jon, do you find you can use the reel for all the types of fishing you do ?

Thanks for the reply Andy. To get a lever drag into free spool do you just reduce the drag ? and does this allow casting and letting out line for uptiding etc ? i think its definately a case of want rather than need, but can you have enough reels ? i will have a look at the Avets.