By Steve Katz
In spite of all of the information available about the latest marine electronics—new releases, future offerings and the like, many owners are not prepared for a complete electronics makeover. The speed with which new technology is introduced can be overwhelming. Though your boat may have a fully capable electronics package, chances are good that some new features in the most current offerings may peak your interest.
By Captain Scott “Fraz” Murie
Modern sportfish yachts have so many high-tech systems on board that it’s truly mindboggling, and keeping them up and running is imperative. We have systems for everything including ice makers, watermakers, refrigeration, satellite communication, night vision, radar and fuel cleansers. There are advanced electronics with crystal clear multi-touch displays and black box communications that transfer signals and data throughout the entire boat, underwater lights of all colors, along with stabilizers and sonars. Today’s boats literally have every gadget imaginable, from hydraulic outriggers to bidets!
By Steve Katz
The reach of technological innovation continues to influence the sportfishing industry in ways once unimaginable. Any advantage a captain can achieve toward his quest and target game fish should not be overlooked. And if that edge also ensures a clear sense of safety, then so be it no matter the price tag or difficulty in acquisition. Being up to date with the latest technology also means being on the bite.
Photo courtesy Garmin
OLATHE, Kan./April 2, 2020/Business Wire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the world’s leading marine electronics manufacturer1, today announced the quatix 6, its next-generation marine GPS smartwatch series designed specifically for life on the water.
More than a watch, the quatix 6 combines all of the best features of Garmin’s flagship fēnix® 6 GPS smartwatch with specialized boating, fishing, cruising and sailing capabilities, including comprehensive connectivity with compatible Garmin chartplotters and other marine electronics to offer autopilot control, data streaming, sail race assistance, Fusion-LinkTM entertainment control and more.
With a rugged yet refined design, the quatix 6 is preloaded with activity profiles for nearly every sport and adventure at sea and on land, including paddle boarding, golf, hiking, rowing, skiing, kayaking, just to name a few.
“The quatix series has made a name for itself as the most sophisticated and connected general-purpose marine smartwatch series on the market today,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “Whether you’re chasing bass or billfish, cruising or sailing, canoeing or kayaking, the quatix 6 has everything you’ll need on the water. With the addition of some of our most sought-after features, like built-in music, contactless payments and preloaded topographic and ski maps, we’ve redefined marine smartwatch standards once again.”
With daily activity tracking2 and a host of connectivity features, the quatix 6 doubles as a stylish smartwatch that can be worn 24/7 and easily transitioned from water to land. Stay connected with the quatix 6 that allows users to receive alerts on their wrist for incoming calls, texts, emails and more by enabling smart notifications3. And thanks to the Garmin PayTM contactless payment solution4, it’s easy to make purchases quickly on the go with nothing needed but the watch.
Photo courtesy Garmin
The quatix 6 series also features on-device music storage of up to 2,000 songs, so users can sync playlists from several of the most popular music services5 to their watch for phone-free listening. Thanks to its full marine-centric toolset, the quatix 6 acts as a wearable instrument that, when paired with onboard Garmin electronics, can stream NMEA® 2000 boat data to give users access to important sensor information like speed, depth, temperature, wind data and more – right from their wrist, no matter where they are on the boat.
Like previous models, when the quatix 6 is paired with an onboard autopilot, it can also be used to control the autopilot to change heading, engage pattern steering, and follow a GPS route.
With a quatix 6, it’s easy to mark and save a waypoint from anywhere on the boat without having to return to the helm. It can also be used to control an onboard entertainment system thanks to the built-in Fusion-Link Lite app. The quatix 6 also adds support for optional BlueChart® g3 coastal charts and LakeVü inland maps with integrated Navionics® data, so it can be utilized as both a dedicated or back-up navigation tool.
Specifically designed for the water, the quatix 6 gives mariners up-to-date tide data downloaded for their chosen area through a smartphone, and will have access to that data for seven days. It’s also equipped with an anchor alarm to warn users of drift and an anchor rode calculator that tells the user the proper length of anchor line to put out.
For fishing, a competition timer and fish catch log are available to help users keep track of the fish they’ve caught and the time remaining before getting back to weigh-in. When it comes to sailing, the quatix 6 is loaded with SailAssistTM capabilities with improved sail racing features like virtual starting line, distance to start line, race countdown timer and tack assist.
The quatix 6 also features wrist-based heart rate2 for all-day stress tracking, underwater wrist-based heart rate for swimming and Pulse Ox6 blood oxygen saturation to support advanced sleeping monitoring and acclamation. Plus, the innovative Body BatteryTM energy monitoring feature lets users see their body’s energy levels at any given moment, which can help with scheduling workouts, rest times and sleep.
Measuring at 47mm, the quatix 6 features a bigger, always-on 1.3-inch color display with an LED backlight so data is easily visible in any light. Water rated to 100 meters7, the quatix 6 was built to withstand the elements and boasts up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, 24 hours in GPS mode and up to 60 hours in UltraTracTM battery saver mode. Thanks to the new customizable Power Manager, users can also see and control how various settings and sensors impact battery life, and even adjust their battery saving modes to extend battery life on the fly.
The quatix 6 is available now in two versions: the quatix 6 and the quatix 6 Titanium. The quatix 6 Titanium has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal lens, titanium bezel, buttons and rear case and includes a titanium watch band as well as a cirrus blue silicone QuickFitTM band with a suggested retail price of $999.99. The quatix 6 has a stainless steel bezel, buttons and rear case and includes a captain blue silicone band with a suggested retail price of $699.99.
Compatible marine products include: GPSMAP® 7×2/9×2/12×2 Plus, GPSMAP 10×2/12×2, GPSMAP 74/7600, GPSMAP 84/8600, GHCTM 20, GNXTM Wind and the GNT 10. Garmin was recently named Manufacturer of the Year for the fifth consecutive year by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA), an honor given to the most recognized marine electronics company for support of products in the field.
For more information on Garmin, please e-mail info@inthebite.com or fill out the form below and our InTheBite concierge service will be happy to assist you.
1 Based on 2018 reported sales
2 See Garmin.com/ataccuracy for more details
3 When paired with compatible smartphone. See Garmin.com/ble for more details
4 View current supported country, payment network and issuing bank information at Garmin.com/GarminPay/banks
5 Requires premium subscription with a third-party music provider
6 This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox not available in all countries
7 See Garmin.com/waterrating for more details
In this Dock Talk edition, President Doug Miller of St. Lucie Battery & Tire, showcases their line and services for marine batteries. Whatever your needs are, St. Lucie Battery & Tire has the marine batteries you need! Providing professional installation, dock side delivery, same or next service across Florida.
The 23rd Annual Orange Beach Billfish Classic (OBBC), kicked off the 2019 Gulf Coast Tournament Season with 48 boats chasing Blue Marlin and more than a $1M in prize money.
Relentless Pursuit, a 95′ Jim Smith, caught the winning fish shortly after the fleet departed Orange Beach on Thursday, May 16th. “We didn’t have a chance to do any pre-fishing before the tournament,” said Captain Robbie Doggett. “But we hadn’t been on the troll all that long when we got the bite we needed. What a way to start the season!”
Angler Dennis Pasentine, Jr. brought the fish to the boat in less than two hours and the crew started heading for Orange Beach to weigh their fish early the next morning. The team celebrated both the 116″ fish that weighed 658.2 pounds and team owner Dennis Pasentine’s birthday before a nice early morning crowd at The Wharf. The Blue Marlin would still be atop the leaderboard when the scales closed on Saturday night.
No other fish were weighed on Friday, but Saturday night saw two more Blue Marlin come to scales. Double J, a 42′ Freeman, saw their fish measure 107″ and 399.4 pounds. Current Alabama State Record holder for Blue Marlin, Chris Ferrara on the 70′ Viking Reel Fire, claimed third place with his 376 pound Blue Marlin which measured 108″.
Mollie the 66′ G & S from Destin, won Catch and Release and will have their name added to the Johnny Johnson Memorial Trophy, by releasing three Blue Marlin. Reel Fire also placed in the Catch and Release category with a second place finish by releasing two Blue Marlin.
Born 2 Run, a 72′ Viking from Pensacola finished in third place in Catch and Release by also releasing two Blue Marlin.
One of the highlights of this year’s tournament was the weighing in of two giant Bluefin Tuna. Hot Rod, a 56′ Viking from Sasser, GA, brought their 107″ fish in early on Saturday night to the delight of the crowd as the scale read 735 pounds. That fish was bumped to second place as the final fish of the night brought huge roars from the fans in attendance and those watching online.
Crawgator, a 61′ Viking from Venice, LA, caught their 110″ Bluefin late on Saturday and just missed setting a new Alabama state record with an 825-pound giant tuna. Tireless, a 44′ Cabo from Orange Beach, finished third with a 172.4-pound Yellowfin Tuna.
CE, a 65′ Hatteras from Point Clear, AL won the Wahoo division with a 58.0-pound fish. Crawgator also placed in the Wahoo division with a second place fish that weighed 45.2 lbs. and Relentless Pursuit also placed in multiple categories with a third-place finish in Wahoo at 40.2 lbs.
It was good to again see big Dolphin coming to the scales as a new tournament year begins. Lucky Dog, a 57 Bayliss from Destin, took first place with a 46.2 lbs. Mahi-Mahi. Second place went to A Team, a 43′ Viking from Galveston, Texas and third place was won by Breathe Reel Deep, a 52 Ocean from Orange Beach. Both fish weighed an identical 36.6 lbs.
The Top Lady Angler was Katie Gonsoulin on Done Deal as she released two Blue Marlin.
Thirty-Six Blue Marlin and three White Marlin were released in the 2019 Orange Beach Billfish Classic.
Official 2019 Orange Beach Billfish Classic Results
Catch and Release
1st- Mollie
2nd- Reel Fire
3rd- Born 2 Run
Tuna
1st- 825.6 lbs. Crawgator- Angler Bill Butler
2nd- 735 lbs. Hot Rod – Angler Stewart Fickel
3rd- 172.4 lbs. Tireless – Angler Gregg Trenor
Wahoo
1st – 58 lbs. CE – Angler Scott Cooper
2nd- 45.2 lbs. Crawgator – Angler Bill Butler
3rd- 40.2 lbs. Relentless Pursuit- Angler Johnny Pasentine
Dolphin
1st- 46.2 lbs. Lucky Dog – Angler Jarrett Johnson
2nd- 36.6 lbs. A Team – Angler Robert Sanderson
3rd- 36.6 lbs. Breathe Reel Deep – JC Jacobs
Top Lady Angler
Katie Gonsoulin on the Done Deal
Download your ROFFS fishing forecast hot spots while offshore with the free mazu SportFishing app. The detailed sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll, current and altimetry charts in the mazu SportFishing app, combined with overlaid ROFFS data is a powerful tool. Elevate your offshore angling with access to ROFFS comprehensive descriptions and information directly through the app. Visit www.mazu-marine.com for details!
Ensure a trouble-free maintenance experience with Bye Bye Barnacle. The systems need to be flushed every 1 ½ months to avoid buildup of marine growth especially in warm waters and warmer climates. The flush unit is plumbed into the supply and return manifolds of the air conditioning and refrigeration systems. The flush unit is plumbed to on board fresh water system for filling and pumped overboard for draining contents overboard.
Check out this video tutorial on Bye Bye Barnacle by AugustWorks:
Bye Bye Barnacle is currently the only proven permanently installed flush unit on the market.
Owner Bill Wallace shows us the latest model of the Willy Vac— a system that vacuums up standing water in the trouble areas that every boat has.
Learn about Kable Keeper, a new dockside accessory designed to make boating life much easier. In this Dock Talk episode, Alec Miller explains the products key functions that include keeping your shore power cord on your boat, out of the water, and all your marine utilities organized.
For more information, head over to www.kable-keeper.com
