Marine Accessories

The Transducer and Cone Angles

The Transducer is attached to your fishfinder with a small cable. It turns the electrical signal from the transmitter on your fishfinder, turns it into sonar or a sound wave and beams it out in the shape of a cone. The cone angle is simply the wideness of coverage in the water. The wider the cone angle - the greater the coverage. Fishfinder cone angles vary from model to model so be sure to have a good look at all the features on the model you are considering.

Transducers are usually mounted in the water on the trolling motor and away from engines and obstructions. Select a transducer that suits your unique situation - specifically when it comes to installations. Some models have higher frequencies that provide superior resolution, different cone angles and so on. One thing to pay close attention to is that your frequency is the same as your sonar measured in KHZ.

Types of Installations

The way your unit is installed in your boat is something you’ll want to pay close attention to as well. Transom Mount transducers usually associated with stern-drive and outboard powered boats. Other types are mounted through the hull and as rule needs to be a high frequency model still others are mounted on your electric trolling motor.  All types of Tranducers can be found on most web seites under marine accessories.

When I am out boating I am amazed at the amount of marine accessories that I find on the shore line, such as life jackets, bumpers, old inflatable toys and of course a large amount of empty drink cans.  We all know that money from the agencys that control the water ways is in short supply so it is on all us boaters to pick up the slack, if you see an empty can pick it up and put it in the trash bag that you should have on your boat.  Whatever accessories that you find take it and put it somewhere that does not hurt our water ways.

While some people don’t recognize this, on most bodies of water, it’s illegal for children and sometimes adults to not wear a life jacket while on a boat.  In truth, there’s no real reason not to wear a life jacket when boating other than the occasional discomfort.  But the discomfort is offset by the safety the life jacket provides.  For children, who aren’t strong swimmers, a life jacket is essential and in a lot of place, it’s illegal for children under a certain age to be on a boat without a life jacket. 

Adults should also wear a life jacket because we never know when we might hit our head falling off the boat, or become incapacitated in a manner that prevents us from swimming. Amongst life jackets, it’s important to choose a reliable life jacket that also provides comfort to the wearer.  A Mustang life jacket for example is an excellent life jacket that provides reliability and comfort.  Adults might even consider a Mustang automatic inflatable jacket. 

Now it is easier than ever to equip you boat with the latest in marine audio and video. These products can enhance a day on the water and turn an ordinary outing into a lake party. But there is one thing to keep in mind. Not everyone shares your taste in music, so please keep the volume reasonable around other boaters; especially fisherman. It comes down to basic courtesy, I love to fish and I love loud music; just not at the same time.

With this little cautionary statement out of the way, lets look at how we can make our boat bound for sound. The basic components needed to make your boat rock (or country, or jazz) are a stereo receiver and a set of speakers. Wiring a boat for marine audio is very much similar to the stereo system in your car. The main difference being marine stereo receivers and other components are made with being on the water in mind. These products are manufactured to be water and corrosive resistant to stay intact for years of enjoyment. Beyond the basic receiver, speaker pair, many boaters like to pump up the volume with a combination of amplifiers and subwoofers. Nothing is better than pulling up next to your friends boat and having an instant tailgate party. There are many choices for your sound source such as CDs, XM Radio, and of course your regular local stations.

While you enjoy fishing, sunbathing or entertaining friends; the children can find relief from the hot sun while watching a DVD. Marine video has now become an important addition to your cruiser just as in your house (and probably SUV).

In my opinion boating is for enjoying the outdoors so I keep any video watching to a minimum. But it does provide a nice change of pace at night in the cabin. To many their boat, like their homes and cars, are an extension of themselves. So keep the excitement going from the land to the water.

Being green is very important today.  We all have to do our part to make our planet a better place.  When you are out on the water in your boat you can do your part by using solar panels to charge cell phone, laptop computer and DVD players.

Most of them are weatherproof so you can charge your boat battery while you are on the water you can also keep you personal water craft charge in the winter.  They come in a variety of sizes and watts with a very portable one to carry onto your boat.

While we were out boating we found that we miss some of the comforts of our living room.  Namely the TV!  Luckily we found a solution.

The Jensen 15″ LCD TV w/stand is a great item for boating and camping. If we have a event on TV that we just can’t miss, the Jensen LCD TV is the answer for us.  This TV is HD ready and has a wireless remote and table top stand, be the first boater floating around watching your favorite event on the 16:9 high performance widescreen format.

A boat trip with music accompaniment seems like a much more exciting prospect than one without music at all.  Boat audio systems have evolved as technology has, much like all other electronic audio devices have over the past few years. 

Waterproof capabilities are a given for marine speakers, and superior construction is another hallmark of quality onboard audio systems, enabling grace under the pressure of potentially difficult marine environments of all kinds.

One of the most crucial marine accessories that you can purchase is a life jacket.  According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 85% of boating-related deaths involved victims who were not wearing life jackets.  Life jackets are especially recommended for those who are either weak swimmers, cannot swim or boating alone; of course it is recommended that all people who go aboard a vessel should wear a life jacket.

For a long time I’ve struggled with paying retail at sporting goods stores and “discount” stores for most of sea-faring needs. When I first came across your site and saw the great prices on a whole host of products I knew I was in for a treat. Now, instead of paying retail I’m able to save a great deal of money and still have all the premium products I need. Thanks to you guys I’ll never pay retail for marine accessories again.

Your inventory of products really combines into the perfect mix of service, price and selection. So much so, in fact, I do almost all of my shopping for anything related to recreational activities right here in one easy place. For clean up, maintenance or just more fun on the water this is one site I won’t soon forget!