Slow modern electronics.

New electronics are slowing me (and many others) down in more ways than one.

This is not a rant about how the good old days were better, they weren't, nor is it written by some technophobe who can´t connect to Bluetooth. Based on my observations, modern electronics are slowing us down in every sense of the word, making us more paranoid than ever, both on our boats and also in our daily lives, what is happening? Are the electronics getting slower or are we getting slower?

The Latest, greatest (and slowest)

I get to play with a lot of new technology on boats, electronic screens that control everything from navigation, lighting, music and  monitoring  of critical systems and engine data. I was on a brand new boat with our technicians and we were going to start the engines, well, we were going to but we had to wait for the screens to boot, run through umpteen different sequences including if there is Wi-Fi available to check for a newer version of the software, all fine IF you have the time and patience.

This is possibly a poorly implemented program or more likely being a brand new boat, I had not delved into the menus to turn it off or at least throttle it all down a knot or two. 

Old mechanical gauges and even electronic gauges come to life right away with the ignition key, with these electronics screens for important engine data there is potential to have the engines started and still be waiting for the electronics to catch up, this is a less than ideal scenario.

Electronic navigation aids.

Dumbing it down

Telephone not so tough guy, A work colleague was tasked with helping his wife, a teacher to inform all the parents on the class list about an upcoming event, there was a mailshot sent out but it needed to be followed up, no problem, said colleague got the phone list and started calling, understandably some people did not answer, a note was made to call them back, which he did, several times. The event arrives and now the chaos begins, parents wailing and complaining about how they had no idea about the existence of the event, let alone having been contacted, my colleague was now on the tail end of a barrage of accusations and insults to his organizational skills.

The reason for all this? Apparently these people don't answer the phone when they don't know who is calling, these gen X adults who grew up with rotary phones can no longer answer a phone to an unknown caller, what would happen if it was important? Antonio Meucci is turning in his grave.

The map ate my homework, For the most part, the mapping apps available are very good, but from time to time you need a touch of common sense. A good friend of mine, educated I might add at one of the finest universities on planet earth, was on his way somewhere, following a mapping app that was replicated on the large screen of his very expensive car. The map indicated so I gather to turn right and go straight across a farm track and into a field, which he did and promptly go stuck! So technology is not only robbing our time but our common sense also.

Based upon these examples and I am sure there are countless others, if there is an Orwellian dystopia in our future and the machines will rule us, they will not have much of a battle to fight.

Back to boats and the blame game

If you are not lucky enough to have been out on a boat, I don´t mean a ship or large vessel with a captain but a sports boat or yacht, it´s wonderful, nature, disconnection and, for a lot of the time, little to no oversight.

If you are using electronic navigational aids, when you switch on the plotter, the screen with the electronic charts on it, the very first screen that appears (that everyone ignores) is the legal disclaimer bit. This disclaimer basically states that electronic aids are just that, aids, not a substitute for looking where you are going and using good judgement, sage advice indeed. This I believe is largely to do with blame culture, mistakes will not be tolerated and someone must pay one way or the other. The “I´m sure it´ll be fine” or “what's the worst that will happen” mantra is a no no.

Even more automation causing overhead

Trimming is very important on boats, it means to get the perfect running angle, to optimize the boat for speed, comfort and economy. This is accomplished by using trim tabs, flat pieces on metal on the back of the boat, you also trim outboard engines and outdrives to adjust trim based on speed and sea conditions amongst other things, enough technical, the point being that trimming correctly is straightforward with some practice and experience.

There are now automated versions of these functions, but they need initial calibration from the most perfect of machines, the human. So this now involves time and scheduling because it can only be done on the most perfect of days, no wind or waves, it also involves more than one person, so now we have time investment.

This automation to me is somewhat pointless, this process did not need it and it robs the user of interaction. Are we getting to the point of not really having to “navigate” any more, just be a meat machine at the helm to comply with the legal requirements?

Having a boat is about freedom, living in the moment, untethered from electronic overlords, I would imagine similar feelings are experienced by cyclists, hikers and others who do not need technology heavy equipment to just be.

                    

You are my Everest

The pinnacle, the peak, the highest you can go, have we reached that point on boats? have we plateaued? let´s leave it there for a bit, put a pin in it, leave it on the back burner, come back after lunch and regroup.

The latest multi function displays are fabulous, they can be integrated to work seamlessly and to play nicely with all sorts of onboard systems, we have never been able to monitor more systems in an easier way.

Tracking systems to see others and be seen yourself, autopilots that can make routes for you, the most up to date electronic charts with satellite images, these are just a few of the examples of how far we have come.  

It´s not just boats, we seem to see other Alexander the Great moments in other technologies, I gather the latest crop of mobile phones are not so different from the previous ones, certainly nothing pioneering or vastly new. Most people do not need a bigger television with a clearer picture, I build my own computers and cannot honestly say that I need them to be any faster than they are right now.

I actually think we should stop advancing on things, at least for a while, there is no need to do it just because we can. I do have some pointers though, some ideas I think would improve the technology on board, mostly it involves bringing technologies already available on larger boats more into the mainstream, these recommendations are based upon callouts or interventions that cold be avoided and customer complaints.

• Battery monitoring, not just voltage but proper monitoring to inform people of when recharging is vital.

• Critical systems, An app to remind people the batteries have been left on, expanding on this, bilge pump monitoring.

• Tank monitoring, this is especially useful on small boats, nobody wants a boat returned for winter storage with the toilet holding tank full and no client wants to run out of fresh water in Southern European summers.

These are just three small examples where technology could improve boating for a lot of people, the technology is already there it just needs to trickle down to smaller boats, the price increase will be negligible when the price of new boats is already very high.

If the technology were presented to clients in a straightforward way, similar to all the apps on a smartphone it would work well, keep it simple. 

Economies of it all, go small and go boating

The biggest recent changes I have noticed in on board tech are at the "lower" (these are boats after all) end of the electronics market, the features, image quality and connectivity are truly brilliant. The advances at these price points have been very fast indeed. These more budget friendly devices have their advantages, they seem to work faster (relatively), take up less room and cost less (larger screens start to rise in price disproportionately), offer the vast majority of the features that the more expensive models do (radar connection being an omission on smaller screens).

Conclusion and solutions, smell the roses (and sea air)

I have no doubt that at this very moment, electronics are slowing us down, in every sense of the word. Prospective boat owners, don´t be fooled into ticking all those boxes, a lot of it will simply not enrich your life or boating experience. It is easy enough (relatively speaking) to upgrade or fit new gadgets post production, not so easy to realize you have cut a check for a lot of stuff that will simply never be used.

Please try and take a step back and just enjoy the ride.

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