Santa Claus and new designs coming to town

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy!

Tomorrow being Christmas, I wonder what surprises good boaters

will find under the tree from jolly old Saint Nick. I will be in the

studio to broadcast a live Christmas boating radio show on KCBQ in

San Diego.

Speaking of live broadcasts, we are planning to air live from the

San Diego Boat Show on Jan. 8 at the San Diego Convention Center. If

you are planning to attend the boat show, you should stop by our

booth to register to win free prizes, ranging from a Banner mattress

to Hornblower’s cruise tickets.

However, back to Christmas, as I look into the future to envision

new technology that will change the way we boat today, I can see

rapid advancements on boats. The packages under the tree can hold

many new and exiting advances in the boating world, but there are

many who like to reminisce about the yesteryears of boating, sailing

on the high seas with the wind in your face and the tiller in your

hand, and boat designers know this. You will see new boat designs

with a retro-style, capturing the classic yacht look, docked in the

slip next to a euro-designed yacht of stainless steel and glass. For

some, change is welcomed, and for others, change leaves a yearning

for the past. For me, bring it on, but I will always remember how to

hold a tiller and mainsheet in one hand and a paper chart in the

other.

A major change will be to the hull itself as new manufacturing

processes build stronger, better-designed hulls. Fiberglass may be

replaced with a molded plastic hull, allowing easier repair and quick

custom production. Wiring inside is replaced with fiber optics,

stopping the corrosion that affects every wire connection one time or

another.

The hull designs will change to incorporate hydrofoils or

multi-hull designs to increase speed, while lessening the effects

from swells. Computer-controlled stabilizers and trim tabs will

become the norm on powerboats, and sailboats will have sleek hulls

that reduce the water surface area for speed.

The new VHF marine radios are now including digital selective

calling (DSC), which lets you call another boat by typing in its code

number without having to hail on channel 16 for all to hear. However,

the VHF marine-band radios will expand their uses with additional

functions by incorporating cell-phone calls, satellite phone calls,

intercom systems, voice mail, and watch alarms.

The navigational systems are the most rapidly advancing kinds

equipment onboard any yacht. Now, the units are flat-panel displays,

showing information from the radar, Global Positioning System and the

sonar. In the future, this piece of electronics will display your

incoming e-mail or information about the boat cruising a few miles

off your starboard beam. Eventually, the electronics will be

networked into a system so you can control your vessel from the

Internet. Scary? There are wireless remote control units available

now, and the military is flying remote-controlled drone aircraft.

Interesting concept, as you call me to deliver your boat from Newport

Beach to San Francisco, while I sit in my living room, remotely

delivering your vessel. Ah, how I will miss dreaded Point Conception.

Thrusters, thrusters and more thrusters. Any boat over 40 feet

will have both the bow and stern thrusters installed at the factory

as a standard option. Smaller vessels will start installing at least

bow thrusters. But, the thrusters will improve by lessening the power

consumption and the thrusters will become silent in operation. Soon,

no one will hear the grinding-like noise from a thruster as you slide

sideways easily on the dock.

Finally, this holiday season, I want you to think about all we

have to be thankful for with our beautiful harbor and the ocean. We

need to be thankful for all the people who volunteer their time while

working on water quality, water access, nautical events or harbor

management, to name just a few.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation, “Capt.

Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show.” It airs every Saturday from

noon to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell and

Eric Hovland by calling the listener line at (888) 344-1170.

Safe voyages!

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send

him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by

e-mail to mike@boathousetv.com or visit https://www.boathousetv.com.