Vessel Assist San Diego » Product Reviews

Vessel Assist San Diego Urges Boaters to Use Personal Locator Beacons

Robert Butler — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 06:53:39 +0000

For years most commercial marine companies have required all personnel to wear lifejackets (PFD’s). Now Personal Locator Beacons (PLB’s) has become required equipment in several marine companies and for good reason. Cases have come up where a vessel sinks and the EPIRB has gone down with the boat or boaters drift away from the beacon. Vessel Assist San Diego now requires all captains to wear a PLB with their lifejackets while aboard Vessel Assist Boats. “It’s simple, Property is replaceable lives are not,” said Captain Robert Butler Owner of Vessel Assist San Diego. For just a couple hundred dollars a PLB will give you the outright best chance of surviving. There are several ways to call for help in an emergency. VHF radio, Cell phones, SPOT assist, all in the right conditions can work to get help when needed. None of them are as certain as a PLB. The PLB transmits at 406.028 MHz/121.5MHz and attached to a person, the beacon will be honed in to the person not the vessel. Some boaters have set up ditch bags in case they have an emergency. But there have been cases where boats have hit objects and before anyone has a chance they are in the water, the ditch bag is either lost or stuck in a capsized boat. If a person has a PLB attached to their PFD they will have the best possible chance to be rescued. Bottom line is people are still dying in offshore marine accidents. The United States Coast Guard recommends all persons on board to wear a PFD and a PLB. AquaLink® 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon Is the required equipment for Vessel Assist San Diego Captains. There are other brands like FastFind 210 GPS Personal Location Beacon that are less expensive but still effective.

Aqualink 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon
Activation Method Manual
Application Hiking, Inland Boating, Coastal Cruising, Abandon Ship Bags, Life Rafts
Battery Life 6 years
Dimensions 2.25 x 5.88 x 1.49? (5.72 x 14.94 x 3.78 cm)
Floating Yes
GPS Enabled Yes
PLB Type PLB
Strobe Yes
Transmit Time 24 hours
Waterproof 16.40ft (5 m) @ 1 hr., 33 ft (10 m) @ 10 min

FastFind 210 GPS Personal Location Beacon
Activation Method Manual
Application Hiking/Inland Boating, Coastal Cruising, Abandon Ship Bags, Life Raft
Battery Life 5 years
Dimensions 4.17″H x 1.85″W x 1.34″D (10.5 x 4.6 x 3.4 cm)
Floating No
GPS Enabled Yes
PLB Type PLB
Strobe Yes
Transmit Time 24 hours
Waterproof 33 ft (10 m) @ 10 min.

Vessel Assist San Diego chose the Aqualink based on its company research. We encourage all boaters to research what unit fits them best. Vessel Assist San Diego recommends all mariners wear a PLB attached to their PFD. Our West Coast fishing can often drive us dozens of miles offshore and often in Mexican waters. A PLB will allow your location to be transmitted should the unthinkable happen. In closing, once you have purchased your PLB make sure you register it. This is a very simple process and is required for the PLB to be effective. If you have any questions regarding this article please call us at Vessel Assist San Diego 619-235-8273. West Marine has both of the units on display and usually in stock.

Vessel Assist San Diego Puts Waterproof Cameras To The Test

Robert Butler — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:33:43 +0000

When it comes to cameras, Vessel Assist San Diego has gone through dozens. In recent years some companies have stepped up to the plate and developed a digital camera that is not only water proof but shock resistant. As owner of one of the busiest commercial towing and salvage companies in the nation, I hit a nerve last year when my camera fell about 2 feet onto soft sand and the viewing screen shattered. So, off I went to get yet another digital camera. I found two cameras the first being an Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 for about $350.00 and the Canon Power Shot D10 for about $310.00. I decided to buy them both and give them a run for their money.
The Olympus looks like any other digital camera, silver in color and pretty much nothing at all that makes it look tough, but upon closer inspection the ports of the XD card and the plug in adapters are water tight and sealed. It is waterproof to 33′, has a drop rating of 6′6″, and a crush rating of at least 275lbs (since I have already accidentally stepped on it.) The 12 MP camera takes very good pictures, in fact most of the pictures on this web site are from the Olympus. The underwater pictures are borderline professional grade. The battery life is comparable to any digital camera. We have had this camera in the surf, under water, and in the rain. It has never failed. We did have water intrusion once after a salvage diver accidentally opened the battery door under water. It was sent to Olympus and repaired under warranty with no hassles. I have had this camera in the desert while jeeping and riding quad runners and it has been dropped in the sand hundreds of times.
The Canon Power Shot D10 looks kind of cheap from a distance with a silver body with half of the front face blue, but again closer inspection reveals that it is just as well built as the Olympus. It too is waterproof to 33′ and drop proof to 4′ although I’m not sure if it would take the abuse of me stepping on it. This has proven to be a very durable camera with an excellent picture quality both under water and above. The battery life is similar to the Olympus but you must remove the battery to fit into a wall charger while the Olympus has a plug in charger.
My opinion is solely base on my own use of these products and they are only my opinion from the way I use these cameras.
Right out of the hole the Olympus looks tougher with a rectangle shape giving it 6 flat sides and 8 impact corners. The Canon is almost twice as thick and has a lens protruding from the front giving it more impact angles for breakage. Point to Olympus.
The Olympus has a retractable lenses cover the Canon does not. In the physically abusive world of the marine environment score two points for the Olympus.
The Canon has a removable strap insert so you can place the strap in any of the four corners. The Olympus has a place on the side of the camera to attach the strap. I would think the R&D department for Canon would have taken the energy they spent on this little gadget, that I have misplaced twice already, and place it into their lens cover, none the less, point to Canon.
The Canon has a better zoom range and Olympus has a slightly better wide angle .
The Olympus has a system called a body touch meaning you just have to tap the camera in a few different places and you access different functions quickly. This was tough to learn at first but once you get used to it, it is great. Point to Olympus
The flat design makes stuffing it in a pocket very easy on the Olympus where the Canon is bulky and thicker. Point to Olympus.
In closing both of these cameras work well in the marine environment. The Olympus costs a bit more but it is well worth the extra money. The nice part about both of these cameras is that they don’t require any special housings to work under water.

Ford, Chevy, or Dodge?

Robert Butler — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:40:29 +0000

Part of my task of testing the Rescue 21 system has been to trailer my 28’ Vessel Assist Zodiac all over the country. In doing so I have been able to use three different diesel trucks.

2006 2wd Dodge 2500 Mega Cab
2008 4wd Ford F-250 Crew Cab
2009 4wd Chevy 3500 crew Cab

To be fair the dodge is only a two wheel drive and is not equipped with the Smog restraints that the Ford and Chevy are, but I did come up with a point system that through my own personal experience, felt was fair. Three points for first, two for second, and one for third.

All of these trucks are loaded to the hilt and I am lucky to have owned any of them. Problems that I may have encountered with any of these trucks are on my own vehicle and I would argue that they are isolated incidents. I feel that if I would have picked out a different truck instead of any of the three I bought there would be a good chance I would not have had any problems. Also, this is my independent study and I have zero influence from any sources from or from any company.

Test one (Noise level)

This was a very tough test since all of the truck have been mistaken for Gas trucks by friends of mine who have driven them. After 20 years of running Vessel Assist boats my hearing is not as acute as most peoples’ so this is merely my opinion.

Ford 3 points, Dodge,2 points and the Chevy 1 point

I say this only because the Chevy is a little noisier on city streets and the ford with road tires is ultra quiet. The difference is almost unnoticeable and would not be noticed if I were simply test driving any of the trucks looking for noise.

Test 2 (looks)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I am impartial to looks but according to ALL of my friends the Ford has a better look than the others. This was before I put 35” rock star wheels with Pro Comp tires and a $6000.00 front bumper with winch on it.

Ford 3 points, Chevy 2 points, Dodge 1 point

Test 3 (Inside Space)

We did a lot of cross country driving on a very tight schedule with a three man crew driving; one person drives, one rides in the passenger seat, and one rests in the back. They call it a Mega Cab for a reason: hands down, the most room by far. With the seats folded down you can fit a full sized foam mattress with ease. In the Chevy you can squeeze a twin mattress in and with the Ford you’re stuck sleeping on the seats because they don’t fold well. The Dodge and the Ford passenger seats recline about the same but the Chevy’s reclines farther making resting in the front seat substantially more comfortable.

Dodge 3 points, Chevy 2 points, Ford 1 point

Test 4 (bluetooth)

The Dodge and the Chevy come equipped with bluetooth but in the Ford I needed to install an after market system. Only because of technology the Chevy wins over the Dodge.

Chevy 3 points, Dodge 2 Ford 1

Test 5 (fuel economy)

To be fair the Dodge runs with less smog and it is 2wd but 18-20 mph towing was awesome. The Chevy is still new and has not been broken in but it still gets a respectable 12 miles per gallon. The ford is a Fuel HOG!!! 7mph on a good day while towing. We found because we could only get 190 – 220 miles before the fuel light turns on we were stopping more costing us more money in ill-advised snacks, not to mention fuel. And when the 50 miles till empty light turns on stop immediately the gauge is not accurate and you WILL run out of fuel. There are two areas on I- 10 in Texas where if you miss your fuel stop you will never get to the next one.

Dodge 3 points, Chevy 2 points, Ford 1 point

Test 5 (Mirrors)

The Ford stands alone in this field with electric extending and folding mirrors it has a better driving view than both the Chevy and the Dodge. The Chevy and the Dodge aren’t bad, the Ford is simply much better.

Ford 3 points, Chevy 2 Dodge 1

Test 6 (towing power)

This was tough to determine. The Dodge and Chevy have “throw you back in your seat” power where the Ford has more of a “roll-on” power. The ford is a distant third and at times seemed gutless, but the Chevy even with all the smog junk added to it has more power while towing than the Dodge and the Ford.

Chevy 3 points, Dodge 2 Ford 1

Test 6 ( the grapevine test)

I have made several trips over the infamous I-5 Grapevine. This is where the true colors come out in these trucks. In all cases I left San Diego with a full tank of fuel and the boat was loaded the same.

The Chevy is, overall, the better of the trucks with a half tank of fuel left after going over and back down the other side. The motor runs as fast as you can push it with the ability to increase speed even on the steepest parts. The Dodge also had plenty of fuel and could make any speed necessary to get up the grade but the transmission got a little warmer than I would expect. The ford was a dog and I needed to fuel at Magic Mountain or half way up the grade. The truck just feels restricted and is flat once it hits the grade making it almost impossible to pass.

Chevy 3 points, Dodge,2 points the Ford 1 points

The tally:

Chevy 18 points, Dodge 16 points, and the Ford 14 points.

I did not grade the reliability or the warranty service because I only have 10,000 miles on the Chevy.

I blew up the transmission on the Dodge towing over the Continental Divide during the summer (as well as the air conditioning).

The Ford blew out a radiator in the middle of Texas and again in San Diego.

All repairs were performed without issues and would not affect my choice if I were to buy another truck.

Garmin 4212 or Raymarine E120

Robert Butler — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:42:37 +0000

Owning 11 boats I have had the pleasure and the pain of using many different types of electronics. With the advent of all-in-one systems there are plenty to choose from. Two of the most popular systems are built by Garmin and Raymarine.

GARMIN 4212. (I also run the 5212, which I believe is a better system than the 4212 because of the touch screen, but to be fair to the Raymarine I will compare the 4212.) The Garmin is a very dependable unit with as many options as a mariner would likely need. I have a radar, GPS, depth sounder, and XM weather/satellite radio installed. This was a very easy unit to install but it does take some planning and a basic sketch of where the under dash equipment goes.

I have used this system all over the United States. While there are waterways where the G2 Chip works well, San Diego is a very deep bay which makes it tough to justify the high price tag for this chip. The XM weather helped me in Louisiana and Key West as I was able to dodge weather systems while still getting work done. The XM radio is great and with a pair of basic computer speakers, music, sports, and news can make a long day on the water a lot nicer. Adding waypoints on the 4212 is very easy, though the routing is a little tough (but has a very small learning curve).

The Raymarine E120 is set up on three of my assist vessels. Like the Garmin, it is very dependable and always rock solid when we need it most, however you must purchase a chart chip for the area you will be boating in as the E120 is not preloaded with charts. Also, you need to buy the GPS antenna separately. As with the 4212, the E120’s radar, and depthsounder are both very dependable. Adding waypoints and routes are easy, with the route options being a little more intuitive than the Garmin’s.

I run mostly Raymarine systems on my boats. With three E120’s and three C80’s I have never had any major issues with any of the units, Garmin or Raymarine, (although it seemed like the Garmin was a little easier to install).

The Garmin also uses a more popular “SD” chip and works well with Map Source to transfer Waypoints from my laptop to the Garmin. Both units use Raymarine autopilots. West Marine sells both units and their electronics department would have more answers as far as the technical specifications go.

The Garmin 5212 is my favorite and it is amazing with it’s touch screen options but it cost more than the other two units.

For the money, my opinion is that the Garmin is a better deal. It is easier to install, already preloaded with sufficient charts, it comes with a GPS antenna, as well as great technical support. If you plan to install multiple units on your vessel I would suggest that you install one GPS antenna per unit. If for some reason you lose one unit due to malfunction or damage you can get home with the other. I had an object fall on the power cord on my 5212 breaking the outlet making it pretty tough to navigate back to the harbor since the GPS antenna was connected to that unit. I was able to change the cable to the 4212 to get in but since the unit comes with a GPS antenna it only makes sense to install it.