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The i6000’s high
price is due largely to the three sets of actuators needed to run the
outboards’ mechanical controls. The cost will come down significantly
when manufacturers introduce models with built-in electronic controls,
especially if they talk in NMEA 2000. And none of the three boatbuilders
I spoke with are using either Teleflex’s engine-monitoring or navigation
electronics yet, partially because an interface box is required (again,
until the engines speak 2000), and because Teleflex’s grayscale screens
don’t cut the mustard on these essentially open boats.
In other words, the
i6000 control is currently succeeding almost entirely on its unique ability
to fly the triples by wire; the NMEA 2000 possibilities at both ends of
the system are so far mostly unrealized. Imagine when multiple manufacturers
compete with plug-and-play engines, autopilots, plotters, etc.—when,
say, sophisticated GPS-aware fuel management just happens without a lot
of fuss. These builders, who cater to particularly experienced and hard-driving
boaters, are aware of these possibilities and will be first in line to
check out new NMEA 2000 gear. And that’s how Teleflex’s i6000
egg might eventually fill the nest.
Another Teleflex success
is happening in Wisconsin at Cruisers Yachts, where several large express
models now come standard with Magic Bus packages (see photo on following
page). One reason cited by head engineer Bill Funk is the neat way Teleflex
“kits” its gear, so installers simply mount already-compatible
boxes and run cables, leaving the old-school wire stripping and fiddly
interfacing behind—along with the associated unreliability. But mostly
Funk expresses lots of faith that NMEA 2000 will succeed. He talks of
the day when installing a new 2000 standard-compatable GPS will be like
Windows (now that it really works)—it will chirp, “You have
new hardware,” and that’s it. He conjures up the scenario of
an engine sending diagnostic data ashore, where a tech says, “Well,
sir, your number five injector is fouled, and I see that you’re about
an hour from Joe’s Marina; we’ll meet you there and take care
of it.” Funk is installing Magic Bus systems in Cruisers so his customers
can easily tap into the future goodness of NMEA 2000.
In fact all these builders,
practical as they must be, are anxious to move into a well-integrated
future. “I just wish all these engine and electronics guys would
sit down and talk to each other,” says Intrepid vice president Mark
Beaver. “An open system architecture is an absolute must,” echoes
Funk.
Actually there is another
way, and it’s being executed by the big kahuna, Brunswick Industries,
owner of numerous boatbuilders, Mercury Marine, and now Northstar Electronics.
Brunswick has expressed strong interest in providing the electronic ease
discussed here, but early products like Mercury Smart Craft and Sea Ray
Navigator suggest that the company may do it all on its own. That’ll
work, too, if customers get what they want. Besides, NMEA 2000 bridge
devices are possible add-ons to both of those systems. Moreover Brunswick’s
initiatives may encourage other companies to gather around NMEA 2000 for
competitive strength.
NMEA itself is certainly
feeling good about its standard, reporting brisk sales of manuals and
lively recent gatherings of interested companies. And the work of elevating
2000 from national to international status is also going well. Perhaps
most important, certain little birdies are telling me that a number of
important new NMEA 2000 products will hatch at the fall boat shows. Then
perhaps the pioneering efforts of Teleflex and its early adopters will
really pay off.
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