I'm a new 66 year old owner of a Pearson 303 (1985). I want to make some upgrades and I love your new stuff. The refrigerator was exactly what I was thinking of. Thanks and keep it coming
One of the most important pieces of gear is right in front of you. The coffee cup...keep doing what your doing. You have a great way of explaining things....steady winds and calm seas......
Seems like the current generation of sailors, if youtube is any measure, are simply going below for long naps especially at night. Maybe the AIS transmitters give false confidence. Small to medium size fishing boats off mexico don't have AIS and often dont use lights because they want to save battery power thus appear out of nowhere in the deep swells. A continual good watch is a must. The hardest hours for me are around 3am-4am, it's cold, damp, dark, often overcast with a marine-layer of low clouds so the horizon blends into the sky.
We agree that keeping a diligent watch is essential both for our safety and the safety of others. I was quite surprised several years ago when, over sundowners, another sailor casually mentioned that they set a course in the evenings and then go to sleep for 5-8 hours. (?!?) That feels a bit like a ticking time bomb. I just think over the years of how many times we've happened upon an unexpected fleet of fishing vessels or a tanker that seemed to come out of nowhere. Keeping an effective watch is just so incredibly important. Mmmm, I agree about those early morning hours...they can be tough. I think that's when something like the Watch Commander really comes into its own. On the off chance that the person on watch falls asleep, it's reassuring knowing the alarm will be going off regularly and will wake up the off-watch people if there's a problem. You take care and stay safe ⚓-Monique
This was very helpful. I sail the Great Lakes and have been lax with my personal safety. I need to update this year my clip in locations and the ability to go on deck with a safety line. Thank you for this.
Cheers for that Drake, yip, great bit of kit. I'm on a 64' retired Cape to Rio ocean racer so no plotter at the helm stations, we are always 2 on watch, watches are staggered so a 3 hr watch is divided into 1 1/2 hr segments, we sail on magnetic heading and TWA, unless there is a TSS or AIS/radar target in which case we adjust course accordingly, otherwise it's flat out balls to the wall on the best wind angle to more or less stay on our magnetic heading (within about 15° either way depending on how long we stay on a particular heading) We have a bank of instruments on the mast (TWA, AWA, MAGNETIC HEADING, SOG) as is typical for racing boats with repeaters at each helm station, all can be changed to display other information like depth (constant on helm station repeaters), boat speed (seldom under 11 knots) etc. we can see the main plotter and laptop from the cockpit through the galley's overhead hatch but don't have a watch alarm, she's too big and powerful a boat to sail with less than 7/8 crew so someone is always watching the plotter, radar, AIS for CPA etc, the watch leader has to fill in the ship's log after each watch so someone is always watching the plotter during shift change, that's pretty short handed for her considering that she requires a crew of at least 12 for off-shore racing and up to 18 for coastal races (running backstays ×2, helm, main trim, 3 grinders for main sheet and primaries, genoa/jib trim, 2 in cockpit handling cabin top winches for reefing pennants, Cunningham, outhaul, genoa, spinnaker and staysail halyards (fast foils for racing, furler for cruising and inner stay removed) still a massive sail area with a 25 metre main luff length! (hydraulic backstay, vang and baby stay adjustment from helm station) no topping lift, 2/3 at masthead, 2 foredeck, 2 sail packers. No anchor alarm, no plotter, radar or AIS on deck, it can be configured for that if needs be. On smaller boats I'd definitely have one, along with two autopilots and a self steering vane. You can never have enough safety and redundancies.
Very well told the simpel things that are needed for a long passage. To often young sailors trust too much on electronic devices where a “ simpele” clock “can do miracles! Like it, go on.
I use an old Screaming Meanie from the trucking days. Back in the day it wasn’t unheard of for someone to wake me by banging on the door because my alarm had woke them up. They probably aren’t made anymore due to the hearing loss they caused. Lol.
Bridge navigational watch alarm system or BNWAS is mandatory for vessels over 150 GT. We use it on the Ex-Navy vessel I volunteer on. It has an extra stage of waking the captain before all of the crew. The next stage activates the Evacuation sirens, that is also something you will want to avoid :-) Excellent Video, very informative and well structured!
Hi Drake And Crow I've been watching Paragon for Lottie years your very inspiring I fall I bought my boat CT41 she's a beautiful boat I've been working on I can't wait to get out there Hopedale run into guys somewhere I like what you doing the different episodes of items safe travels
You picked my favorite gizmo I saw in your videos as first talk-through item. Thank you Drake! Your explanations confirmed many of my thoughts: a robust, simple but also clever designed piece of electronic. Looking forward to the next „stuff video“.
Ah brilliant! It really is everything we'd like in a piece of equipment...easy to maintain, easy to use, and extremely effective. We have several pieces of gear in mind for future videos, but if there's ever something you'd like us to cover in this series we would love suggestions! Take care ⚓-Monique
Had a good LOL watching the ending. Great idea for a new series and a good subject too. Thanks for all the good watch standing advice too. I use my phone - but don't do many offshore over nighters. Ron
Really looking forward to this series. I had a search for a Watch Commander online and only found a mention that it is available from Lunde Electronics in Seattle but they don’t have much of a website,so I emailed them to find out. I will let you know if I get a reply. It really is something that many cruisers would love to have I’m sure so I am surprised there are not more options available. Andy UK
Hi, I had a reply from Lunde Electronics. They said the cost of building the Watch Commander became too much so they stopped building them. Shame the design could not be sold on or another manufacturer found. They in fact recommended the Aqualarm Last Watch II as an alternative and available in Europe. Not sure it has the gentle alarm feature, it seems to suggest you have to know when it is time to press the button but that doesn’t make sense, I will contact them. A
@@AndyUK-Corrival lunde was a great company back when sig ericsson ran the place, when he retired the company almost went bankrupt and that's why they stopped making products in-house. sig came out of retirement and saved what was left, but it's nothing like it used to be. i know this because my father and sig were really good friends.
Hi Drake & Mo. Great film as usual. Thx heaps..very informative and entertaining at the end. Where are you guys currently at port? Stay healthy and well.
I've always loved your watch commander but knew they were not made any more. Last month I spotted one on the free stuff table at my marina! Thought of you and grabbed it for my cutter :-) Thanks for all you do!
@@drakeParagon Right??? No one I was with understood why I was so happy. I bet the previous owner wouldn't have given it away if they knew what it was! Cheers Mo.
@@BitcoinNewsTodayLive Definitely sounds like a case of someone not knowing what an amazing thing they had. Ha, I think I would have done a little dance!
someone ditched it because it's old and didn't look good next to all of their new electronics. i've found some amazing stuff over the years in marina dumpsters... most modern boaters would consider paragon to be an old piece of junk because she looks old. that's how wealthy people think.
Hi John, Coming soon! We're working really hard on the upcoming episodes. A lot of the time the editing process is really time consuming, and we're doing the best we can. If you'd like to support our work then check out our patreon page where there's also a lot of extra bonus content available. - Drake
DrakeParagon hey sorry man ! Just got pissed because we miss the episodes that much .... I was outta line , my apologies , sincerely one of Paragons biggest fans
In my last job as Maintenance Supervisor we had a fire alarm system failure and that watchmen alarm reminded me of how horribly loud that screech was. Even if you have earplugs it doesn't help. You can't here the person next to you even yelling. It got the job done for sure.It literally hurts. Stay safe guys. John from Texas.
The second alarm on the Watch Commander is so loud that once you hear it, you'll do anything to never hear it again because it's so jolting. From then on whenever the light alarm goes off your entire being instantly automatically scrambles to hit that red button. Thanks John, Please stay safe. - Drake
Hey Nate! 😄 I think it's even louder than a car alarm. If you doze off on your watch and sleep through the light beeping then being woken up by loud alarm is an awful, jolting experience that makes you move fast! - Drake
this is a great idea! it is always good to hear from a professional sailor what is a good equippment and what is not. One problem with the watch alarm is its price. It is basically a 5 usd arduino board, a few switches and two sirens...
Yeah, but it must be reliable and you don't pricing om bill of materials alone. It could be a DIY project and share the design publically for fellow sailors.
all of the new engineers love the arduino, but i would never trust my life to one. i would actually trust the kitchen egg timer before i trust the arduino...
@@marzsit9833 you would be surprised how many important instruments are using microchips (ICs) - in your car (ABS), in your home (gas heater), on your boat (AIS, radar, autopilot) etc. Your life already depend on them - whether you want it or not.:)
@@Cptnbond I wrote a code for one - did not upload it yet. And yes - not only the material cost makes up the price - but it is still priced as a premium product whereas it`s complexity is not there,
@@tiborkiss9186 Agree with you, but is not boat equipment in general, priced x3 or more than other stuff? Having a boat is as standing in shower and ripping money. ;-)
6 Thumbs Down ! How people can be so absolutely stupid is beyond me ! Sure glad there not on my boat !! Great channel and video ! Thanks again Drake Paragon 👍
Great video, thanks for posting. I don’t think the Watch Commander is available anymore. I bought the Last Watch II system you showed at the end of the video when it was on sale last year. I like it. I installed below deck near the Navigation Station. Power is controlled by a fused switch. It uses a key to turn it on and off which can be clumsy, but I keep the key in the Navigation desk and all’s been fine. I’ve been surprised how many people think it’s unnecessary.
No I have not installed the remote alarm. It doesn’t come with the alarm buzzer so I would have had to purchase it separately. It was priced at $59US, too high for me. I’ve since found defender.com selling it for $19US. Easy to hook up in the future If I decide I need it.
It's a lovely gizmo, but might be hard for anyone else to try. It seems like the current licensee to make these (probably on a by-request basis) is www.lundemarineelectronics.com/ in Seattle. There's no mention of it there, but following a chain of redirections and "please visit us at our new site" links, that's the last organization referred to.
Hey christopher, you can occasionally get lucky (as one of the commenters, Paul, did) and find a Watch Commander at a consignment shop or a marina swap. However, we found an alarm called the Aqualarm Last Watch II Alarm which is very similar and is currently being made. If you'd like to check it out I've included their website. Cheers! aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html
A good point. If it completely lost power then it would be worthless. Maybe a battery backup could be a feature for a future product? Say, if it ever lost power then a battery powered alarm could warn the user. Though I will say that in the past 16 years the circuit breaker that we hooked the Watch Commander up to has never tripped. We're haven't any electrical issues with it yet. * knock on wood * - Drake
the watch commander was designed long ago in the 1980's, before lithium-ion battery technology was perfected. at that time, the only other practical rechargeable was nickel cadmium, which was not as reliable as a hard-wired system. also remember that the watch commander was not designed to be energy efficient, it was designed to be durable and reliable so it does draw more power than a modern surface mount microprocessor-based pcb device would draw.
Hi Niels, We're working really hard on the upcoming episodes. A lot of the time the editing process is really time consuming, and we're doing the best we can. If you'd like to support our work then check out our patreon page where there's also a lot of extra bonus content available. - Drake
I can't believe that the Watch Commander isn't being sold anymore. :( There is a similar product called the Aqualarm Last Watch II Helmsman Minder, and at this moment one of those is being shipped to us. As soon as we get it, we'll install it and make a video about it. Hope it's as good as the Watch Commander was. I'll let you know. :) - Drake aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html
@@drakeParagon Thank’s for your quick reply. I’ll take a look and see what it is. Great. Have a very good Christmas and New years hollidays. We had really good winter here on the Swedish west coast a couple of weeks ago, now all snow is gone again. Just cold and windy now. Cheers👍😄
The Watch Commander really does a lot more than a cooker timer. - When the alarm goes off, it won't stop beeping until you press the red button. the cooker timers that I've seen will ring or beep for a while and then go silent. - When you hit the red button, the watch commander stops beeping and automatically restart the count down. All done with the press of just one button. With the cooker timers I've seen, you have to go through extra steps to restart the count down. When you're tired, on watch, being able to hit the red button without having to think about anything is bit advantage. - If you have fallen asleep, if the alarm doesn't wake you, then after 30 seconds the big alarm goes off. I've haven't seen a cooker timer that has this feature. This one feature is critically important. If you have fallen asleep then it guarantees that you will wake up. - Drake
Big problem with cooker timer is they are 1 shot and alarm is too short. If you miss the alarm (i.e. sleep thru it) then it will never reset..until you wake up 4 hours later and realize you had dozed off..
Ya, that's really too bad. 😟 But that Aqualarm product looks like it probably does the same thing. If our 3 Watch Commanders all break then I'd probably get the Aqualarm one. aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html - Drake
I was so surprised to see that the Watch Commander isn't available anymore. A couple of weeks ago I wrote to the people who invented it and founded the company, but I haven't heard back yet. Another product, the Last Watch Aqualarm II looks pretty similar. It costs $199, but has 3 optional extras (secondary loud bell alarm, siren alarm, and strobe light) that bring the total price u to $336. aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html - Drake
@@drakeParagon is this a different product then? Emerald Marine Products Corporation 1338 Shark Reef Road Lopez Island, WA 98261 800-426-4201 360-468-3613 www.sailsafely.com/watchcommander.htm
sailsafely.com/watchcommander.htm is the Watch Commander page, which has been up for years. I found the page for Emerald Marine Products Corp. (emeraldmarineproducts.com) and they have a bunch of other products shown, but nothing like the watch commander.
I'm a new 66 year old owner of a Pearson 303 (1985). I want to make some upgrades and I love your new stuff. The refrigerator was exactly what I was thinking of. Thanks and keep it coming
Moniques comments at the end was so funny. This new addition will add more value to an already fantastic sail channel.
Even the replacement is out of stock! Could be a business venture to be had designed by you and call it the paragon 👍
I like the ending!!
One of the most important pieces of gear is right in front of you. The coffee cup...keep doing what your doing. You have a great way of explaining things....steady winds and calm seas......
Heh, isn't *that* the truth. Paragon: Powered by Caffeine. (as I take a sip of my coffee) Glad you enjoyed timothy and take care. ⚓-Monique
Seems like the current generation of sailors, if youtube is any measure, are simply going below for long naps especially at night. Maybe the AIS transmitters give false confidence. Small to medium size fishing boats off mexico don't have AIS and often dont use lights because they want to save battery power thus appear out of nowhere in the deep swells. A continual good watch is a must. The hardest hours for me are around 3am-4am, it's cold, damp, dark, often overcast with a marine-layer of low clouds so the horizon blends into the sky.
We agree that keeping a diligent watch is essential both for our safety and the safety of others. I was quite surprised several years ago when, over sundowners, another sailor casually mentioned that they set a course in the evenings and then go to sleep for 5-8 hours. (?!?) That feels a bit like a ticking time bomb. I just think over the years of how many times we've happened upon an unexpected fleet of fishing vessels or a tanker that seemed to come out of nowhere. Keeping an effective watch is just so incredibly important.
Mmmm, I agree about those early morning hours...they can be tough. I think that's when something like the Watch Commander really comes into its own. On the off chance that the person on watch falls asleep, it's reassuring knowing the alarm will be going off regularly and will wake up the off-watch people if there's a problem.
You take care and stay safe ⚓-Monique
This was very helpful. I sail the Great Lakes and have been lax with my personal safety. I need to update this year my clip in locations and the ability to go on deck with a safety line. Thank you for this.
The sea bed is paved with the bones of the sleepy :-D
Ha! I'm going to say that in an episode someday. :)
Thanks.
- Drake
Cheers for that Drake, yip, great bit of kit. I'm on a 64' retired Cape to Rio ocean racer so no plotter at the helm stations, we are always 2 on watch, watches are staggered so a 3 hr watch is divided into 1 1/2 hr segments, we sail on magnetic heading and TWA, unless there is a TSS or AIS/radar target in which case we adjust course accordingly, otherwise it's flat out balls to the wall on the best wind angle to more or less stay on our magnetic heading (within about 15° either way depending on how long we stay on a particular heading) We have a bank of instruments on the mast (TWA, AWA, MAGNETIC HEADING, SOG) as is typical for racing boats with repeaters at each helm station, all can be changed to display other information like depth (constant on helm station repeaters), boat speed (seldom under 11 knots) etc. we can see the main plotter and laptop from the cockpit through the galley's overhead hatch but don't have a watch alarm, she's too big and powerful a boat to sail with less than 7/8 crew so someone is always watching the plotter, radar, AIS for CPA etc, the watch leader has to fill in the ship's log after each watch so someone is always watching the plotter during shift change, that's pretty short handed for her considering that she requires a crew of at least 12 for off-shore racing and up to 18 for coastal races (running backstays ×2, helm, main trim, 3 grinders for main sheet and primaries, genoa/jib trim, 2 in cockpit handling cabin top winches for reefing pennants, Cunningham, outhaul, genoa, spinnaker and staysail halyards (fast foils for racing, furler for cruising and inner stay removed) still a massive sail area with a 25 metre main luff length! (hydraulic backstay, vang and baby stay adjustment from helm station) no topping lift, 2/3 at masthead, 2 foredeck, 2 sail packers. No anchor alarm, no plotter, radar or AIS on deck, it can be configured for that if needs be. On smaller boats I'd definitely have one, along with two autopilots and a self steering vane. You can never have enough safety and redundancies.
Very well told the simpel things that are needed for a long passage. To often young sailors trust too much on electronic devices where a “ simpele” clock “can do miracles! Like it, go on.
Outstanding video and will like the upcoming favorite series. I can’t wait until they are out
I think I'm going to enjoy this series.
Keep 'em comming.
I use an old Screaming Meanie from the trucking days. Back in the day it wasn’t unheard of for someone to wake me by banging on the door because my alarm had woke them up. They probably aren’t made anymore due to the hearing loss they caused. Lol.
I'm a truck driver and a screaming meanie is no joke. That's all I could think about watching this
Bridge navigational watch alarm system or BNWAS is mandatory for vessels over 150 GT. We use it on the Ex-Navy vessel I volunteer on. It has an extra stage of waking the captain before all of the crew. The next stage activates the Evacuation sirens, that is also something you will want to avoid :-) Excellent Video, very informative and well structured!
Hi Drake And Crow I've been watching Paragon for Lottie years your very inspiring I fall I bought my boat CT41 she's a beautiful boat I've been working on I can't wait to get out there Hopedale run into guys somewhere I like what you doing the different episodes of items safe travels
You picked my favorite gizmo I saw in your videos as first talk-through item. Thank you Drake! Your explanations confirmed many of my thoughts: a robust, simple but also clever designed piece of electronic. Looking forward to the next „stuff video“.
Ah brilliant! It really is everything we'd like in a piece of equipment...easy to maintain, easy to use, and extremely effective. We have several pieces of gear in mind for future videos, but if there's ever something you'd like us to cover in this series we would love suggestions! Take care ⚓-Monique
DrakeParagon Thank you Monique!!!
Looking forward to the new series! The Watch Commander was a good start, thanks!
Had a good LOL watching the ending. Great idea for a new series and a good subject too. Thanks for all the good watch standing advice too. I use my phone - but don't do many offshore over nighters. Ron
Glad you enjoyed it! - Drake
Really looking forward to this series. I had a search for a Watch Commander online and only found a mention that it is available from Lunde Electronics in Seattle but they don’t have much of a website,so I emailed them to find out. I will let you know if I get a reply. It really is something that many cruisers would love to have I’m sure so I am surprised there are not more options available. Andy UK
Hi, I had a reply from Lunde Electronics. They said the cost of building the Watch Commander became too much so they stopped building them. Shame the design could not be sold on or another manufacturer found. They in fact recommended the Aqualarm Last Watch II as an alternative and available in Europe. Not sure it has the gentle alarm feature, it seems to suggest you have to know when it is time to press the button but that doesn’t make sense, I will contact them. A
@@AndyUK-Corrival lunde was a great company back when sig ericsson ran the place, when he retired the company almost went bankrupt and that's why they stopped making products in-house. sig came out of retirement and saved what was left, but it's nothing like it used to be. i know this because my father and sig were really good friends.
Drake, you are awesome. Keep up the good work.
I'm loving this new series! Looking forward to the next episode...steady on mateys!
Thanks Mark, we're definitely looking forward to making more. Glad you liked it! ⚓-Monique
Hi Drake & Mo. Great film as usual. Thx heaps..very informative and entertaining at the end. Where are you guys currently at port? Stay healthy and well.
I've always loved your watch commander but knew they were not made any more. Last month I spotted one on the free stuff table at my marina! Thought of you and grabbed it for my cutter :-) Thanks for all you do!
What a *GREAT* find!!! ⚓-Monique
@@drakeParagon Right??? No one I was with understood why I was so happy. I bet the previous owner wouldn't have given it away if they knew what it was! Cheers Mo.
@@BitcoinNewsTodayLive Definitely sounds like a case of someone not knowing what an amazing thing they had. Ha, I think I would have done a little dance!
someone ditched it because it's old and didn't look good next to all of their new electronics. i've found some amazing stuff over the years in marina dumpsters... most modern boaters would consider paragon to be an old piece of junk because she looks old. that's how wealthy people think.
Grrrr....we’re already behind a week & waiting to sail off Greenland . Come on Drake been with ya since the beginning , ya can’t blame us
Hi John, Coming soon! We're working really hard on the upcoming episodes. A lot of the time the editing process is really time consuming, and we're doing the best we can. If you'd like to support our work then check out our patreon page where there's also a lot of extra bonus content available.
- Drake
DrakeParagon hey sorry man ! Just got pissed because we miss the episodes that much .... I was outta line , my apologies , sincerely one of Paragons biggest fans
In my last job as Maintenance Supervisor we had a fire alarm system failure and that watchmen alarm reminded me of how horribly loud that screech was. Even if you have earplugs it doesn't help. You can't here the person next to you even yelling. It got the job done for sure.It literally hurts. Stay safe guys. John from Texas.
The second alarm on the Watch Commander is so loud that once you hear it, you'll do anything to never hear it again because it's so jolting. From then on whenever the light alarm goes off your entire being instantly automatically scrambles to hit that red button. Thanks John, Please stay safe. - Drake
Man that alarm is serious!😄
Hey Nate! 😄 I think it's even louder than a car alarm. If you doze off on your watch and sleep through the light beeping then being woken up by loud alarm is an awful, jolting experience that makes you move fast! - Drake
love it, what favorite stuff is next?
Great thanks can't wait for more
I can't wait to see what's in store for this series!
Thank you Drake..
the end was great think you should included them funny's in them all 😂 thanks good advice and kit👍🏴⛵️⚓️
Thanks 👍
LOVE THIS!!!
Brilliant! ⚓-Monique
I was looking forward to your departure from Greenland vid.
Thanks for the link for the product.
You bet 👍 😊
this is a great idea! it is always good to hear from a professional sailor what is a good equippment and what is not. One problem with the watch alarm is its price. It is basically a 5 usd arduino board, a few switches and two sirens...
Yeah, but it must be reliable and you don't pricing om bill of materials alone. It could be a DIY project and share the design publically for fellow sailors.
all of the new engineers love the arduino, but i would never trust my life to one. i would actually trust the kitchen egg timer before i trust the arduino...
@@marzsit9833 you would be surprised how many important instruments are using microchips (ICs) - in your car (ABS), in your home (gas heater), on your boat (AIS, radar, autopilot) etc. Your life already depend on them - whether you want it or not.:)
@@Cptnbond I wrote a code for one - did not upload it yet. And yes - not only the material cost makes up the price - but it is still priced as a premium product whereas it`s complexity is not there,
@@tiborkiss9186 Agree with you, but is not boat equipment in general, priced x3 or more than other stuff?
Having a boat is as standing in shower and ripping money. ;-)
6 Thumbs Down ! How people can be so absolutely stupid is beyond me ! Sure glad there not on my boat !! Great channel and video ! Thanks again Drake Paragon 👍
You the man Drake 👍👍
Great video, thanks for posting. I don’t think the Watch Commander is available anymore. I bought the Last Watch II system you showed at the end of the video when it was on sale last year. I like it. I installed below deck near the Navigation Station. Power is controlled by a fused switch. It uses a key to turn it on and off which can be clumsy, but I keep the key in the Navigation desk and all’s been fine. I’ve been surprised how many people think it’s unnecessary.
Cool! I'm really interested in learning more that product. Did you install the second alarm option too? - Drake
No I have not installed the remote alarm. It doesn’t come with the alarm buzzer so I would have had to purchase it separately. It was priced at $59US, too high for me. I’ve since found defender.com selling it for $19US. Easy to hook up in the future If I decide I need it.
Same cooking timer u had
See also possible BNWAS bridge watch alarm for example by Martek, AMI UK, SEAB, Unisafe, SM-electrics, Furuno incl. power back up.
Very cool! Thank you!
It's a lovely gizmo, but might be hard for anyone else to try. It seems like the current licensee to make these (probably on a by-request basis) is www.lundemarineelectronics.com/ in Seattle. There's no mention of it there, but following a chain of redirections and "please visit us at our new site" links, that's the last organization referred to.
I wish i had that tool....
Hey christopher, you can occasionally get lucky (as one of the commenters, Paul, did) and find a Watch Commander at a consignment shop or a marina swap. However, we found an alarm called the Aqualarm Last Watch II Alarm which is very similar and is currently being made. If you'd like to check it out I've included their website. Cheers! aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html
What if the power is gone - fuse broken? It should have a backup rechargable battery - if not it is worthless....
A good point. If it completely lost power then it would be worthless. Maybe a battery backup could be a feature for a future product? Say, if it ever lost power then a battery powered alarm could warn the user. Though I will say that in the past 16 years the circuit breaker that we hooked the Watch Commander up to has never tripped. We're haven't any electrical issues with it yet. * knock on wood * - Drake
the watch commander was designed long ago in the 1980's, before lithium-ion battery technology was perfected. at that time, the only other practical rechargeable was nickel cadmium, which was not as reliable as a hard-wired system. also remember that the watch commander was not designed to be energy efficient, it was designed to be durable and reliable so it does draw more power than a modern surface mount microprocessor-based pcb device would draw.
@@marzsit9833 It would be great to have a battery powered version of the Watch Commander! - Drake
Sorry about the grammar Mo but I do voice texting and don't correct it when I send it I'll have to figure it out and still of not in the 21st century
ok video, but what happend when you sailed from Greenland heading Ireland, Island or ??
Hi Niels, We're working really hard on the upcoming episodes. A lot of the time the editing process is really time consuming, and we're doing the best we can. If you'd like to support our work then check out our patreon page where there's also a lot of extra bonus content available.
- Drake
Hello, I tried to find The watch commander. But it seems they are not selling anylonger. Do you have any idea were to get it?
I can't believe that the Watch Commander isn't being sold anymore. :( There is a similar product called the Aqualarm Last Watch II Helmsman Minder, and at this moment one of those is being shipped to us. As soon as we get it, we'll install it and make a video about it. Hope it's as good as the Watch Commander was. I'll let you know. :)
- Drake
aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html
@@drakeParagon Thank’s for your quick reply. I’ll take a look and see what it is. Great. Have a very good Christmas and New years hollidays. We had really good winter here on the Swedish west coast a couple of weeks ago, now all snow is gone again. Just cold and windy now.
Cheers👍😄
:)
Doesnt a regular Cooker timer does the same thing ..
The Watch Commander really does a lot more than a cooker timer.
- When the alarm goes off, it won't stop beeping until you press the red button. the cooker timers that I've seen will ring or beep for a while and then go silent.
- When you hit the red button, the watch commander stops beeping and automatically restart the count down. All done with the press of just one button. With the cooker timers I've seen, you have to go through extra steps to restart the count down. When you're tired, on watch, being able to hit the red button without having to think about anything is bit advantage.
- If you have fallen asleep, if the alarm doesn't wake you, then after 30 seconds the big alarm goes off. I've haven't seen a cooker timer that has this feature. This one feature is critically important. If you have fallen asleep then it guarantees that you will wake up.
- Drake
Big problem with cooker timer is they are 1 shot and alarm is too short. If you miss the alarm (i.e. sleep thru it) then it will never reset..until you wake up 4 hours later and realize you had dozed off..
Send that to China so we can make copies!
Unfortunately you can’t buy Watch Commander any more 😟
Ya, that's really too bad. 😟 But that Aqualarm product looks like it probably does the same thing. If our 3 Watch Commanders all break then I'd probably get the Aqualarm one. aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html
- Drake
Too bad Watch Commander is no longer made. The alternative product seems to lack the two-stage alarm.
I was so surprised to see that the Watch Commander isn't available anymore. A couple of weeks ago I wrote to the people who invented it and founded the company, but I haven't heard back yet. Another product, the Last Watch Aqualarm II looks pretty similar. It costs $199, but has 3 optional extras (secondary loud bell alarm, siren alarm, and strobe light) that bring the total price u to $336. aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aerator-alarm-mat-c-9/20011-last-watch-ii-alarm-p-190.html - Drake
@@drakeParagon is this a different product then?
Emerald Marine Products Corporation
1338 Shark Reef Road
Lopez Island, WA 98261
800-426-4201
360-468-3613
www.sailsafely.com/watchcommander.htm
sailsafely.com/watchcommander.htm is the Watch Commander page, which has been up for years. I found the page for Emerald Marine Products Corp. (emeraldmarineproducts.com) and they have a bunch of other products shown, but nothing like the watch commander.
@@drakeParagon Oooooh, got it. That's odd those pages are linked??!
@@drakeParagon Ahh, thanks for taking the time to post that link. Great video, btw. Had me laughing at the end!
:)