AIS

[Godot]

I bought a S-H VHF for the new boat that has the AIS receiver built in. Looking forward to giving it a go.

I'm not sure why more VHF radios don't have this included. It seems like an obvious match to me. Betcha it has something to do with patents.

[ralay]

Standard Horizon has given us really great support for the radio.  The display crapped out about a month ago and they repaired it and sent it back within a week.  They did it for free even though we weren't the original purchasers (it was within the 3-year warranty).  They've also answered a million technical questions I had about the radio, AIS, and hooking up NMEA 1830 devices in general.  Hope you like yours.

[Kettlewell]

I have not personally used AIS, so can't speak from experience. However, I have sailed for more than 35 years without it, and it is really quite infrequently that I have felt something like that would have been a lifesaver. I avoid traveling in or near shipping lanes as much as possible, and offshore the chances of getting run down even if nobody does anything are very slim, and I always keep a watch. On the other hand, in the fog every bit of information is useful, and it would give you some reassurance crossing shipping lanes and offshore. The problem at this time is the ones that are probably the most danger to you are fast sportfisherman blasting through the fog obliviously and they aren't required to have AIS, so they might or might not show up. To me AIS is in the interesting and nice to have category if you've got the money and like gadgets, but nowhere near a necessity.

[Auspicious]

Getting a ship to respond to a radio call has always been problematic. Since AIS has been mandated it has gotten even harder unless you call them by name. Ships are used to be called by name and with reduced crew sizes and lots of other things to do on the bridge you better call them by name. THAT is the big advantage of AIS -- the ships answer radio calls.

[CharlieJ]

Seems to be becoming true of tow boats on the ICW also, sadly

[Grime]

Its getting harder and harder to get the tows to answer on the VHF so since I need to get a VHF radio for Miss Sadie it will have AIS receiver in it. I found one for $179.00 which is not a bad price.

[DavidCrosby]

and offshore the chances of getting run down even if nobody does anything are very slim, and I always keep a watch.

There are a couple quotes that made me want to respond. This particular quote has a story behind it.   First, I definitely agree that ships do not answer calls on the VHF unless they are haled directly. In fact, I have found that sometimes, calling the vessels name does not cut it either. Using their call sign seems to work well in getting a response and AIS provides that information.

I sailed across the Atlantic in 2009 as crew. This boat had AIS and I found it to be very useful. While on watch, it was my habit to first do a full scan of the horizon and then to complete my scan I would check the AIS. All but one time, I always saw the ship during my visual scan. One night, we were running wing and wing. I did my visual scan, even bobbed up and down, swayed back and forth for appropriate views under the sails. When I looked at the AIS, there was a ship dead ahead and showing a closest point of approach as 0.0 nm.  I believe I said "holy $?&#," punched in a course change to starboard and grabbed the radio and called his call sign. The ship responded right away. He had not seen me either.

While I am pretty much a "keep it simple" kind of guy, AIS goes high on my list of "I would like to have" items.

[Kettlewell]

Sure, AIS would be nice, but there are lots of things that fall into that category too, and if one keeps buying them, installing them, maintaining them, and repairing them, one might not ever go anywhere. I'm mildly interested in the new integrated VHF with AIS radio receiver from Simrad, if the price is right. I like the idea that there is no additional hookup and it uses the same antenna as the radio. Since apparently I need a new radio anyway, I might look into one.

[SeaHusky]

I am contemplating getting an AIS-transponder for my boat and naturally checked what you guys have said on the topic.
This summer I have been sailing with a friend on his 40-footer. He likes gadgets and of course has an AIS transponder connected to his chartplotter. I have found it quite helpful getting info about other boats and ships even Before they are visible and also knowing that they see me even in poor visibility. AIS has become quite common on small yachts and if a boat has a radar it definitely has AIS so I think it is much more effective then a radar reflector.
There are a few comments about it being mostly useful in shippinglanes and ports so I just want to show a picture of the Baltic. It shows all AIS-traffic for just one week and it is impossible to see how many lines are on top of each other.
For scale the thick, red passenger line 14581 which goes from my homeport of Oskarshamn on the mainland to the Island of Gotland is 50NM.

[Godot]

After using the AIS Receiver built in to my VHF while cruising the past month, I can honestly say I love the thing.

While crossing the NYC shipping lanes it was particularly comforting.

As to calling ships by name...they often still don't answer. Even if using the DSC call feature.

I had a fishing boat that seemed destined to hit us. He was driving all over the place. I think he may have been using us as a waypoint or something. We couldn't get away from him for hours. He never responded to any of my attempts at contact. In the end he just did big race track circuits around us.

[w00dy]

If you already have a VHF on board, then switching to one with integrated AIS doesn't significantly add to the complexity of your boat or systems. No, you don't need it, but I personally think the befits outweigh the costs, at least in regard to KISS. Of course, it all depends on you, your boat, your cruising tactics, and your stomping grounds.

On another note though (which I think has been discussed here in the past), are the technological and cultural implications of putting tracking devices on boats. Granted, it seems that humanity is already well on its way in that direction, with GPS devices in our phones, cars, radio triangulation, etc. My guess is that it won't be too long before these sorts of devices are required on recreational craft, for our own "safety".
Not looking forward to that, but its hard to believe it isn't coming.

[Grime]

Safety no I don't think so more like a tattoo that doesn't show.

[SeaHusky]

To my knowledge all AIS transponders on the market have a "silent" button so that you only receive but do not transmit your position. Useful for pirate threat areas or if you feel watched by the man.
On further thought I am not sure that I "need" a chartplotter and until I have one the question weather to get an AIS becomes mute. Maybe I'll just sail for a while and see how it feels without.

[Godot]

Ah, chartplotters. The next big question...

I have a very small Lowrance "chart plotter" (really not much bigger than a hand held GPS with full US charts) that was only a couple hundred bucks (less than the price of a couple chart books). I supplement that with an old laptop (uses relatively few amps, especially if I only turn on the display periodically) running OpenCPN (and tied in to my AIS enable VHF to show AIS targets...very cool) and my Android phone. I strongly suspect that a chart plotter is very cost effective now-a-days, compared to buying expensive paper charts. At least in the U.S., all NOAA electronic charts are FREE. I was able to keep my laptop 100% current...something seldom said of paper charts.

I did not maintain paper charts for much of my cruising ground this past month (although I did have a fair amount floating around of various areas purchased in past years).  I felt comfortable enough to handle anything outside of an EMP pulse, or maybe lightening. It took a few years to feel this way. We met one couple that has navigated from Australia who uses nothing but an iPad.

Times are changing. You don't need to modernize if doing things the old way gives you comfort or pleasure, and it is still fun and good seamanship to practice dead reckoning and navigating by a compass and chart. But while it's easy to romanticize simpler days, I suspect that if you do modernize, even for a bit, you will find it hard to go back.

[SeaHusky]

My initial thought was, "of course I need to get a chartplotter" but then I started thinking.
When I hike in the mountains I have a handheld GPS but I would never go without a paper map in case the GPS malfunctions. The same has been true when sailing with my friend this summer. He has paper charts as a backup in case the plotter fails. During a longer passage we even noted our position periodically so we would have a reasonably fresh point to start dead reckoning from. Perhaps I am to old fashioned to trust electronics completely? I am one of those who does not yet own a smartphone so I do not have that as a backup.
I  thought that I need as large a screen as possible for a plotter to be useful and bigger screens mean more powerconsumption.
I am sure you are correct that there is no turning back once you start getting used to plotters so there might be all the more reason to sail without for a season to really get some practice in the old ways so I don't get caught off guard if the plotter fails.