A Wifi Booster Installation

Internet access can come from various sources, but popular amongst boaters is wifi. The people on Sea Trek have an article, in three stages, about installing the Bullet wifi booster, replacing their Engenius system. Click on over to their site for a run down on their installation, and  it all ends with a review of the two systems. Part one here. Part two here. Part three here
 The Ubiquiti Bullet linked here to their web site has the specs and details about the wifi booster. This is what Sea Trek used for their latest installation.

I have taken a different approach. What do we use on our boat? We use a broadband (3G) wireless ( through cell towers) wifi, which can connect up to five devices on the boat. Most phone companies now sell these devices, but you can always put another (cell phone) companies sim card in if the device is unlocked.
 This is good for where ever there is cell phone coverage, although we carry two different provider devices, because we have come to realize that some cell phones coverage can vary depending where we are. Usually if we can't get service from one, the other will pick up. To complement this and increase our range, we use a cell phone booster, which can give us coverage up to 50 miles off shore. Take a look here for what a cell booster can do for you. 
Finally, when we go to a different country, we go and buy their data sim and put it in our device, or buy their device depending how the country has set up their cellular data network. What do you use for internet?

Project Creep; an insight

Captain Pauley has an interesting example of "Project Creep" that we are sometimes faced with, with work on our own boats.
Hop on over to his blog site to read his blog, and come away with a smile; yeah, I've been there.
He starts out by giving us a definition
"Project creep is when you start out to build a Mini-Cooper and end up with a bus. It’s endemic in a boat restoration project and Daydream is no exception. If you remember back to the first Project Daydream article, my daughter and I were going to restore Daydream on a budget and to a time frame. We’ve resisted project creep as best we could, but it’s time for me to admit a certain amount of defeat on that subject."

LED refit

We wrote about a LED light upgrade and can be read here We continue to upgrade our lights with the same LED strips but if your contemplating doing this type of project, we recommend an excellent article that svOcelot has on LED lighting. They start by saying "Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are rapidly becoming the preferred way to illuminate your boat.  They're much more energy efficient than incandescent lighting, they last much longer, and they are now available in a range of eye‑pleasing colors, like warm‑white.  They're even bright enough now for foredeck lighting.  Several manufacturers are producing replacement bulbs, so switching over from incandescent lighting is easy....." 
Before you refit with LED's, hop over to their blog site and get some information which will help you make some proper choices. Pro's and Con's; how they work; etc.

Refit Under Way

Do you like to follow big refit projects? Hop over to sv Ocelot's blog site where they are up to week #31 on a refit to their boat. All previous weekly entries can be found at the bottom of their linked page. Their project makes for interesting reading and has lots of supporting photo's. Fixing your boat in exotic locations is what it's all about.

The Good Life; Can You Help?

Some of you may know there has been a drop off in my blogs recently. This has been due to my wife and I  currently cruising on the boat, and most projects for this boat are done for the year.
I'm asking for some help here. Some of you out there who visit my site may have a project of your own that you have written up, and would allow me to publish it on my blog site.
Just drop me an email to the address in my header with either a link to your project, or you may send the article through with the email. Full acknowledgment of the writer will be given.
Enjoy your cruising; and if stuck doing projects, I hope you will have the time to write it up and send me a link.
We also blog about innovative boating products. Do you know of a new one just released? Have you purchased a new product recently that has changed the way you do your boating? We look forward to hearing about these as well.