Here are my selections for top 10 marine electronics Hot Products of 2007:
1. Nuvi 660
Ok, this isn't really a marine product, but Garmin is a marine company also and I love the thing. It had to be #1 on some list!
2. AIS
It's pretty hard to run into someone if you have a radar equipped with AIS nowadays and that will continue to get better as more people install them on their boats.
3. 3D Chart Plotters (Raymarine, Garmin, Furuno)
Google Earth is cool and this is Google Earth for boats.
4. Pre-Loaded charts
Chart cards are so 1985. Hard Drives are big enough that I don't want to hassle with buying 4 or 5 $200 chips. Just load the country in there and let us go boating.
5. SlingBox
This has been hashed over on this website a lot and made the Mad Mariner Christmas buyers guide, but if you have a good internet connection it's really a great way to watch your own TV on the boat.
6. Wi-Fi access in marinas
Most marina's in Mexico and the Pacific Northwest have it. Newport Beach doesn't. What the heck is that all about?
7. Underwater Lights
Serve hardly any purpose but look really cool. Try blue instead of white, it's even better.
8. NMEA 2000
This should have been on the list in, well, 2000. But it's here now and everybody is finally onboard, so to speak.
9. Transducer IDÂ (.PDF)
This will become more and more valuable as Furuno, Raymarine, et al. start taking advantage of it's ability to make sounders perform more accurately.
10. Coke Zero
Just Kidding.
