Please select your home edition
Edition
2024 fill-in (top)




Make Waves with nke Marine Electronics from upffront.com

by Kerri Robson, Upffront 23 Nov 2018 09:00 UTC
For the last 30 years, nke Marine Electronics have been developing innovative instrument systems dedicated to navigation © nke Marine Electronics

It's the age of information, and global technological advancements have revolutionised our lives and industries alike. As with many others, the sailing industry has benefitted from the introduction of marine electronics that make it easier to access, record and analyse information, such as speed and wind direction.

At the forefront of marine electronics are nke. For the last 30 years, nke Marine Electronics have been developing innovative instrument systems dedicated to navigation, designing products with established reliability, usability, safety and performance.

Having built up a portfolio of marine electronics suitable for every level – be it America's Cup racing, cruising or singlehanded offshore sailing - nke provide almost infinite options, and upffront.com are excited to welcome their products to the website soon.

However, with such an impressive range, choosing the marine electronics that suit your needs can be difficult, and we are aware the number of options available can be overwhelming.

So, we want to make it simple. Here at upffront, we want our customers to make informed decisions about the products that are right for them. As a result, we have organised nke Marine Electronics into four key elements:

Navigation Packages:

  • Turn-key, ready-to-go packages composed of core instrumentation for wind, speed and direction.
  • Six packages available – 3x racing and 3x cruising.
  • For all levels – be it coastal day sailing, long distance blue water cruising or Grand Prix racing.

Autopilot Packages:

  • A range of different autopilot drives (linear, direct drive, hydraulic) for boats from 20ft – 70ft.
  • Contain all necessary hardware and software to link seamlessly with the navigation packages, providing a high-performance autopilot system.

Optional Upgrades:

  • Boost the navigation packages with higher spec displays or sensors.

Bolt-on Modules:

  • Bolt-on modules to extend the functionality of the chosen navigation or autopilot package.
  • Examples include: Wifi, to allow access to navigation data from a mobile device, or Security AIS, which transmits the boat's ID, speed and direction and allows the equivalent data to be seen for surrounding boats.

In future blogs we will go into more detail on the various modules and autopilot packages, but for now lets take a look at our six 'Navigation' packages:

Cruising Packages

Coastal Package:

  • An entry level package for an inshore sailor not wanting an auto-pilot.
  • Features: Gyro-graphic display, standard wind speed/angle, standard boat speed, depth (sonic to 50m).

Cruise Package:

  • The baseline package for a cruising sailor looking for an auto-pilot.
  • Features: Multi-graphic display, standard wind speed/angle, standard boat speed, depth (sonic to 50m), Fluxgate compass.

Cruise Performance Package:

  • Designed for a bluewater cruiser looking for the best instrumentation and optimal autopilot performance.
  • Features: Multi-graphic display, HR wind speed/angle, HR boat speed (ultrasonic), depth (sonic to 50m), Regatta compass.

Racing Packages

Regatta Package:

  • Designed as a baseline racing package, with the potential to build up over time.
  • Features: Multi-display plus remote-control pad, standard wind speed/angle, standard boat speed, depth (sonic to 50m), Fluxgate compass.

Regatta Performance Package:

  • The 9-axis stabilised Regatta compass is at the heart of this Performance system and provides the processor with far more accurate core data for all true wind angle calculations.
  • Features: Multi-display plus remote-control pad, HR Carbowind speed/angle, HR boat speed (ultrasonic), depth (sonic to 50m), Regatta compass.

Regatta Grand-Prix Package:

  • The Regatta Processor in the Grand-prix nke package is a massive step up in processing power and together with the 3D Sensor and 25Hz sampling rate, delivers the highest accuracy and responsiveness of any instrument package on the market.
  • Features: Multi-display plus remote-control pad, HR Carbowind speed/angle, HR boat speed (ultrasonic), depth (sonic to 50m), Regatta compass, Regatta processor, nke 3D sensor.

If you are starting from scratch, you can build your own tailored solution from our instrument and autopilot packages, combined with optional upgrades and bolt-on modules, and be assured of a complete, turn-key electronics system, ready to install.

However, we realise that a 'clean sheet of paper' is a luxury and more often there is a requirement to upgrade existing systems. Interfacing with other hardware and software can get 'interesting' – but do not despair, we have an nke technician with 15 year's experience waiting to discuss your requirements and find the best solution for your needs.

Can't wait to introduce nke electronics to your boat, or improve your current set up? Take the first step and contact us now about your marine electronics requirements.

Related Articles

Soft shackles are a win-win solution
Upffront look at their use across multiple applications Soft shackles have surely penetrated the mainstream sailing in recent years. They are a popular alternative to traditional metal shackles. Made from single braid Dyneema® soft shackles offer several advantages over their metal counterparts. Posted on 8 Feb
Vakaros Atlas 2 - sailing with ultimate precision
A careful review by the experts at upffront.com Recently upffront.com have introduced the latest Vakaros Atlas 2 sailing instrument to the shop and compared it in a review of other top sailing instruments. Posted on 25 Jan
Sailing instruments from Velocitek/Sailmon/Vakaros
An introduction and comparison from Upffront.com The term 'sailing instrument' is broadly applicable to just about any onboard system with a sensor and a readout. While wired instrument systems are common, in this blog we discuss portable GPS sailing instruments from Velocitek, Sailmon and Vakaros. Posted on 11 Jan
Standing Rigging
Why your standing rigging will benefit from replacing steel wire with composite fibre Why will your standing rigging benefit greatly from replacing the steel wire with composite fibre stays? I have been thinking of the advantages of composite rigging while following the different races and yachts challenges circumnavigating the world. Posted on 14 Dec 2023
Block and tackle
Understanding mechanical advantage on sailing boats A rough guide to mainsheet purchase systems by Upffront.com. A block and tackle or 'purchase' system is a form of mechanical advantage, where the input force is multiplied through a series of pulleys or blocks to create a much larger output force. Posted on 23 Nov 2023
Winterising a boat - useful tips from Upffront.com
Dave Proctor explains how to avoid some unpleasant surprises next spring Winterising the boat is a common task for many boat owners, regardless of where your boat is located. For some, in milder conditions, it means keeping everything dry and tidy, but for many the need for packing up the boat for winter is a necessity. Posted on 1 Nov 2023
Winning deck hardware of a Star World Champion
Max Kohlhoff Today we are speaking about deck hardware and rig setup with Max Kohlhoff, the winning helmsman of the 2023 Star Worlds. With Ole Burzinski from Flensburg Yacht Club, onboard Playmate, they recently scored two bullets out of six races in Scarlino. Posted on 26 Oct 2023
Polyform AS and Polyform US fenders
Exporting quality and performance from Norway to the U.S One of latest additions to the upffront.com sailing hardware line-up are the Polyform fenders from the original Norwegian manufacturer - Polyform AS. Established over 60 years ago, Polyform AS is renowned for inventing the modern plastic buoy. Posted on 18 Oct 2023
Electric Furler from Facnor
Latching on the trend of boat electrification The sailing world is undergoing a sea change, embracing the power of electrification for unparalleled ease and convenience, especially for older crews and solo sailors. Electric systems are revolutionising boats. Posted on 11 Oct 2023
Best bottom up furlers
Top five as rated by Upffront.com In this article we round up five of the best bottom up furlers on the market. Choosing the right furler is a question of boat size and SWL (safe working load), sail area, performance level and budget. Posted on 5 Oct 2023
2024 fill-in (bottom)