Crucial marine electronics from Seawork exhibitor
Owner/skipper Rob Thompson is seen with the Lowrance electronics in the wheelhouse.
Lymington UK based fishing charter company Beyond the Blue has selected a range of Lowrance marine electronics and navigation equipment, a brand of Seawork exhibitor Navico.
Operating out of the Berthon yard, Beyond the Blue was started nearly five years ago by owner/manager Rob Thompson, a professional fishing boat skipper who has logged many years at sea. His co-skipper is round the world yachtsman Will Rand. The core business is in providing angling charters, using an ABC Marine built Catfish 38. It has proved sufficiently successful to justify plans for the purchase of a second vessel in the very near future.
In seeking to expand the business they are now looking to branch into the burgeoning wind farm construction business, something they both feel has considerable potential for the next five to ten years, by providing crew and equipment transfer.
Nonetheless, fishing remains a vital income stream for them. As long term Lowrance enthusiasts, they use Lowrance broadband radar, which will also be good for the proposed taxi service, as well as High Definition Display (HDS) equipment.
‘These are must-haves in our business, said Rob Thompson. ‘The Lowrance HDS unit comes with a commercial quality echosounder, which combined with the Broadband Radar provides awesome results. The technology that Lowrance packs into the unit you might expect to pay £5,000 or more for, but in reality it is just a fraction of this.
“It’s essential to give our angling customers good sport, and the added safety benefits of the broadband radar are an important selling point for us.
‘Taking this one step further, I was most fortunate in having previewed the new Lowrance StructureScan sonar imaging module for the Lowrance HDS and look forward to its arrival.’
StructureScan gives full panoramic underwater sonar imaging with picture-perfect viewing. A dedicated transducer array scans side to side as well as straight down beneath the boat, unlike any other kit currently available, so no guesswork is required. Beyond the Blue’s angling customers will get to spend more productive time fishing, but of course they still have to land their catches.
StructureScan networks with the new BR24 Broadband Radar via Ethernet.
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