HELMMarine Electronics
HELMBluewater cruisers prepping for offshore passages. Charter captains whose displays flicker at the worst moment. Commercial fishermen who need everything bulletproof before the season opens.
Every crimp mil-spec. Every cable run lashed and labeled. Deutsch connectors, tinned Ancor wire, ABYC-compliant panels. The kind of install a surveyor signs off on without a second look.
Annapolis, MD — the heart of the Chesapeake. We work at your marina, your boatyard, or our facility. Atlantic crossing prep available with remote support package.
Three scenarios. Three vessel types. The failure modes change. The root cause doesn't — someone installed it fast, not right.
A Standard Horizon HX890 zip-tied to a bracket with 18AWG speaker wire running to the battery. No dedicated circuit, no waterproof connector, no DSC MMSI programmed. Surveyor flags it. Insurance won't touch it.
ICOM M330G flush-mounted on stainless panel, 16AWG Ancor tinned feed on a dedicated 15A breaker, Deutsch DT connector at the radio, MMSI registered, GPS antenna wired for automatic DSC position broadcast.
Garmin chartplotter, Furuno radar, B&G autopilot, and a Vesper AIS that don't talk to each other. Radar overlay on charts? Not happening. AIS targets on autopilot? Manual entry. The boat cost $280k. The install cost $800.
Garmin MFD as network hub, Furuno radar on ethernet overlay, B&G autopilot receiving heading and wind data, Vesper AIS targets painting on every display. One wiring run, labeled at every junction, T-connectors torqued to spec.
A 52' commercial trawler with a Furuno NavNet that reboots in heavy weather, a Koden sonar with intermittent transducer dropout, and a Simrad AIS that hasn't transmitted since April. Season opens in 11 days.
Furuno GP-170 as primary GPS with Garmin GPS 24xd as hot backup, Vesper XB-8000 AIS reinstalled with dedicated antenna and isolated ground, Airmar B175L transducer replaced and faired, all circuits on weatherproof Bussman panel.
Sound familiar?
Every job is photographed at each stage. You get a full install report with thermal images, wire labels, and circuit diagrams.
Mil-spec crimps
Ratcheting tool, no exceptions
Thermal audit
Every circuit load-tested
Lashed & labeled
Ancor tinned, adhesive trays
Deutsch connectors
IP67 rated, every junction
Live system check
NMEA 2000 network scan
We inspect every wire, every connection, every circuit. You get a written assessment before we touch anything.
Send photos of your current helm. We'll tell you what's wrong and what it costs to fix it.
