— From the helm
Marine intelligence, boating tips, and d3kOS updates from Skipper Don.
When I bought Our Time, I knew she was more than just a 1994 Monterey with good bones. She was going to be my platform — the boat where I could experiment, learn, and prove out a bigger idea. That idea is Digital Boat. Our Time: The Test-bed On Our Time, every upgrade is a […]
One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned since buying Our Time is that timing matters. Boats are never “done.” There’s always another upgrade, another checklist item, another shiny piece of gear that promises to make life easier. But if you’re not careful, you can spend the whole season with a wrench in your hand instead […]
It was that time of year again — when the fishing forums light up, the big water of Lake Erie calls, and everyone’s talking about catching their limit in just a few hours. Mr. Rhybak and I weren’t about to miss out. Trip One: The Garmin Joins the Crew Our first outing with the new […]
The new year has arrived, and so has the boat show. With it comes a fresh look at my checklist—and this year, alternative power is at the top. Bigger boats often carry generators, and I like the idea. But hauling extra fuel on board isn’t my first choice. At the marina, shore power makes everything […]
As winter slowly gives way to spring, I find myself itching to get back on Our Time. But a Robin claimed my boat trailer as her nesting spot this spring, and I had to postpone launching until her chicks had safely flown away. The unexpected delay turned into a gift of time—I used it to […]
Every January, my brother‑in‑law and I make our annual trip to the Toronto Boat Show. He and I go way back—we were friends before I met his sister (now my wife). We’ve always shared interests: me with technology and boating, him with contests and games. It’s a good match, and this show has become our […]
After weeks of talking about batteries, dashboards, and winterizing, it’s time to get back to why I bought this boat in the first place: fishing. Because at the end of the day, all the upgrades and planning only matter if they help me spend more time on the water, catching more fish, and enjoying it […]
With the Garmin installed, the NMEA 2000 backbone humming, OpenPlotter running on a Raspberry Pi, and the CX5106 converter turning analogue gauges into digital data, the boat finally has a voice. The next step? Teaching it to speak up when something’s wrong. Why Alerts Matter On an older boat, you rely on your eyes and […]
Adding a Garmin chart-plotter, an NMEA 2000 backbone, OpenPlotter on a Raspberry Pi, and a CX5106 converter was a huge leap forward. Suddenly, my 1994 Monterey wasn’t just a boat with good bones — it was a platform for digital innovation. But here’s the truth: none of it matters if the power doesn’t hold. Why […]
Every boat project has a turning point. For me, it came on Black Friday. I’d been limping along with a 1990s Lowrance fish finder — the kind of unit that belongs in a museum more than on Lake Erie. It showed a boat icon floating on blue nothingness. No detail, no charts, no real situational […]
