Awesome Boat Tech

A curated list of boat tech stuff.

Boat tech includes all things NMEA and Seatalk, marine internet, open source projects, hardware vendors, educational resources, blogs, vlogs and forums.

Contents

• Blogs
• Vlogs
• Charts
• Open Source Projects
• Protocols
• Hardware Vendors
• Software Vendors
• Consultants
• Forums
• Education and Reference
• News

Contribute

Contributions welcome! Read the contribution guidelines first.

Blogs

• BoatHackers - Leopard 45, projects with Home Assistant, Starlink, NMEA2000, Victron.
• Catalina 320 Log - Raspberry Pi, NMEA, SignalK, VBA.
• Cricalix - Ireland, Victoria 34, NMEA, Python, Solar, Shipmodul Miniplex.
• Navigation Mac & Co - French, with English translation. News and articles, focus on weather data, macOS and iPad navigation.
• Nick Hayward - Narrowboat projects including Home Assistant, ESPHome, Victron.
• Ole W. Saastad - Raspberry Pi boat integration.
• Pyssel - Boat projects and news, including Home Assistant, OpenPlotter, ESP32.
• Project Bob - Autonomous boat circumnavigation project.
• Seabits - Pacific North West, Kristen 50 and Symbol Pilothouse motor yachts, SignalK, dashboards, Victron.
• SY Sea Jade Boatstuff - Checklists, equipment choices and other tabular data.
• The Low Cost Sailor - Boat tech news and articles. English, French, Spanish. Also Spanish and English YouTube channels.
• Zapped Myself - NMEA2000, AIS, ESP32 projects.

Vlogs

• 8-bit Sailing - Raspberry Pi, OpenPlotter and Raymarine.
• Boating with the Baileys - Electrical and electronics projects on a 2000s Bavaria 36, including SignalK, KIP, Node-RED, OpenPlotter and SensESP.
• Boats and Bits - DIY boat tech, Raymarine networking, electrics, 3D printing.
• DIY Onboard - Raspberry Pi and OpenPlotter.
• Gary Woodruff - Boat projects and HowTo guides for boat electrics and electronics, focus on Lowrance equipment.
• Out Chasing Stars - OpenCPN and general boat electrics, electronics.
• Pacific Yacht Systems - Last active in 2023, large back catalogue of instructional videos on marine electrics, electronics and networking.
• Raspberry for Sailing - OpenPlotter, SignalK, KIP projects on Raspberry Pi.
• SV Apres - OpenPlotter, NMEA2000 and general boat tech.
• The Florida Captain - Open source boat network and apps.
• Tom Seahorse - UK. Catamaran. Raspberry Pi, OpenCPN, Home Assistant.

Charts

• Antares Charts - Volunteer project for charting and pilotage of West Coast Scotland.
• OpenSeaMap - Open sourced charts, in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian and Arabic.

Open Source Projects

• AIS-catcher - AIS receiver for software defined radio (SDR) dongles.
• AvNav - Plotter with Android app and SignalK integration. German with English docs.
• Bareboat Necessities - All in one operating system, incorporating OpenCPN, SignalK, PyPilot etc.
• BlueBridge - Android app integration with NMEA data via MQTT and Bluetooth.
• BrineOMatic - Watermaker controller for ESP32.
• CAN Boat - NMEA2000 and NMEA 0183 CLI utilities.
• d3kOS - Raspberry Pi based navigation and automation platform.
• DiscoTime - Time and lat/long dashboard for long distance passages.
• Galadriel Plotter - Raster based chartplotter for low power servers.
• gpsd - GPS and AIS daemon wrapping NMEA0183 in its own simpler format. C, Python. Ubiquitous.
• GWeatherRouting - Navigation and automated routing, Python/GTK4.
• gypsy - Multiplexer for GPS NMEA data, daemon and C library, alternative to gpsd.
• Kip - SignalK dashboard / instrument display.
• KPlex - NMEA0183 multiplexer for Linux, Unix, macOS and OpenWRT. (Google Group).
• Marinux - Muplex NMEA multiplexer, OSD Depth echo-sounder display.
• nm2k - NMEA0183 and NMEA2000 web based visualization and analysis.
• OpenCPN - Chart Plotter for macOS, Windows, Linux, Raspi and Android.
• Open Boat Projects - DIY hardware and open source projects, English and German.
• OpenPlotter - Combined project of SignalK, OpenCPN, PyPilot etc.
• PyGPSClient - Python GPS/GNSS testing, diagnostic and configuration, incl NMEA integration.
• PyPilot - Python based auto-pilot.
• ROB - Raspberry Pi On Board, Java and Python navigation utilities.
• Sailtrack - Modular racing performance tracker using MQTT.
• SignalK - Node.js pluggable framework for boat data distribution and analysis.
• Smart Boat Innovations - Videos and articles on building a Raspberry Pi and Home Assistant based smart boat.
• TwoCan - NMEA2000 integration for OpenCPN.
• Venus - Victron Energy's open source OS for their GX products, available for self-hosting on Raspberry Pi.

NMEA

See also OpenCPN NMEA Tools.

C and C++

• minmea - GPS NMEA0183 parser in C.

C#

• OpenSkipper - C# based NMEA2000, NMEA0183 and AIS integration, last updated 2023.

ESP32

• ESP32 NMEA2000 - NMEA2000 integration with USB, Wifi, 0183 on M5 Atom CAN and compatible with other ESP32.
• NMEA2000 - Arduino NMEA2000 interfacing library used in several commercial products.
• NMEA2000_ais_wifi_gw - ESP32 based NMEA2000 gateway.
• NMEA2000_esp32 - ESP32 objects for use with NMEA2000 library.
• Sens32 - ESP32 based sensors for SignalK.

GoLang

• go-nmea - NMEA 0183 sentence parser.
• nmea0183 - NMEA 0183 sentence parser, with Actisense integration examples.

Python

• pynmea2 - NMEA 0183 sentence parser.
• nmeasim - NMEA/GNSS receiver simulator.

Rust

• nmea crate - NMEA 0183 sentence parser.

Swift

• NMEAParser - iOS and macOS NMEA 0183 parser and validator.

Protocols

• Garmin BlueNet - Current Ethernet based netwoking, with proprietary connector.
• Garmin Marine Network - Previous generation of Ethernet networking, using RJ45 connectors.
• IEC61162 - International Electrotechnical Commission standards, partly wrapping NMEA standards (IEC 61162-1 is NMEA0183 and IEC 61162-3 is NMEA2000).
• NMEA0183 - RS-422 based wiring layer with proprietary information protocol.
• NMEA2000 - CAN Bus based wiring with proprietary information protocol. Also known as N2K.
• NMEA OneNet - IPv6 Ethernet based wiring with proprietary information protocol, using M12 and RJ45 connectors.
• NMEA over IP - Informal standard (with a formal IANA port assigned, 10110) using TCP or UDP provided by several vendor and open source products, and consumed by Navionics, AngelNav, SavvyNavvy and more.
• Nexus - Sensor protocol, acquired by Garmin and used for their wind instruments and depth transducer, with NMEA2000 bridge.
• RayNet - Raymarine's Ethernet implementation, using a proprietary connector.
• SAE J1587/J1708 - Pair of older serial based engine networking standards, used by marine engines from 1990s and early 2000s.
• SAE J1939 - CAN Bus standard, using Deutsch connectors, commonly used for engines and engine instruments, including Volvo Penta and Yanmar.
• Seatalk 1 - Raymarine proprietary daisy-chain combined data and power, ubiquitously deployed with ST60 instruments.
• Seatalk NG - Raymarine's implementation of NMEA2000, compatible at data layer with a proprietary 6 pin connection to incorporate SeaTalk 1 data.
• Shielded Twisted Pair Ethernet - Computing industry standard, commonly used for radars and other high bandwidth marine applications.
• SignalK - Open source JSON based standard using HTTP and Websockets as transport layer and able to model NMEA0183 and NMEA2000 data.
• SimNet - Simrad variant of NMEA2000 with different connectors and supporting daisy chaining.

Hardware Vendors

Full Integration

• B&G - Sensors, radars, plotters, displays for racing and cruising.
• Furono - Sensors, sonar, radar, plotters, autopilots.
• Garmin - Sensors, plotters, radars, sonar, displays, auto-pilots, charts, cameras and integration.
• Humminbird - Plotter, sonar, charts, apps, One-Boat network.
• Lowrance - Plotters, transducers, charts, trolling motors.
• Pixel Sur Mer - Racing oriented plotters, auto-pilot, data integration, voice, 3D sail scanning and safety management.
• Raymarine - Sensors, radars, plotters, displays, VHF, AIS and Seatalk NG.
• Simrad - Plotters, auto-pilots, sonar, radar, AIS, VHF, transducers, charts, apps.
• SI-TEX - Plotters, sonar, AIS, radar, autopilot, sensors.

NMEA Interfacing

See NMEA Wifi Options for comparison of available products.

• Actisense - NMEA bridges and gateways.
• Chetco - NMEA bridges, marine PC, SeaGauge and SeaSmart.NET for Bluetooth, 4G and Wifi.
• Comar - AIS focused with NMEA bridge, multiplexer and sensors.
• Copperhill - Raspberry PI and ESP32 NMEA2000 boards, simulators, HATs.
• Digital Yacht - NMEA multiplexers, sensors, gateways plus AIS and 4G/5G.
• Gadget Pool - German vendor, with English info, of NMEA and Seatalk interfaces and displays.
• gedad - German vendor, Marine Control Server for NMEA0183, NMEA2000 and i2c, with SignalK support.
• HAT Labs - Open Source NMEA2000, ESP32 and RasPi hardware.
• Luissa 351 - NMEA gateways, multiplexers and Wifi integration. Portugal selling internationally through eBay.
• Matsutec - Chinese supplier of NMEA hardware, testers, gateways plus AIS and auto-pilots.
• Nauti-Control - Seatalk and NMEA2000 wifi bridges and remote controls. Also on YouTube.
• Oceanav - Spanish vendor, with English info, of NMEA wifi gateways and auto-pilot remote control.
• Onwa - NMEA converters and multiplexers, and general marine electronics.
• OpenMarine - NMEA MacArthur HATfor Raspberry PI with OpenPlotter.
• Pitufino - Wifi gateway for NMEA0183 and NMEA2000 with optional Seatalk 1 and cloud access.
• Quark - NMEA devices, sensors, internet gateways, gauges and remote monitoring.
• Rosuku - TouCAN Marine NMEA2000 USB adaptor.
• Shipmodul - NMEA/Seatalk multiplexers and LAN gateways, macOS and Windows configuration client (workaround for Linux).
• SK Pang Electronics - Raspberry Pi boards and HATs for CAN-Bus integration, NMEA2000 simulators, GPS modules, LCD displays.
• Tinley - NMEA interfaces, sensors, multiplexers, converters.
• Veinland - German vendor, with English info, of commercial NMEA multiplexers, embedded PCs and instruments.
• Wegmatt - dAISy AIS receivers and NMEA0183 interfacing.
• Yacht Devices - NMEA bridges, gateways and sensors.
• Yakbitz - Seatalk, NMEA, AIS and Autopilot interfaces.

Marine PCs and Components

• Austral - Marinized Raspberry Pi, sensors, apps including racing auto-pilot.
• Beetronics - Marine monitors and touchscreens.
• Bluestone - Marine LCD displays.
• BVM - Marine displays and PCs.
• Cybernet - Marine rackmount and mini PCs.
• Impulse - Marine PCs and displays.
• Marine Data Solutions - Satellite and mobile internet integration, MDS Blender marine router.

Instruments and Autopilots

• Airmar - Transducers, sensors, NMEA bridging, weather instruments and apps.
• Cyclops Marine - Smart load sensors and displays.
• Daniamant - Forward looking sonar (previously EchoPilot), alarms and other safety related products.
• em-trak - VHF and AIS.
• ICOM - Marine VHF, SSB, GMDSS, AIS, radar.
• LCJ Capteurs - Wind and weather instruments, StatMETEO wind data recording software.
• NASA Marine - Instruments, monitors, AIS, displays.
• Nautinect - Open source hardware design and mobile app, controller with wheel or tiller drive.
• Safiery - Digital switching, monitoring, Victron and NMEA integration.
• Vakaros - Racing oriented instruments. Instruction videos on YouTube channel.
• Veratron - NMEA instruments, gateways and sensors, displays.
• Wema - NMEA instruments, gauges, bridges, analog to digital converters.

Boat Integration and Remote Monitoring

• BoatMonitor32 - Mobile app and boat hardware hub with Victron integration.
• Hello Sailor - LTE/SMS based remote boat monitoring, subscription-free.
• iNav4u - Zora integrated monitoring, navigation, dashboards.
• Maretron - Integrated monitoring and visualization, NMEA bridges and sensors.
• Nautic Alert - Remote GPS tracking, bilge and power monitoring.
• Navigation Laptops - Laptops setup for navigation with instrument packages.
• Orca - Data hub for NMEA, auto-pilot, radar with chart plotter and remote monitoring.
• PAJ GPS - UK remote GPS tracking hardware and app.
• Philippi - German supplier of monitoring, sensors and electrical power components, including refit panels for Bavaria yachts.
• PredictWind DataHub - Data logging, remote monitoring, internet data, NMEA and auto-pilot interface.
• Raspmarine - Danish. Raspberry Pi based integration.
• Renogy - Power management and monitoring.
• Sensar Marine - Subscription-based remote monitoring with app, SMS and NMEA integration.
• Siren Marine - Remote boat monitoring.
• Vesscomm - Mobile data (2G/4G) based monitoring hubs and mobile apps.
• Victron - Power devices with associated monitoring, integration, power sensors, displays.
• Vircru - Remote boat monitoring with mobile app.

Audio, Electrical, Safety, Accessories

• Aquatic AV - Speakers, amplifiers, head units.
• Blue Sea - Electrical components, meters, cable glands and enclosures, on-line and mobile calculators, monitoring.
• Cruising Solutions - 'Marriage Savers' intercom headsets.
• Kicker Audio - Speakers, amplifiers, cables.
• Peplink - Marine antennas and routers for 5G.
• Yacht Controller - Handheld engine & steering remote control for docking.

Software Vendors

• Adrena - Navigation and route optimization packages specialized for cruisers or racing.
• DeepBlue - Yacht management app.
• Expedition Marine - Windows-based navigation, weather routing and racing app, official supplier to The Volvo Ocean Race, Americas Cup, Sail GP etc.
• LuckGRIB - Weather data download, view and routing.
• Meltemus - Navigation, weather and charts for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux. qtVLM weather and chart viewer free on some platforms.
• Maintenance ROS - Boat maintenance management.
• Navigatrix - Custom Linux distribution for navigation. Free.
• Navimetrix - Integrated navigation, weather, charting, routing for Android, Windows, iOS and macOS.
• Navstation - MacENCx64Integrate plotting, navigation, charts and NMEA integration for macOS.
• NMEA 2000 Solutions - NMEA BridgeBuilder and NMEA Gateway packages, consultancy.
• Ocean Signal - PLBs, EPIRBs, AIS alarms, VHF and radar transponders.
• Rose Point - Navigation software, North America gazatteer, NMEA gateway.
• Sail Logger - Logbook for mobiles, with NMEA integration.
• Sailing Performance - Racing performance analysis.
• SailTrack - AngelNav plotter app for mobile and PC with charts and traditional charting techniques and NMEA integration.
• SavvyNavvy - Plotter app for mobile with integrated weather, AIS, charting and NMEA integration.
• SeaIQ - Navigation for pilots, on Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS. Lower price version for recreational sailors.
• Vessel Vault - Boat maintenance management.
• WilhemSK - SignalK dashboard app for iPhone, iPad, macOS, Apple Watch and Apple TV.
• Zapfware - Mobile apps including NMEARemote dashboard, NMEAConnect bridging and ORC racing.

Consultants

• Nautibus - NMEA2000 design, testing, installation. German and English.
• Francis Fustier - France. Training, advice and integration. News and articles, focused on Apple products onboard.
• Pacific Yacht Systems - Electrical and electronics consultancy, retail and educational articles & videos.
• Seatech Systems - Marine electronics consultancy, with free advice articles on marine internet.
• Tweeds Marine - New Zealand. Consultancy plus free articles, news and calculators online.

Forums

All active as of 2026

• boatdesign.net - Electronics and Controls forum.
• NMEA 2000 Support Group - Public Facebook group.
• NMEA 2000 Technical Forum - Private Facebook group.
• OpenMarine - Marine electronics and networking, focus on Macarthur HAT, PyPilot, OpenPlotter and Node RED.
• Panbo - Marine electronics and networking.
• Raspberry Pi for Boats - Private Facebook group.
• SignalK Google Group - Active as of end 2025.
• The Hull Truth - Marine electronics forum.

Education and Reference

• Actisense Hub - Free tutorials, online books and reference from Actisense.
• Attainable Adventure Cruising - Articles on electronics and software and Navigation and Marine Electronics on-line book.
• Boat HowTo - Online courses and articles for marine electrics, NMEA networking and engines.
• GPS NMEA 0183 Messaging Protocol 101 - Arduino tutorial with general applicability.
• Meco Training - On-line marine electrics and electronics courses.
• Mr Lopez - Books and online classes on marine electrics, Spanish and English.
• NMEA Certification and Training - Official NMEA organization courses.
• NMEA Conference and Expo - Annual vendor event in USA.
• NMEA FAQ - 2006 vintage, latest and remains relevant.
• NMEA Revealed - Detailed technical reference for NMEA0183, part of the gpsd project.
• Ocean Science Technology - NMEA 0183 and 2000 tutorials.
• Seably - Electronics courses, including Actisense accreditation.
• Seatalk Technical Reference - Unofficial documentation of Seatalk 1 protocol.

News

• Actisense Media - Vendor blog, with self-help and industry news.
• Panbo - Marine tech news.

(DISCLAIMER: the term 'awesome' is used here in its American sense, and because 'awesome list' is a thing, and not in its British sense of actually involving awe)