When Rodney Horne’s boat was broken into he thought there must be a way to track unwelcome visitors in the future.

So the electronics engineer decided to invent his own tracking device that he says is a first in the marine world.

“I built a boat and it was on a mooring. I had trouble with people breaking into it and had general concerns for its wellbeing basically. So I wanted a system that could give me as much information as possible without actually being there.

“The Floating Technology monitoring system was developed by us initially for use on our own boat, because while GPS tracking systems are readily available, we wanted to know more than just the whereabouts of our boat.

“The result is a monitoring system, specifically designed to give boat owners more peace of mind, made right here in New Zealand, for anyone concerned about the wellbeing of their boat.”

Simplicity of use and maximum accuracy were the key factors Rodney utilised.

“I wanted to know if someone had got on board the boat without having sensors all over the boat. I wanted something simple, basically a box I could stick on the boat anywhere and it would let me know.

“What is quite unique about what I have here is it has a motion sensor like you would have in a virtual reality headset giro. It is constantly monitoring the physical motion of the boat, the pitch and the roll. It will look for any anomalies in that information which would happen if someone got on your boat or it started sinking or another boat had collided with it.”

The information is then emailed directly to the boat owner and there is an optional security camera with webcam feature.    

Rodney says when he went looking for a security system for his boat there was nothing available to do what he wanted.

“What I have created is unique to each boat as each boat has a fairly unique way it responds to waves and its motion in the water. The system allows for waves all the time. It is almost like machine learning. It learns what is a normal attitude for the boat and compensates for waves.

“But if someone was to jump on your boat it would affect the attitude of the boast and how it responds. The smaller the boat, the more difference that will make.”

Boat tracking highlights:

•  GPS tracking with geofencing

•  Detailed pitch and roll motion information

•  Optional security camera feature with webcam

•    Low power consumption and battery saving, low voltage hibernation

•    Email alerts and access to your boat status via secure website

For pricing and options, contact info@floatech.nz