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How many model have you seen with blacked out windows in the pilot house. Ever wish to add that "little extra" that'll make your model stand out from the rest? How about detailing the pilot house? Here are photos and descriptions of what you'll find in the pilot house of the modern day line haul towboat.

I've placed descriptions on items that were hard to read. If you have any questions email me.

console facing port lazy bench wide angle view

stair well top of the desk slides back and the front rolls up to expose a toilet.

This is the intercom for calling different areas of the boat. Like waking up the captain for his watch. It can also turn on the loud speaker on the roof, and bow deck so they can hear what's going on. So watch your gossip!

engine room monitor here is the pilot seat

There is a phone beneath the port 2-way radio that is used to call the galley area and the engineers control room. The handset is the same as those used on the 2-way radios. To call out you have two buttons. One for each station.

Here is a system no boat should be without. It's called CEACT (Channel EDIS and Course Trajectory) System. EDIS stands for Electronic Display & Information System. It's not only an electronic chart system but it connects with a GPS and changes the chart with your position and gives countless information important to the pilot. The little box next to display screen gives the river mileage marker and the box at bottom is where you access commands with a mouse. The white rectangle on river map is the vessel and track line is channel. Below is a close-up of the display screen.

Starting at top is rate of turn meter (how hard over the rudders are turned). The green block means the GPS sensor is working correctly. Next to that are icons for radar display and menu.

SOG (Speed Over Ground) is the miles per hour moving. HDG is heading relative to true North. TIME is in military format. ETA is estimate time of arrival to destination. TTG is time to go to get there. DIST is distance from current position to destination point. CTE is course track error which is vessels distance from the track line.

The two horizontal meters are for depth finders on port and starboard head of tow.

And at very bottom is fathometer readout of shallowest reading between the depth finders.

Here's a couple of CEACT screens you can download and make your own miniature computer monitor. CEACT is a satellite system using a basic PC computer with a vertical mounted wide screen flat monitor.

one is for night running

other is day running

Here's the satellite antenna for the CEACT system.

BOATRACS is a satellite system used by towing companies to keep track of their vessels and enables sending instant updates on orders. It's a simple PC based system with a standard flat monitor.

Here's a basic screen readout. Boatracs satellite antenna

Yup, that's me steering a tow of 15 empties. It's a harder job keeping this tow under control in a wind. I'd much rather be pushing loads. Click here to visit my trip log.

Radar Examples

Radars come in many sizes and screens of different colors. Vessels are required to have two radars. As you have noticed in photos above, there's usually one main unit that is floor mounted and a smaller unit that can be mounted on the console. Here are some different versions of radars.

Here's a couple of radar screens you can download, size, and use on you model radar unit. If you want to really impress them, print it on clear film and back light it for a neat effect.