Marriage Savers. The headsets that make hard things easier

Any advantage to make things easier is a welcome gift, especially if you are as new to boating as we are. These headsets have become invaluable and we use them all of the time, without fail. They are true Family Savers, allowing us to communicate effectively amongst the deck crew without the need to yell, or press any buttons, so both hands are free and we can all talk at once if the need arises.

These were our very first purchase for the boat. Seriously. I even had them emergency delivered to us prior to our first solo outing. That is how important we felt these were going to be. I was not wrong. We cannot recommend these headsets enough. 

When it comes to stressful situations handling a large boat, coming and going from a dock has to be high on the top of the list. There is just so much that can go wrong at the mercy of a puff of wind. Boats like ours are a particular challenge as they present a cross wind with a large, flat and high target, the boat effectively behaves like a sail!
Things happen fast, and correcting them needs to happen lightening fast as well. 
All too quickly the shouting can start as it is sometimes quite hard to hear over the engines, the wind, and the thumping heart in your chest. Sometimes the boat needs to move a fraction this way or that in order to pick up a line, and if you get it wrong you are rubbing up against a large unforgiving surface like a concrete pier. Other times, like we have experienced, the wind is relentless and there are a lot of pieces of information to consider, particularly when coming into dock. Information is needed from the front and back of the boat at the same time. Bow thrusters are fantastic, and we are so thankful to have a great setup, but bow and stern thrusters are even better to stop the inevitable pivot point. This is where the marriage savers really come into their own. I can talk and listen to Haylee and Sophia at the same time, even when all of us have our hands full.

"Everyone we talked to during the boat buying journey told us that coming and going from the dock was one of the most testing things any marriage can endure, so we bought headsets. These are called Marriage Savers for a very good reason!"

A similar set of conditions occurs when attempting to tie into a swing mooring - a looped heavy rope attached to a solid block of concrete in a bay, and held on the surface by a mooring ball. There is more room for error in these cases, but a much higher degree of frustration and shouting when the wind and tide are not being kind. There is also room for injury if you get it wrong and are not prepared to abandon the boat hook and drop it into the water if you have to. We have experienced this exact thing mooring in a gusty 25+ knots, and had we not all been wearing the headsets it could have resulted in a not so great situation. Our very first attempt at coming alongside the non floating static fuel dock was exactly the same - a stressful situation that could have involved a lot of shouting instead of the calm conversations that we had.  

So how do these things work? I knew that they existed after spending way too much time on forums and watching youtube channels of other families at sea. What I didn't comprehend was how difficult it would be to find them. Were they a marine specific thing? After I got blank looks at the local marine outfitter I tried the local communications company that supplied the forest industry. No luck at either. The problem was I didn't have the right language to know what I was looking for. What we needed was a Full Duplex Wireless Communication System that allowed open communication between multiple users without having to push to talk. Seemed simple. It actually was in the end. 

I found the Eartec UltraLITE self contained headsets and for hands free, full duplex wireless voice contact online, and then set about finding a distributor so that I could buy them locally in our country. We were up against the clock and I knew it would make our first outing way less stressful if we had them, so I pulled out all of the stops to make it happen. 
The Eartec UltraLITE are revolutionary headsets that eclipse all other full duplex systems for performance and convenience because the transceiver is built right inside the ear cup. This self-contained, “All in One” design eliminates wires and belt worn radios. And since UltraLITE do not require complicated base stations users can remain in constant full duplex voice contact even while on the move. The Standard UltraLITE intercoms provide instantaneous wireless communications for crews that need to communicate without pushing buttons. At the heart of these systems is a specialty base or “MAIN” headset that relays the digital signals generated by up to four “Remote” units. The resulting open line talking pattern allows up to 5 people to talk simultaneously so they can continue working with their hands. We only needed three so this was the perfect solution. UltraLITE Singles are the ones we selected as they are self-contained, full duplex wireless headsets with one speaker. They include a flexible gooseneck microphone boom assembly that swivels 270 degrees to be worn on either left or right. We loved that the single muff headsets mean we can keep one ear free and open to monitor the ambient environment while communicating with each other.

All UltraLITE headsets include EARTEC’s Auto Mute Mic boom technology. These specialty microphone assemblies feature an internal switch that automatically mutes the headset mic gain when set to the UP position. Using AutoMUTE is a simple and efficient way to mute your microphone signal. A terrific feature of UltraLITE systems is that the Lithium Polymer batteries (included) charge externally and are field replaceable. This allows you to purchase and keep spare batteries on hand extending the run time of your system indefinitely. A multi-port charger is included with each new complete UltraLITE intercom that features positive LED indicators. When the batteries reach full charge the corresponding LED turns from red to green indicating that the battery is ready to go. Having extra batteries is a luxury we will get around to later, but for now we make sure that they are charged! It is not that hard. We absolute love them and 150% recommend them to beginners or seasoned salty sea dogs alike - we have even had conversations with some of our pier neighbours that had never seen them before and now cannot life without them! 

Click here to find out more on the international website, or here are some links Amazon - if you buy through our links it helps us out!
Buy the Eartec UltraLITE 2 person kit : click here
Buy the Eartec UltraLITE 3 person kit : click here
Buy the Eartec UltraLITE 4 person kit : click here
Buy the Eartec UltraLITE 5 person kit : click here

If you are buying these in New Zealand we bought them through Protel and had a fantastic experience. Let them know that we sent you! Click here.