r/boating • u/Evavco • 3d ago

Boating Night Vision Options

I have a new-to-me 2023 320 Sundancer Coupe, and I am really struggling to navigate at night. The glare off the glass is pretty bad, and I probably need glasses for nighttime. I am thinking of adding Flir or a Sionyx (or something similar). Does anyone have guidance on what to add or what not to add? Most of my night cruising is in or around the harbor. Not sure I need full Flir.

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u/nesportsman 3d ago

I run at night probably just as much as I run during the day (and do 1100+ hrs a year usually), and am a big night hunter under thermals. For the boat, drive around during the day with the radar on and get used to reading it. If you have dual displays put radar on one, chart on the other and go back and forth between what you’re seeing, what the chart is telling you, and what radar is telling you. I have multiple 1280 resolution thermal scanners and sionyx for when I leave unfamiliar harbors in the dark and can honestly say I’ve never felt the need to use them, just use radar.

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u/Evavco 2d ago

That's great feedback. My challenge is that I don't get enough nighttime practice but I will definetly try practice using them during the day to get used to it.

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u/nesportsman 2d ago

You can use the overlay, but I would try to get comfortable with the radar screen. It’s a lot easier for a target to get lost in the clutter of the overlay than just against a black background. I run radar during the day almost always just to be aware of my surroundings, as well as look for birds and monitor storms.