NMEA 2000 is the main path from modern vessel sensors and equipment into BoatKit. Supported PGNs feed shared models for position, heading, wind, depth, engines, transmissions, tanks, temperatures, pressure, AIS, and other equipment. Compatible binary switch banks can provide state and administrator-only switch control, while Garmin autopilots can additionally provide mode and target-heading state and, on compatible installations, deliberate administrator-only helm controls.
BoatKit can also broadcast a reviewed active route using standard NMEA 2000 cross-track and current-leg navigation messages. Every enabled physical network is selected by default, and an administrator can exclude individual networks. A Time transition defaults to 15 seconds, or Distance can advance the reported route leg within a configured radius. Route warning metadata cannot be encoded in those navigation messages, so BoatKit keeps guidance active and can send a separate informational navigational caution when an enabled autopilot reports Track mode near a warning or unverified segment. The receiving autopilot or navigation display decides how to use that guidance; broadcasting it does not engage an autopilot or prove that the pilot selected BoatKit as its navigation source.
BoatKit can configure several independent physical networks. Each gets its own connection, address-claim domain, and durable source identities, which matters on vessels with separate navigation, machinery, or tender busses. When more than one device reports the same category, the data-source layer preserves those origins and supports a preferred or automatic source.
Choosing a physical connection
A dedicated BoatKit device can connect directly to the bus through HALPI2’s integrated interface or a compatible Pi CAN HAT. Known BoatKit profiles include the PiCAN-M, PiCAN2 Duo, and Waveshare RS485 CAN HAT. Both dedicated devices and supported app-hosted setups can also use USB through an Actisense NGT-1 or CANable v1/v2, or receive the bus over the vessel network from a compatible Wi-Fi gateway. The right option depends on the host, electrical isolation, available ports, driver support, charging, and whether the installation needs to remain online continuously.
Mobile USB support is platform-specific. Android supports selected USB-host SLCAN and Actisense connections. BoatKit’s physically exercised direct-iPad path is narrower: a supported M-series iPad, CANable 2.0, and the separately installed iCAN++ DriverKit driver. Current validation covers the receive path rather than every adapter or transmit scenario, so use the documented combination rather than treating it as universal USB-CAN support.
Raw traffic sharing is configured separately through the NMEA 2000 RAW gateway. NMEA 2000 is a trademark of the National Marine Electronics Association, and BoatKit support does not imply NMEA certification.
Integration discovery also recognizes Actisense NGT-1 USB gateways when the host provides a stable physical USB identity. It adds a disabled network integration without opening the gateway; the administrator reviews its settings, enables it, and checks live data. An adapter without a unique stable identity still needs manual configuration. This inventory check does not broaden the documented physical compatibility of any host arrangement.
The same pass listens on common marine UDP ports for validated Yacht Devices RAW NMEA 2000 broadcasts. Matching feeds are added and enabled for reception with address claims and alert transmission off. Existing input bindings and BoatKit output ports are preserved. Other NMEA 2000 network encodings, TCP-only sources, and custom ports still require explicit setup. The integration discovery guide lists the ports, supported formats, and verification steps.