Tristan Dargay decided to found the company and develop the Vircru remote monitor because he felt existing products were poorly engineered or too costly, or both. He is a telemetry expert and reckoned he could do a better job.

There are plenty of products competing in this space. And like most of them, Vircru is capable of monitoring water levels in the bilges, battery levels and the position of the boat.

The basic launch package includes GPS, battery and bilge pump monitoring, a water level sensor, temperature and boat angle. It comes at a cost of £397, which looks very competitive compared to the rest of the market.

Unlike many competitors, the basic setup of the Vircru remote monitor lets you keep an eye on two battery banks. You can also geofence the boat or set an anchor drag alarm – handy if you leave the boat on the hook.

But you can also expand the system quickly and easily by buying extra sensors costing from £80-95. The additional sensors offer smoke, carbon monoxide and intruder alarms. And you can buy tags to keep an eye on items attractive to thieves, like outboards and dinghies.

All the sensors are wireless and you simply peel off the adhesive foil and stick them where you want them. Boat owners should have no difficulty in installing these themselves. The bilge pump and battery monitors will require connection via a ring terminal.

Sensor batteries are guaranteed for 10 years, while the hub’s battery should last three years. Its house battery connection draws no more than 5mA.

Communication is via the mobile network, and the built-in SIM covers all of Europe. A £10 monthly subscription is also required to run the app.

“As an enthusiastic boat owner, there were three things that kept me up at night: whether the isolator was off, if I’d closed the hatches, and would the fridge be cold enough,” says Dargay. “I was driven by a simple desire to ensure owners can alleviate any worries associated with keeping a boat without forking out a small fortune, even if living further away. I felt I could achieve all these by creating VirCru.”

Buy the Vircru remote monitor from VirCru

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