Atlantic Marine Electronics is something of a landmark in sportfishing. Beyond keeping its finger squarely on the pulse of marine electronics, more than setting the standard for quality and craftsmanship, AME is an advocate for fishermen, boat owners and the industry at large.
Providing context for these claims involves a fair bit of nuance. After all, few companies that are as proficient in providing full-service sales, installation, and global customer support as Atlantic Marine Electronics describe their work in many other terms.
What follows is a profile of AME. More than a description of the company’s approach, it is a testament to the confidence and ease that the company imparts to a customer base that spans the United States (and beyond).
History and Commitment
AME was founded in 2003. What began with a concentration in New Jersey and the MidAtlantic has in the past two decades grown to become a national leader in sportfishing navigation, communication and safety equipment.
These days, AME has locations in New Jersey, Connecticut, Wanchese, North Carolina, Destin/ Orange Beach, Bradenton, Florida, Palm Beach, Florida and Texas. A wholly owned subsidiary of Viking Yachts, much of its focus in New Jersey lies in support of the Viking and Valhalla factories. Along the Gulf Coast, Florida and North Carolina, it performs quite a few refits and installation projects.
“We fish tournaments all year long from New Jersey, to the Carolinas, to Florida, in the Gulf, Mexico, the Bahamas and Cabo and we need good systems that work wherever we go. AME delivers excellent installations that excel in the marine environment like communication equipment to keep in touch with the factory, or when guests aboard need to contact home.”
– Captain Ryan Higgins, Viking 72
Wherever and whatever the company touches comes to the same standard of quality and consistency. And the company works with nearly all things sportfishing, with a focus on vessels from 25’ center consoles to sportfishers to 125’ or so.
A Force for Sportfishing
In a day in time when it’s all too common for people and companies to fight with one another (to the detriment of customers, products and the market), it is Atlantic Marine Electronics’ role as industry advocate that is perhaps most remarkable. Through its history, AME has focused on forging relationships that benefit sportfishing generally.
Working through a national dealer network, the company is often in the middle of expanding technologies and fishing opportunity. When real-time, multi-directional sonars transitioned from the secret of a few into a must-have for tournament competition, Atlantic Marine Electronics broke ground on installation of real time sonars from many brands and many models at scale.
AME’s approach involves creating relationships that forge opportunity, rather than creating adversarial situations (you know, the whole “You’re fishing too close to my dock!” type of thing.) By working with many brands and many products, Atlantic Marine Electronics provides opportunity for new technologies. This approach results in more choices for the market, with customers able to choose from a broader variety of price points, brands, and products.
This approach has not only been good for the company, but it benefits boat owners and the companies whose products service them. It also paves the way for new products to enter the market. Market expansion further benefits choice, price and ultimately the boating experience.
Just as was the case in the early days of real-time sonar installation, AME’s expertise and approach continue to benefit sportfishing. Currently, there is perhaps no better example than Dinnteco.
A Lightning Strike Solution for Sportfishing
Given its cost and frequency of occurrence, you can hardly blame insurance companies for being leery of covering lightning strikes. A lightning strike to a boat not only fries electronics and computer systems, but it often sets off a months-long quest to chase and resolve gremlins.
For many insurance companies, the cost and damage associated with lightning striking boats was fast becoming an epidemic. It posed enough risk that some left the sportfishing market altogether. Others considered whether the liability of covering sportfishers was worth it.
It was with this backdrop—and the risk of boatowners being left with multi-million dollar assets without adequate protection—that Atlantic Marine Electronics set out to find a lightning strike solution for sportfishing. After a global search and research that lasted two years, Atlantic Marine Electronics came upon Dinnteco.
Unlike traditional lightning rods (that attempt to induce lightning to strike the rod instead of the boat), Dinnteco’s technology helps prevent the strike by deionizing the atmosphere around the vessel. This effectively decreases the probability of a strike in the first place.
Dinnteco’s technology has long been used in other parts of the world and in other sectors. Traditionally, its products protect such infrastructure as server farms, communications companies, and oil and gas infrastructure. Atlantic Marine Electronics is Dinnteco’s official distributor for the Americas. It is making the technology, and lighting strike protection, available to sportfishing.
A complete system for a typical sportfisher can cost quite a bit less than repairing the damage from a lightning strike. It provides total boat protection, but can also be configured to protect entire marinas or homes and docks.
Give AME A Call
If you’re in the market for electronics or in search of the right setup for your operation, give Atlantic Marine Electronics a call. You can count on their experience, knowledge and skill. Across the country they outfit many of the best in sportfishing, they can do the same for you.
AME is a proud sponsor of the MONGO Offshore Challenge.
Celebrating the Epic 2024 MONGO Offshore Challenge
