hey all,
I've acquired a "new"
boat, and I'm currently working my way slowly through all the systems, refurbishing that which has a lot of life left in it and replacing that which does not.
currently I'm looking at the
wind speed and direction
instruments... the masthead is not responding and looks to be damaged. the bulkhead displays look to be in half-decent condition, but I know from previous experience that I can drop a few hundred dollars into a new masthead unit and *still* not have working
gear, so this time around I'm curious... what is the
current line of thinking for good, solid, reliable modern cruising
instruments?
I'd really like it if they spoke
NMEA, but really don't care for bells and whistles past that - my primary interest is definitely longterm
reliability. I'm technical enough to figure out my own "fancy" displays with Signal-K and my
iPad and such, but for now I'd just like simple, reliable instruments to build into the
cockpit bulkhead.
my goals are to leave on an extended multi-year
cruise in the
South Pacific in about six months - and if that proves to be as fun as I think it will be, I may push through and try to circumnavigate (though I imagine there's a high possibility I'll get stuck in the
Mediterranean for a few years).
what are your thoughts? what's great out there in 2016? is it better to stay with
NMEA senders and multi-displays, or dedicated analogue meters? what brands do you love, and why?