Electronics and Autopilot Advice Needed

[SaltyMonkey]

Yes, unfortunately, I cannot find a direct connect to PC from radar unit cheaply. I will probably just get the TZ zero nav $449.00 version rather than the 3D, or just go with Open CPN

[AmorVita]

Thank you for all comments. We are probably going to go with NKE.

[Sabbatical II]

Originally Posted by AmorVita

Hi. We are currently building a 50' yacht and are at the point of selecting our electronics and autopilot gear. This yacht is a rugged, fast performance yacht built for ocean sailing in all conditions. It will be used on a continuous basis to cruise the world, both high and low latitudes for many years. Consequently, the gear we select needs to be very robust and very reliable.

Just got my quote in from Raymarine & Furuno dealers for my new 42' yacht. Full system including Big plotter at Nav, small one at wheel, AIS (receiver only), Radar, Autopilot for hydraulic steering and usual wind & depth guages etc. They make it hard to compare apples with apples, but roughly Raymarine is $35,000 & Furuno is $38,000 (Aus $). Of course it doesn't include charts but does cover an estimate for fitting. Maybe I'll just keep the paper charts and the old Garmin GPS.

Greg

[DeepFrz]

NKE have some very neat features. Very poor web site though, IMHO.

Please keep the rest of us informed of your experience with NKE equipment and installation.

[SaltyMonkey]

Wow Eleebana, for that much money you could buy another boat and have someone go ahead of you and tell you if something is out there

[Black Diamond]

You don't necessarily need $$$$ so much as planned redundancy. Multiple antenna, multiple display units (multiple E80's or E120's say), etc. Its a marine environment, things *WILL* get tossed around. Brands don't matter if something goes flying into the LCD display despite your best effort to secure things. Using recreational vs commercial equipment can be just fine if you keep this in mind.

If you are sailing in commercial lanes or any congested area I'd be sure to get AIS as well as the standard instruments people put in. I put a Multi display in the aft cabin near my berth so I could check wind speed, position, and other items without leaving my rack. I can also redirect any display from my E80s to multiple flat screen TVs on the boat or redirect my notebook PC display (with its internet connection to lots of weather and doppler radar sites) to my E80 displays.

Integration is the key, but redundancy makes it safe. FWIW

Rick
Hylas 49-057 "Black Diamond"
Portsmouth, RI.

[tartanss]

I am currently sailing in Indonesia and have come across a lot of boats who have problems with Raymarine autopilots and plotters and when I say plotters I mean the E and C series which are not cheap. I have a cmall Ray A series which is 4 months old and that has frozen on me twice. Good luck