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Old 16-08-2014, 21:07   #1
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Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

My husband I just purchased a 10-year old Com-Pac 27. It has Raymarine ST60 instruments for speed, depth and windspeed. We're looking for a compatible chartplotter. Recommedations?

Mary Kaye Johansen
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Old 17-08-2014, 12:36   #2
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

New or second hand?

It isn't necessary to connect the instruments to a chart plotter which can stand alone and therefore be any of the manufacturers products. Might be worth visiting the next near boat show so you can play with the instruments.

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Old 17-08-2014, 21:50   #3
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by marykayejn View Post
My husband I just purchased a 10-year old Com-Pac 27. It has Raymarine ST60 instruments for speed, depth and windspeed. We're looking for a compatible chartplotter. Recommedations?

Mary Kaye Johansen
"Paradiso"
I have just installed a new Raymarine a77 MFD with WiFi chartplotter. We have Raymarine ST60+ Wind & TriData Instruments, as well as a ST602 AutoPilot control head. Any of the new Raymarine a, e or c series Chart Plotter MFD's will interface to your old existing instruments if you also get their SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter. You just need to read everything carefully, especially the requirement to disconnect any power source to the existing / old SeaTalk network.

I was surprised how easy the installation was in our case. Now I can display all the wind, depth, speed & auto pilot controls & info on the a77. Also, now the autopilot can be controlled by the chart plotter to auto steer to waypoints etc.

I am happy with the smaller 7" a77 which I mounted at the nav table as I use an iPad with the Raymarine Control app at the helm via wifi which allows me to see & control everything remotely from there on the larger iPad screen.

Dave
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Old 18-08-2014, 06:22   #4
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

All the above is good info but to pitch a little more in...

Your ST60s run the old seatalk protocol which was proprietary to Raymarine and which they've dropped support for in their new plotters so your choices would be:
1. As gspeak suggests: buy a new Raymarine plotter and connect your ST60s to it via the seatalk to seatalkNG converter. I believe this is available in a kit to set up a minimal SeatalkNG network if you don't already have one (which it sounds like you don't). Running seatalk over your SeatalkNG network makes it incompatible with NMEA 2000 according to Raymarine's documentation. Don't forget to factor in the cost of the converter into the plotter purchase decision.
2. Get a seatalk to NMEA-0183 converter and wire your seatalk stuff via that to the plotter. Raymarine stopped selling their seatalk-NMEA-0183 converter but they still come up on ebay and there are other 3rd party products out there to do the same thing. Almost any plotter (including Raymarine) will have an NMEA-0183 input
3. Buy a plotter with a seatalk interface. Raymarine recently discontinued the last of these (AFAIK) but they'll undoubtedly be available second hand. I have a C90W which is one of the last models they sold with seatalk-1 (my ST-50s and autopilot are connected to it) but it also has SeatalkNG and NMEA-0183 ports. I'd say that would be a good choice if you can pick one up at a fair price from someone upgrading to the whizzy new stuff.
4. Ditch your ST60s and buy new instruments. Obviously you can then buy whatever you want. Personally I'm sticking with my perfectly functional seatalk-1 stuff until either they break or ONENET or an open source alternative finally rears its head....
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Old 18-08-2014, 06:57   #5
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

Our 14 year old boat came with Raymarine RL70+. This is a black & white chartplotter and radar display that works with the ST60s. I've seen the RL70's sell for $100 and up. You will probably also need the CMap NT+ charts for your area, which start at $150. Definitely want the Seatalk to NMEA-0183 converter to plug in laptop or NMEA wifi adapter.

At some point I would like to upgrade to a newer chartplotter, but the RL70 works just fine. Color would be nice.
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Old 18-08-2014, 07:57   #6
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

we're doing an up-grade ourselves from our SL70CRC chartplotter and radar to the new "C" series. our autohelm and smart pilot of years ago runs on 183 and will have to have to have to 183 to 2000 converter..
The CRC is still working after 10 years but it may be another 10 befor we return to the states so we're replacing it now..

Had it referbished a couple years ago but If you are looking for a used unit, I can get some videos of it working and we can talk price.. its the chartplotter and radar combined.. with the optional radar overlay..
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Old 18-08-2014, 08:55   #7
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

Mayy Kaye,

I do not know where you are or where you intend to cruise so here's a warning. Raymarine chartplotters are fine except if you intend to cruise the Bahamas. You will be stuck with Navionics charts and they are simply awful as far as the Bahamas is concerned. If you intend to cruise the Bahamas get a Garmin which uses Explorer Chart data (the best for the Bahamas).
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Old 18-08-2014, 09:02   #8
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Randyonr3 View Post
we're doing an up-grade ourselves from our SL70CRC chartplotter and radar to the new "C" series. our autohelm and smart pilot of years ago runs on 183 and will have to have to have to 183 to 2000 converter..
The CRC is still working after 10 years but it may be another 10 befor we return to the states so we're replacing it now..

Had it referbished a couple years ago but If you are looking for a used unit, I can get some videos of it working and we can talk price.. its the chartplotter and radar combined.. with the optional radar overlay..
Just a comment,

At this stage why would you upgrade to a "C" series, They are all but end of life!

opps, sorry brain fart I see you wrote the "new" C series - Sorry


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Old 18-08-2014, 13:04   #9
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

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Originally Posted by goboatingnow View Post
Just a comment,

At this stage why would you upgrade to a "C" series, They are all but end of life!

opps, sorry brain fart I see you wrote the "new" C series - Sorry


dave
I would go with the "E" series but I'm not so eagar to go wireless..
Had a few issues with the smart pilot accepting info from the radar at prinston (half moon bay) and again down around point conception due to the military base.
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Old 18-08-2014, 14:26   #10
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by gspeak View Post
I have just installed a new Raymarine a77 MFD with WiFi chartplotter. We have Raymarine ST60+ Wind & TriData Instruments, as well as a ST602 AutoPilot control head. Any of the new Raymarine a, e or c series Chart Plotter MFD's will interface to your old existing instruments if you also get their SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter. You just need to read everything carefully, especially the requirement to disconnect any power source to the existing / old SeaTalk network.

I was surprised how easy the installation was in our case. Now I can display all the wind, depth, speed & auto pilot controls & info on the a77. Also, now the autopilot can be controlled by the chart plotter to auto steer to waypoints etc.

I am happy with the smaller 7" a77 which I mounted at the nav table as I use an iPad with the Raymarine Control app at the helm via wifi which allows me to see & control everything remotely from there on the larger iPad screen.

Dave
Dave I agree with your install but we went down the C95 path and love its wifi to our EEpad at the nav station. The Seatalk to Seatalkng converter worked perfectly and I also was surprised by the ease of connection. We opted for the Non-touch unit as we don't like the touch finger marks on the screen. Auto pilot and st 60's worked perfectly.
Really happy with the outcome.
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Old 30-09-2014, 18:58   #11
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

Thanks to all for your advice. We bought the Raymarine A series with SeaTalk NGand it worked great! Took the boat up to the San Juans for two weeks and it worked like a charm . . . well installation was interesting, but it worked
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Old 02-10-2014, 20:20   #12
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vasco View Post
Mayy Kaye,

I do not know where you are or where you intend to cruise so here's a warning. Raymarine chartplotters are fine except if you intend to cruise the Bahamas. You will be stuck with Navionics charts and they are simply awful as far as the Bahamas is concerned. If you intend to cruise the Bahamas get a Garmin which uses Explorer Chart data (the best for the Bahamas).
I've been seeing a lot of these comments regarding Navionics in the Bahamas. We never had any problems in two trips thru the Exumas and south to T&C - and Beausoleil has a 6.5 foot draft. Of course, we also had Explorer chart books as well.

This is one gadget geek who still keeps hardcopy charts on board. Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy...

Sent from my XT1060 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app
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Old 03-10-2014, 00:29   #13
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

We sailed All exumas this past May and June with the latest Navionics platinum and found it to be spot on. Also had complete paper charts and guides.

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Old 03-10-2014, 05:52   #14
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

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We sailed All exumas this past May and June with the latest Navionics platinum and found it to be spot on. Also had complete paper charts and guides.

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So did I with the latest Navionics and it was still terrible. By all the Exumas did you try Dotham Cat, Rat Cay, Ship Channel Cay? A few of the spots where the geo- referencing is off. Also did you compare Navionics with Explorer Charts in areas such as Normans Cay? I have sailed the Exumas for the last ten seasons with Navionics (first chip 2004, last season with the latest chip 2014) and can tell you that you cannot rely on Navionics.
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Old 03-10-2014, 06:35   #15
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Re: Raymarine chartplotter recommendations?

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Originally Posted by Vasco View Post
So did I with the latest Navionics and it was still terrible. By all the Exumas did you try Dotham Cat, Rat Cay, Ship Channel Cay? A few of the spots where the geo- referencing is off. Also did you compare Navionics with Explorer Charts in areas such as Normans Cay? I have sailed the Exumas for the last ten seasons with Navionics (first chip 2004, last season with the latest chip 2014) and can tell you that you cannot rely on Navionics.
Man... I gotta go with Vasco on this one... Now where did I put that damn astrolabe???

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