Recommendations for Package - MFD/Plotter/Sounder, AIS, Radar

[kev_rm]

Refitting the boat. Monohull cutter aft cockpit if that matters. Thinking 9" MFD. The boat has the ST60 wind instruments, would prefer something that can network with those, even if with a converter to N2K. Also somewhat intrigued about forward looking sonar but I think that is a "nice to have" option.

my last boat I used a Garmin package (without AIS), and I really liked the wifi remote app, that was nice but I wasn't overly impressed with the digital radar.

[Snore]

Look carefully at the Garmin remote app. The one I used on a delivery basically cloned one of the displays. Response time was worse than dial-up.

Get Garmin or Ray for the suite and Vesper AIS. It takes all the data and streams it in a non-proprietary NMEA 0183 format. Can use open CPN or iNavX or other programs for a nice portable second display

[Calif.Ted]

I recently added a 7" Garmin and connected the ST 60 instruments to it using a Raymarine Seatalk1 to Seatalk ng converter (part # E22158) $88 at Defender and a Raymarine devicenet female adapter cable or Seatalk ng to NMEA2000 (#A06045) $29 at defender. Everything on the seatalk network is connected to the Garmin including the 0183 auto pilot, not for control but waypoint data for 'track" mode. Anything else can be added easily thru either Seatalk, Seatalkng or nema2000.
I've only used it a few days but the wind gauge and sailing features are pretty nice, just taking all the simplistic data off the st60's to come up with drift etc. and putting everything you want on one screen.
I'm not sure about interfacing radar yet but a friend has asked me to look into it for his 2006 Ray based system.
My android phone is too old to handle most new app's so I haven't tried. I wouldn't have gotten a new chartplotter but the old 4' started to freeze up, turn itself off, or forget where it was. Not the kind of reliability you want in the dark, or fog etc.

[kev_rm]

I did not have any performance trouble with mine... Thanks for the tip on the vesper AIS, those look good

Originally Posted by Snore

Look carefully at the Garmin remote app. The one I used on a delivery basically cloned one of the displays. Response time was worse than dial-up.

Get Garmin or Ray for the suite and Vesper AIS. It takes all the data and streams it in a non-proprietary NMEA 0183 format. Can use open CPN or iNavX or other programs for a nice portable second display