Replacing All Electronics on 33' Sailboat

[roger.waite]

Like the last two posts. No point chasing technology, if the only 'extras' you get are holes in the boat. There is always a newer, more shiny toy to buy. The only extra hole I made was for a bulkhead mounted chartplotter. (Well worth it at night.)

David's questions are also spot on. First, what do you (really) need? And second, what might you want? While I am generally happy to sit on "wants", I like tinkering, and am more likely to fit "wants" that do not require structural change. But as plans and ambitions grow, the gap between "want" and "need" can close.

Wanting my partner to feel safe, for instance, pushed an EPIRB onto my priority list. Working on lifeboats also changed my attitudes to what safety kit should be carried.

[Sandero]

Whatever you do don't put one of those ugly humongous pedestal with oodles of instruments. They can ruin the lines of any beautiful yacht.

[GS3]

capt_douglas I totally agree with your post.

David M

What is your overall budget?
What instruments do you consider mandatory?
Which instruments do you consider optional?

I want to spend the minimum needed and I want to make it an ongoing project. I can start with a depth sounder and a handheld GPS and expand from there. For now I do not need a chartplotter as I like my paper charts. I liked LORAN but I guess now GPS is the way to go. I liked having radar but that can wait for now.

What is your philosophy about integrated systems?...yes or no?[

I do not need it but it is nice to have the possibility for the future.

How good are your computer skills?

Quite good. And I am an electrical engineer with lots of tinkering experience.

Are you interested in learning celestial navigation?

I am quite knowledgeable about astronav but I consider it a hobby and not something really useful. For the price of a sextant you can buy a GPS and five backups.

How important is it for you to be able to communicate out on the ocean?

I do not plan any long range sailing yet so this is not really necessary so SSB is out of the question for now. Heck, even VHF I hardly use, only to request drawbridge openings and such things (and to monitor how fools get into trouble).

Where do you plan on taking your boat and for how long?

For now the Chesapeake bay so my needs are minimal.

I think I will look for a really basic, and hopefully cheap, depth sounder and maybe in the future if I get an integrated system I can have it as a backup. I have had more problems with depth sounders than with anything else.

I am looking at what is available:

Faria 13752
Faria DPT-EUR
Furuno
Hummingbird HDR610
Lowrance LST-3800
Navman 2100
Norcross DF1120S
Northstar Explorer D210
Raymarine ST40 Speed
Raymarine ST40 bidata

Any recommendations? Any I should avoid?

[sck5]

if you have a gps you can do without the speed - the gps will tell you how fast you are going and the paddle wheel will just grow sea crap on it anyway

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by GS3

Faria 13752
Faria DPT-EUR
Furuno
Hummingbird HDR610
Lowrance LST-3800
Navman 2100
Norcross DF1120S
Northstar Explorer D210
Raymarine ST40 Speed
Raymarine ST40 bidata

Any recommendations? Any I should avoid?

Just from personal experience, I would put Furuno at the top, I am not familar with Faria and Norcoss and I would put Raymarine at the bottom.

[capt_douglas]

@GS3 - One EE to another.

You can cruise quite nicely with the basics, and be safe too. For me the depth sounder and GPS are mandatory, even if you know celestial.

If you've had problems with dept sounders (thru hull?), then you might consider an interior mounted one where a thru hull and water contact aren't needed.

For coastal and protected waters, a VHF is all you need. You might consider adding some kind of AM/FM radio for weather alerts.