Stick with Simrad ?

[Starblossom]

anything other then ray marine,
i think problems caused by many changes in company ownership
boat had all ray equipment when i purchased it 33 yr ago
major problems with support and equipment
instead of repair, they discontinue products then offer a discount to buy from them, of course you can it cheaper if you shop around
have replaced with non ray equipment
bought new cat in south africa they could only supply ray for the trip across the pond
i purchased new simrad, radar, plotter, ais, cameras, etc. and have had no problems for 3 years.
ray wind speed and direction have failed twice still waiting for warranty repair, gave up on boat speed.
good luck
stick with simrad

[dgz3]

I had a Simrad plotter/sounder, Standard Horizon GPS antenna/receiver, TackTic sailing instruments, Raymarine autopilot with hardwired remote control/display, ACR AIS transponder, and a Vesper marine ais display. It all worked beautifully together. Amazingly enough, thanks to NMEA.
The problem with a mix n match system is that when you have a tech issue/question/problem, none of these companies will admit the existence of any of the others. Nor will they even consider the possibility that some idiot would ever think to connect their stuff to anybody else's obviously inferior gear. Obviously, the problem is that OTHER company's thingamajig. If you have a good local dealer/installer, they can act as your equipment interface. If you're going it on your own, then you have to work it out.
That is a good reason to buy a single company system. In addition, here in the US, anyway, deep discounts can be had on complete packages. Especially at the big boat shows. Which may be an advantage to replacing it all at once.
A big consideration is will all the new stuff work with your existing transducers?
And if you go all new, you will also be replacing all the wire and connectors, another source of sudden or intermittent failures.
So bottom line, it's all about the money. best way to go; all new everything installed and calibrated by a pro. Cheapest thing to do? get the stuff you have working and use it for a while.
Just because it's "obsolete" doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't work any more. Check or just replace all your connectors, familiarize yourself with the stuff you have. Maybe replace your dead equipment with good used pieces for cheap. Then when you decide to up grade you'll have experience operating the stuff you have. And you may be able to sell your whole system to someone else.
You can spend a lotta dough on gizmos you don't really need.

[PaulMarion]

Hi Dave, Great to have you on board. Some good ideas have been suggested already form experienced owners. Having done this with my own cat, I got familiar with and used the imperative electronics, then added as my use required. One thing I must say is, Anchoring at night in reef areas is a no no! On our Barrier reef even with the best gear, safe night anchoring is almost impossible due to so many unknown, unseen bommies and variable depth areas, that you'll need to swing in. The only way to go about it if you're caught out is to anchor deep, allowing for tide, and them some. You'll save yourself a bundle both on the forward facing sonar, and the hull repairs, if you anchor before dark, not to mention having a stress free night! If you're around Mooloolaba area, John Stirling at Lawries marina shipyard is a wizard with electronics, set ups, and follow up service! A great man to have onside if and when things play up while you're away. Regards, Paul.

[Owe Hansson]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Hi

Complete novice here so please forgive any dumb questions buuuut......

I have a sailing catamaran and it has Simrad gear. Most of it has been left in the holes as it became obsolete or broke down and new gear fitted around it. So I am happy to do a full start again and patch all the holes and refit the working or replacement gear.

It has (working)

• AP20 Auto Pilot - works fine although it seems too make constant changes working flat out in rough-ish conditions
• Forward reaching sonar - Can't read the screen - needs to be replaced
• Wind direction and display - looks like an older version of the is40 gauge - x2 off - work fine
• Chart plotter - Looks like an old version of the NSS - works fine

As well as above I would like to have

• Radar
• AIS
• MOB
• Remote control
• Forward facing 3D Sonar
• I'd prefer it all on one or two screens rather than gauges everywhere

Should I stick with Simrad or are there better options out there. The reps are all pumping their products up and putting s... on the opposition and I have no clue. (I'm not sure some of the reps are too clued up either) Reading the posts on here it looks like they all have their problems, some due to installation and some due to unknown issues that the manufacturers agents don't seem to helpful with.

After sales warranty and support is a concern for me. If it all goes wrong I want someone to fix it not ignore me and hope I go away. That seems to be a recurring theme in some posts.

Secondary issue -
I am worried about tacking with a genoa and passing the sail around the radar - is this an issue ?

Thanks
Dave

I have had great service from Dean @ Deception Bay marine electronics depending where in Brisbane you are