I need everything electronic what do I Buy

[Mad Multi]

First I'm sorry :-) I know there are a ton of threads on bits and parts but Im thinking of buying a boat that has nothing electronic on it. Does Garmin seem to be pulling ahead of Raymarine ???

I want:

Active AIS
Radar
Chartplotter
Autohelm
depth and wind
Wifi for basic use (I work onboard and need email at least)

possibly forward IR or front-facing sonar?
Anything else im forgetting to add on???

Im figuring $10k installed (am I nuts? is this reasonable?)

Are there set packages that are all made to love each other? or is it picking bits and bobs?

While I have used many of all of these systems over the years I have nowhere near enough knowledge to make a good call on a whole system approach.

it's for a Baba 40, battery, solar, generator, etc is all there.

Any ideas?

[250224]

Originally Posted by Mad Multi

...Does Garmin seem to be pulling ahead of Raymarine ??? ...
Active AIS
Radar
Chartplotter
Autohelm
depth and wind
Wifi for basic use (I work onboard and need email at least)
...
Are there set packages that are all made to love each other? or is it picking bits and bobs?
...

AFAIK: Radar doesn't fit with other systems, i.e. you have to choose a radar first.

I'd go with B&G HALO (24). Halo is the only one of the new generation radars that (also) works with OpenCPN. From that it is: B&G Autopilot, Depth, Wind, Chartplotter.

AIS and Wifi can be any popular make.

[psk125]

Read the various threads on forward-facing sonar before dropping the big bucks on one.

[Mad Multi]

Yeah, I have read a bit on it I didn't expect it would be expensive, sonar is pretty easy tech one would think. I was thinking of the new low sweep radar systems that sweep the surface in front or possibly IR cameras honestly I know it's likely just paranoid but Im always worried about hitting a container or some other large debris on a long passage.

[tinger]

I am installing a complete Raymarine system on a 52' mono, cost is 13,000 USD. Radar, autopilot and control head, rudder indicator, chartplotter, wind and depth transducers with 2 i70s, all installed by Raymarine tech and warranty for 3 yrs. The AIS is a Vesper 8000 that I bought separately. The WIFI gives you access to everything anywhere on the boat. I am at the stage of ordering, nothing installed yet.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

I switched from Furuno (which died after 8 years) to Raymarine on chart plotter, Active AIS, radar. Autohelm was already Raymarine, but I replaced the head with new Raymarine. Wind instruments were Furuno from PO, and I've kept those. Raymarine seemed like the best compromise on ease-of-use, cost, parts availability in remote locations, and functionality. I got a secondary Garmin chart plotter at the nav station only because it was dirt cheap and it allowed me to link my iPad Garmin app to the other systems wirelessly. IR cams and forward looking sonar would be excessive money, IMHO, unless money is no object. Make sure in your install everything talks to everything, and in my case I hard-wired the radar, not wireless, because, as we know, wireless technology always works perfectly.......

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by Mad Multi

..............Does Garmin seem to be pulling ahead of Raymarine ??? I want: Active AIS, Radar, Chartplotter, Autohelm,
depth and wind, Wifi for basic use (I work onboard and need email at least), IR or front-facing sonar?, Anything else i'm forgetting to add on??? I'm figuring $10k installed (am I nuts? is this reasonable?). Are there set packages that are all made to love each other? or is it picking bits and bobs?..............

I like Raymarine products and have the same navigation display (Raymarine E120) on both my Hunter 46 sailboat and Symbol 50 powerboat at at each helm and navigation station plus hydraulic linear drive autopilot, radar, sonar, depth, wind and hailer. In addition, I have the same VHF radio with DSC, AIS, GPS, Hailer (Standard Horizon GX2200 or GX2400) on both boats at each helm and navigation station integrated into the navigation display through SeaTalk. I like the electronics commonality on both boats for ease of operation and avoid learning curves.

For wifi I use marina wifi, separate router or mobile phone hot spot. Plan on spending significantly more than $10,000. Not aware of set packages all made to love each other, albeit radar is generally specific to the selected navigation display (chartplotter). Recommend sourcing the entire system, excluding VHF radio, from one manufacturer like Raymarine, Garmin, B&G, etc.

[OS2Dude]

$10,000 is on the low end for what you want. If you want the top-end stuff, I'd budget closer to $15,000. (I have no experience with RayMarine, but equate it - perhaps unfairly - to Lowrance. Lowrance is for small boats and fishing, Simrad for higher end power boats and B&G for higher end sailboats.)

While many devices are wi-fi capable, they ae not routers. We have a Vulcan 7FS with wi-fi. It can be a 'hot-spot' for talking to the other devices on the network, but it can not connect to an ISP. You will need an antenna, POE router (to power the antenna and connect to the other devices), and a service provider that you are able to access. If you are cruising, some people use the bullet antennas and try to access a free wi-fi spot nearby when in port.

If you are going to really sail, B&G makes sailing specific chart plotters. My MFDs are Garmin GMI-20s connected over NMEA2000. I prefer the GMI MFDs because they can display an array of data. Mine are typically set to Wind And Depth.

When I was looking at an auto-helm for our Catalina 30, it was about $2500+/- for the 'base' units (Controller, sensors <compass, rudder angle, etc.>, and other 'generic' items.) and another $2500+/- for the steering actuator which is somewhat dependent on your boats size and steering setup.

$5000+/- for auto-helm

$2999 for chart plotter - B&G Zeus3 12". Vulcan series a little less.

$500 for each GMI-20

$90+ for depth (Depends on if you want sonar images (I.E. Fish Finder) , just depth or forward looking or side scan.)

$1200 for B&G V60B (DSC & active AIS) and NMEA2000 connectivity. There are wireless handsets (H60) available as well.

$2000 for radar - B&G Halo 20+.

$?? for wires, cables, connectors, wi-fi access devices, other misc stuff.
=====
$12789+ for everything.

[sail sfbay]

Mad Multi.............are you planning to install the electronics yourself? If so then $15,000+ minimum for equipment depending on redundancy, e.g., cockpit helm and salon navigation station PLUS labor at $125-150/hour for a marine electronic contractor and installation takes a long time to build display mounts and run and terminate cables and calibrate the instruments.

[SV__Grace]

First, for forward facing sonar be aware of the angle of your keel and the length of the transducer needed after installing a fairing to make it level.

I originally wanted Garmin but their transducer was too short so went with B&G, the only manufacturer at the time (2017) with a long stem transducer that would work on a curved sailboat hull.

And I'm glad I got the B&G because being a fan of integrated systems, I got everything B&G- radar, chart plotters, auto pilot, etc. and everything plays nice with each other and all products are well made.

Second, be aware that forward facing sonar depth sounder only works at slow speeds such as scoping out a channel or anchorage, not when underway to spot underwater objects.

[Hudson Force]

What to buy if you need everything electronic?
...... a big back-up battery bank!

[j.g.evans]

I am familiar with Garmin and Raymarine. I think you can install a system with the new NMEA 2000 connections yourself. I have Raymarine and Garmin talking to each other via NMEA 2000. ( One problem is Garmin 2000 and Raymarine Seatalkng use different connectors and I had to splice similar colored wires to interconnect the 2.) The autopilots lead you through an initial set up and calibration. All set ups take time reading the manuals. Both companies are responsive to support calls. If you have an old autopilot drive system I think you can make it work with either company's controller. I had a Garmin controller work with a 20 year old Raymarine electric drive. I like the Garmin system which uses smart transducers with NMEA 2000 connections. My RAymarine transducers are analog and go through an ITC5 box that converts them to SeaTalkng. A disadvantage of a mixed system is that system updates are installed via the chart plotter. My Garmin chart plotter will not update the Raymarine instruments. Get a large chart plotter, but unfortunately it will cost half of your budget. One reason I have a mixed system is I wanted to keep my Garming 5212 chart plotter which I love. I have a friend with a lightly used 5212 that you can buy for a lot less than $1000. Contact me if interested. I have receive only AIS and think you will find that enough. I found I did not need radar with the AIS. Get a VHF with AIS. Without radar and a used chart plotter and installing everything yourself I think you can make your budget.

[sail sfbay]

Chartplotter - a large display works very well especially with a split screen display.

VHF radio - If you purchase a VHF radio be sure it has a GPS so you can be found in the event you trigger the distress signal) and for a little more get one with AIS receiver so you can interface it with your navigation display (chartplotter).

Radar - if you never plan to sail at night OR in fog then you may not need it but AIS is not a substitute for radar since it does not display boats without an AIS transponder and land masses (islands, breakwater, jetties), channel markers, piers, etc. All my boats all have radar.

[sail sfbay]

Chartplotter - a large display works very well especially with a split screen display.

VHF radio - If you purchase a VHF radio be sure it has a GPS so you can be found in the event you trigger the distress signal) and for a little more get one with AIS receiver so you can interface it with your navigation display (chartplotter).

Radar - if you never plan to sail at night OR in fog then you may not need it but AIS is not a substitute for radar since it does not display boats without an AIS transponder and land masses (islands, breakwater, jetties), channel markers, piers, etc. All my boats all have radar.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by sail sfbay

VHF radio - If you purchase a VHF radio be sure it has a GPS so you can be found in the event you trigger the distress signal) and for a little more get one with AIS receiver so you can interface it with your navigation display (chartplotter).

Actually it makes a lot of sense to buy a VHF that DOESN'T have an AIS-Receiver and GPS.

The VHF should pick up the GPS from the NMEA-network.

About the AIS either it's a full Full Class B AIS-transmitter or you have a dedicated box for this already and the VHF should pick it up via the NMEA-bus. An example of a VHF that can display AIS without the receiver part is the Standard Horizon GX2000 (Not the GX2400 which has the receiver). I'm certain all the other big vendors have similar products.

Paying for yet another GPS receiver and a half-arsed AIS is a waste of money.