Importing chartplotter from USA to Australia

[Shotgun6]

I'm about to upgrade all my navigation gear and it going to take a minimum of 4 months to get raymarine gear. It appears I can get it now from the USA but someone told me there could be problems getting it to work properly over here in Australia. Thanks in advance for any assistance I receive. Cheers

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Shotgun6

I'm about to upgrade all my navigation gear and it going to take a minimum of 4 months to get raymarine gear. It appears I can get it now from the USA but someone told me there could be problems getting it to work properly over here in Australia. Thanks in advance for any assistance I receive. Cheers

Have you read any of the discussions about how much trouble people are having with the newer Raymarine stuff?

I've been reading and talking to people and I can tell you I wouldn't touch Raymarine with a barge pole. A pity, because my 20 year old Raymarine gear is working perfectly.

[Shotgun6]

Originally Posted by GILow

Have you read any of the discussions about how much trouble people are having with the newer Raymarine stuff?

I've been reading and talking to people and I can tell you I wouldn't touch Raymarine with a barge pole. A pity, because my 20 year old Raymarine gear is working perfectly.

No, I haven't heard. I will look further into it. Thanks

[RaymondR]

The upside is that their service and warranty performance is excellent.

[Wotname]

If you import from the USA, you may find that any warranty issues will have to be handled ex USA.

E.G. Icom (Australia) will only support ICOM units that were imported into Australia by Icom Australia. Import it yourself, you are on your own and have to take up any issues with the oversea's supplier. Other manufacturers sometimes have similar policies.

Tread carefully and ascertain such things before committing. Grey imports can carry considerable risks when things go south.

[goboatingnow]

Raymarine has a Global Warranty programme so you are covered there. Ive never had issues when I purchased Raymarine in another country.

As for install issues , having configured two brand new Raymarine systems for people , I see no unusual issues with Raymarine latest gear and Lighthouse III & IV have proven excellent.

Most of the issues I see are self installs where the owner , simply didn’t understand what they were doing. ( and in one case the dealer was clueless )

[GILow]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Raymarine has a Global Warranty programme so you are covered there. Ive never had issues when I purchased Raymarine in another country.

As for install issues , having configured two brand new Raymarine systems for people , I see no unusual issues with Raymarine latest gear and Lighthouse III & IV have proven excellent.

Most of the issues I see are self installs where the owner , simply didn’t understand what they were doing. ( and in one case the dealer was clueless )

The issues I've heard directly are from multiple fellow cruisers finding the units fail very shortly after the warranty expires. And these are smart, tech savvy yachties.(Is there any other kind?)

I found similar chatter online. I put less credence on that stuff as I don't know if the person posting installed half the system in the bilge or the shower recess.

I've not heard of problems with installation or configuration, most of which is pretty clever and intuitive across the brands these days.

I am also seeing a generally positive outlook on brand interoperability which is promising. It's a little risky, but it seems possible to mix and match these days without losing your sanity.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by GILow

The issues I've heard directly are from multiple fellow cruisers finding the units fail very shortly after the warranty expires. And these are smart, tech savvy yachties.(Is there any other kind?)

I found similar chatter online. I put less credence on that stuff as I don't know if the person posting installed half the system in the bilge or the shower recess.

I've not heard of problems with installation or configuration, most of which is pretty clever and intuitive across the brands these days.

I am also seeing a generally positive outlook on brand interoperability which is promising. It's a little risky, but it seems possible to mix and match these days without losing your sanity.

The main recent issue with Ray has largely been around the Quantum 2 non Doppler radar which prematurely fails in high ambient environment. I know someone who had 5 warranty replacements across 4 countries ( which speaks well of ray marines warranty ). The issue was only really resolved by using the newer Doppler model which does not have the same design fault.

Other then that my experience has been Ray’s new gear works well.

As for “ tech savvy “ yachties , yes about 1 in a 100 !!! Actually understands this stuff , the rest spend too much time reading the internet.

[RaymondR]

My first failure was a software update, the second an intermittent back light failure. In both instances Raymarine replaced the MFDs.

[Wallaby]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Most of the issues I see are self installs where the owner , simply didn’t understand what they were doing. ( and in one case the dealer was clueless )

I am the owner-installer of a fairly complex Raymarine system. Are there problems in installing? IMHO, not if you are reasonably competent, read the instructions, and exercise care. Under warranty performance is good. Out of warranty varies--the fixed charges are steep.



Staying with one manufacturer pays dividends. Mixing systems can be problematic.

[Gypsy23]

Originally Posted by Shotgun6

I'm about to upgrade all my navigation gear and it going to take a minimum of 4 months to get raymarine gear. It appears I can get it now from the USA but someone told me there could be problems getting it to work properly over here in Australia. Thanks in advance for any assistance I receive. Cheers

There should be no problem to "getting it to work properly" over here. Marine electronics is usually 12VDC, that's what most recreational boats run off and correctly chosen gear will network smoothly with NMEA2000/Seatalkng. I say correctly chosen because whilst NMEA2000/Seatalkng are widely compatible for most plotters and instruments between brands, mixing brands for radar and autopilot whilst expecting them all to be operated thru another brand of MFD can be problematic/impossible.


The area you should look closely at for surprises relates to registering MMSI numbers for VHF radios and AIS trancievers which the seller may insist on doing before shipping (US laws). That is OK if you have your MMSI but if there is already an MMSI entered you may need to have it reset by a dealer here. Also look for what plotter/MFD charts are included as US plotters often embed detailed USA charts but need separate plug-in cards for other territories like AUS/NZ/Pacific. Easy to get but add to the cost.



Most importantly, if you are not familiar with NMEA2000/Seatalkng networks you should consult a qualified person to plan your network topography and power supply to meet the specifications correctly. These networks are very robust when properly installed but can produce many problems and intermittent errors/faults if they are operating 'on the edge' due to incorrect cabling, termination and power.

[Shotgun6]

Okay thanks everyone for your comments. I have chased all around the place and got all raymarine at different places around Australia. I have a qualified person to install shortly. Thanks again

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Wallaby

I am the owner-installer of a fairly complex Raymarine system. Are there problems in installing? IMHO, not if you are reasonably competent, read the instructions, and exercise care. Under warranty performance is good. Out of warranty varies--the fixed charges are steep.



Staying with one manufacturer pays dividends. Mixing systems can be problematic.

You read the instructions that puts you in the 5% category right of the bat

[Gypsy23]

Sounds like a good outcome. Fair winds to you.