The
purchase price of
equipment is probably the least important question when doing this kind of thing.
There is always a certain cost of transition to messing with a system that works now. If you're going to use the weather and
collision avoidance systems a lot it could be worth it.
If you are really going to upgrade your
electronics then It is time to get a network and backbone. It is a huge hassle not only to wire but to actually get all of the features communicating. I know it is supposed to just plug-and-play, but it won't. There is a Voodoo factor in
NMEA comms between devices, even of the same brand. I spent more than a month of troubleshooting to get full RayMarine system working, but it does and I love it now. Easy to update as
software is improved too. Although every time I do an update I expect some protocol will be broken somewhere in the system.
If you are doing coastal sailing in daylight and reasonable weather then your
current C 80 in conjunction with a smart
phone will work faster, better, and more robustly then setting up an integrated system. If you sail in
fishing grounds during
fog, gale, and nighttime, or do a lot of
singlehanding then the integrated system is worth the
installation hassle
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