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Old 25-10-2012, 15:02   #1
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Advice on sailboat electronics

Hello Fellow Forum participants!
I have a 40ft wooden Al Mason that will be hauled out soon. I purchased that boat with only a speedometer. The old fishfinder and the windgage are non working and obsolete.

I am asking for advice on how to save a buck here. I sail between Puget Sound and the San Juans. I have no desire to integrate into the auto helm. I require a depth finder and windgage. A new speedometer would be nice but not required. The Raymarine ST40 is nice, but do I do better with 2 independent units since I have no need to integrate? Uniden make a bare bones depth finder for $89. (Although I haev a thick wooden hull, not sure if they are meant to be thru-hull transducers). It has been hard to figure out what I need for these raymarine products...some ads are for gage only, some pricing includes gage and transducer or sensor.

Installation to the dash is important. Since it is a wooden boat, the dashboard of the helm has to be completely redone. Removing the old non working gages, incorporating the engine gages along with the new gages. Aesthetics are important. This is not a requirement for "matching" gages, only that I have to plan the dashboard layout.

What has been your experience?
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Old 26-10-2012, 07:36   #2
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Re: Advice on sailboat electronics

I recently sold a used thru hull depth sounder and little chart plotter combo for 450. That's all I ever needed sailing the Salish seas. But I would not sail with less...
There are a number of used marine stores around, my favorite is in Bellingham.
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Old 26-10-2012, 07:43   #3
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Re: Advice on sailboat electronics

Advice on marine electronics : Don't buy any. - Simplest depth sounder excepted. Electronics on a boat is the road to sorrow and bankruptcy.
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Old 26-10-2012, 08:03   #4
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Re: Advice on sailboat electronics

My speed meter was dead after I bought this boat and launched it. I use my gps for speed. Way more accurate. But having a depth sounder is nice. As far as wind...you can use a cheap hand held or get use to estimating it by sound and feel...
0-5kts....can feel slightly on your face
5-10kts...can feel on your ears
10-20kts....slight squinting of the eyes when faced to the wind
20-30kts...choppy seas, water blown off the top of some waves
30-50kts...you don't care how fast the wind is. You're too bust taking all sail down
50+ kts...You need a diving mask and snorkel to drive the boat
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Old 26-10-2012, 18:39   #5
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Re: Advice on sailboat electronics

Quote:
Originally Posted by holmek View Post
Advice on marine electronics : Don't buy any. - Simplest depth sounder excepted. Electronics on a boat is the road to sorrow and bankruptcy.
I didn't pay a price expecting much and was not disappointed: GPS dead, depth no good, speed non-functional. Even the solar power vents don't work, and at $100 each they certainly are not going to be replaced. All I got was a 7 year old VHF.

What do we like by way of a depths sounder? I wasn't going to replace mine, but the consensus seems to be that this is the one thing electronic that one should have.

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