Autopilot Computer Simrad vs. Raymarine

[careka]

For race ,in open 40, 50, 60, it is NKE and B&G some Simrad Raymarine, but not many, Same in Volvo ocean race.
NKE is very good and very costly.(made for raceing.)

Same with B&G. and i dont think B&G is any better then Simrad
we had one Norwegian open 40 had to stop from his big solorace from France this year du to B&G autopilot diden work. and factory guys did work on it days ahead trying to fixs it.

well these are my words.

[goboatingnow]

Same with B&G. and i dont think B&G is any better then Simrad

I suspect b&G will just become a specialist "brand" for Navico, using indentical base hardware from the Lowrance/Simrad stable. Its already happended withj the b&G plotter.

Dave

[careka]

Yes. there will be changes, comming.
Northstar will go away.
Simrad.Lowrance and B&G wil keep on.

Same stuff inside just new plastic on the outside.
and different pricing.

[noelex 77]

I have electronics from B&G, Raymarine, Simrad, Furuno and Garmin on my boat.
The B&G stuff is way ahead of the other equipment in term of build quality. Even my wife said., "This look like a piece of military hardware and it makes the rest look like toys".

Its difficult know what the future holds for any of the equipment manufacturers, but there are many examples in the car and boat world of companies producing products, at very different price points and qualities.
I would be surprised if B&G does not maintain its considerable superiority over the the consumer grade electronics. At the moment there is only NKE competing for the same market.

[Sabbatical II]

I am currently building a new vessel. Since it has taken 2 years so far it has given me plenty of time to ask every possible question many different ways to all possible suppliers. My local marine electrician supplies all brands of gear except Furuno. He says he loves selling Raymarine gear because:
1. They give him a better margin as a selling agent than the other suppliers.
2. If it is gear which has been fitted by a Raymarine agent and it is still under warranty Raymarine will pay for the agent to travel to the boat as well as the repair of the component. (he gets paid for all his time, no arguments)
3. Raymarine don't do as much field testing as other manufactureres (his comment). They let their customers do it for them resulting in much more warranty work (i.e. business) for him than for other brands.The vast majority of people only stay local so it is a minor convenience when the plotter goes blank. They'll be home that night anyway and they love the fact that the Raymarine guy will be out in the morning to look at it. He's such a nice guy and doesn't charge (them) for his time to visit the boat like the other dealers do.

But what does this all mean for the ocean sailor who will be a long way away from the authorised Raymarine dealer? I suspect quality of the original manufacture is more important than dealer support which requires you to be alongside at the local marina. My research is telling me that a properly designed system with one of the better brands, professionally installed will not cause the owner much grief anyway during the warranty period. From all reports I would not like to have spent big dollars on Raymaine gear that was out of warranty.

Greg

[goboatingnow]

1. They give him a better margin as a selling agent than the other suppliers.

Thats good incentivise the dealer, Garmin should follow their lead and at least let the dealer earn something.

2. If it is gear which has been fitted by a Raymarine agent and it is still under warranty Raymarine will pay for the agent to travel to the boat as well as the repair of the component. (he
gets paid for all his time, no arguments)

Sounds good to me, AT the moment in the Uk , Raymarine give you on a product registration a 3 year warranty.

3. Raymarine don't do as much field testing. They let their customers do it for them resulting in much more warranty work (i.e. business) for him than for other brands.The vast majority of people only stay local so it is a minor convenience when the plotter goes blank. They'll be home that night anyway and they love the fact that the Raymarine guy will be out in the morning to look at it. He's such a nice guy and doesn't charge (them) for his time to visit the boat like the other dealers do.

Now that my friend, is complete horseradish. Prove it

But what does this all mean for the ocean sailor who will be a long way away from the authorised Raymarine dealer?

of course youre unlikely to be too far away from a Raymarine dealer.

For me it means there will be nothing on the boat with the Raymarine name on it.

74% of last years ARC fleet had Raymarine, of course these folk are only crossing oceans.


This type of virtual voodoo, product selction is of course nonsense, since its based on hearsay, myth and internal perceptions.
Dave

[atoll]

having used the autohelm 3000/4000 wheel pilot on nearly 3 circumnavigations to drive a 34 ft,50 ft and 63 ft yachts,using the hydralically driven wheel steering, i have to say they do work under sustained punishment even if they were never designed for such an installation!!!

all ways carried plenty of spare belts and motors and cogs,but the heading unit never failed over 100000 miles.....................

[DeepFrz]

goboatingnow said:

Now that my friend, is complete horseradish.

Now, how do you know that? Can you disprove that statement?

I do know that I have seen lots of grief posted on this site about RM autopilots. I also believe that autopilot performance is highly dependent on proper sizing and proper installation.

Jean Socrates on Nereida has an RM autopilot. The first one ran her aground onto a Mexican beach. The one she has now has caused her much grief on her ATW and the drive unit is now in for testing and repair in Capetown.

[careka]

My old B&G Network pilot did always work hard to get me back on course even when i had a big "broch"(hope that is how you sell it)it was from 1998 and on a 41f mono.
----
But the raymarine i now(ST70 spx30) have will shut down if i get 30deg out of course ?
That is not good.
Can i do something about it ?

[goboatingnow]

Now, how do you know that? Can you disprove that statement?

"I was taking to my local dealer, He said that Raymarine were great , best thing since sliced bread, never gave trouble, not like Simrad, which of course dont pay him anything,"

Can you disprove that statement!!

Dave

[goboatingnow]

But the raymarine i now(ST70 spx30) have will shut down if i get 30deg out of course ?

No I dont beleive so , Ray pilots have a preset limit , if the boats veers outside that you get and alarm and a standby. I always thought it was 40 degrees, but maybe its 30 ( I must check the manual). Its the same way now you have to push a button to acknowledge a waypoint arrival and course change, in my old Cetrek one you didnt, which was great for slumber mode " autopiloting" !!!

dave

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by careka

My old B&G Network pilot did always work hard to get me back on course even when i had a big "broch"(hope that is how you sell it)it was from 1998 and on a 41f mono.
----
But the raymarine i now(ST70 spx30) have will shut down if i get 30deg out of course ?
That is not good.
Can i do something about it ?

The angle for the off course warning is adjustable under the system settings, but it should only activate when you have been off corse for 20sec or more.

[goboatingnow]

I don't have the latest simrad pilot, but I think that a look at the troubleshooting page will give you an idea of why simrad is superior to the raymarine stuff. There is a long list of failure diagnostic displays, including 'mains current too high', 'mains voltage too low', 'rudder feedback failure', 'actuator failure', 'compass failure', 'clutch circuit overload', 'high temp in junction unit', etc. Maybe someone with a raymarine AP can see if their units have the same level of protection and diagnostics.

BTW , Ray has all these and more as well , see the ST70+ autopilot control head manual

Dave

[careka]

Well 30 or 40, what ever, i dont like it anyway. i want my pilot to try to keep me on the course i set, and dont flip out just do to, that a wave did hit me bad and got the boat a bit off corse.
-----
i will se how long i will keep this Ray stuff, befor i sell it and put on Simrad.

now its bed time here. GN. all

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

I do know that I have seen lots of grief posted on this site about RM autopilots. I also believe that autopilot performance is highly dependent on proper sizing and proper installation.

Jean Socrates on Nereida has an RM autopilot. The first one ran her aground onto a Mexican beach. The one she has now has caused her much grief on her ATW and the drive unit is now in for testing and repair in Capetown.

Don't you think your first statement may have pinpointed the problem described in your second statement?

Pretty ridiculous to blame an autopilot for running aground. I'd blame the sails!