Chart Plotter, radar etc. upgrade

[foothillsailor]

If you do decide to remove nd replace your instruments then I would be interested in acquiring any or all of the following:

• Deep sounder: Raymarine ST60 Tridata
• Speed: Raymarine ST60 Tridata
• Log: Raymarine ST60
• Wind: Raymarine ST60 + windex
• Chart plotter: Ray Marine RC435I

If you do remove and replace them you should try and preserve the cables and connectors. I would be especially interested in the RC435i chartplotter. Where are you located?

[jibstay]

I updated my Raymarine electronics 3 years ago. I had a similar setup to yours.

I installed:
e7 MFD
p70 autopilot control
4 - i70 multifunction instrument display
RD418D digital radar dome
ITC-5 converter
E22158 seatalk converter

I kept my existing autopilot and wind, speed and depth transducers, using the ITC-5 converter to connect them.

I also added:
AIS650 AIS transceiver
SR150 SiriusXM weather receiver

I prefer the i70 instrument displays to the old ones. They’re easier to see, day and night.

I considered getting a larger MFD, but the new one fit without having to add a pod and it has WiFi. So, we use the WiFi to mirror it to an iPad from anywhere on the boat.

The motivation for the project was adding AIS, which has been a great addition.

[Donald Bryden]

If you are just going to putt around in the Caribbean than what you already have is what you need. As stated, adding an AIS is a great safety move. An updated chart plotter would be a nice feature and will show AIS targets. I wouldn't bother with the sextant. You will not be far enough from land that dead reckoning wouldn't work satisfactorily.

[stormalong]

I agree with those who have said keep what you have. They are good, well proven units.

As for chartplotter and radar I would go with a PC and opencpn. It is excellent software and keeps getting better. Opencpn supports ethernet based radars. I have not gone this route since my 2000 Raytheon radar is still going strong. By going with a PC you also have a general purpose computer for doing other things like internet, word processing, spreadsheets, etc.

A dedicated plotter or MFD is nothing but a proprietary PC that puts you at the mercy of the manufacturer for support. Rather than fix bugs they introduce new products and push you to upgrade.

For the last year I have an Intel NUC doing opencpn. These are great little PCs that don't take much power or space. I also carry a spare and the pair of them cost less that $1000. On the NUC I also have RMS express for winlink email and all the usual PC apps that I have at home.

I cruised for many years with a different small footprint PC and various plotting software products. Opencpn was a terrific upgrade.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by anacapaisland42

I would buy a sextant for the tme when everything crashes/your batteries die etc. A plastic one will do at a pinch, plus a little hand held calculator and the "forms" to get your position, plus, of course, the appropriate paper charts....they usually don't crash but do get dirty,
Bill

A spare iPad along with a smart phone would be a much wiser choice than learning to use a sextant purchased from an antique store or flea market.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by Q Xopa

Which ones did you have Installed?

I replaced all my electronics this fall, except for my Horizon Standard GX2200 VHF. It has a built in AIS receiver and the ability to contact an AIS target directly with DSC. It’s a few years old but the same model is sold today.
I replaced my Raymarine C80 chartplotter with a Garmin 7610.
I replaced my Raymaine radar with a Garmin GMR Fantom Doppler unit.
I replaced my Raymarine ST60 Wind instrument with a Garmin gWind unit coupled with a GMI 20 display
I replaced my Raymarine ST60 Tridata with a new Raymarine i50 Tridata system
I replaced my through hull depth transducer with an identical Airmar unit
I added a Garmin AIS 800 Transceiver
I replaced my Raymarine SP X5 wheel autopilot with a Raymarine EV-100 wheel autopilot
I replaced my masthead VHF antenna and cable
Since I was going this far I also replaced all the cables and wires in my mast and added an LED masthead anchor light and a LED steaming light/deck light combo. My mast never came equipped with a wire conduit so I (full disclosure a buddy helped me with the design and install) installed a 1” PVC wire conduit from the masthead to the foot of the mast.
Every wire from my breaker panel to the instrument is a brand new replacement, nothing new touches anything old, so to speak.

[chris in SG]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

Unless there is a problem, I just can’t see the point in throwing away perfectly good instruments. The ST60 series have been the go-to displays since before I bought a boat in the mid-90s, and still probably the most used today. The depth display displays depth. What else do you want it to do? Having a reliable depth/speed/wind display in a fixed position is all you need. A new display will show identical data.

Totally agree with this. I have a mixture of 'old' ST60 series instruments and new Raymarine instruments. I'm attaching (hopefully) photos of a 15 year old ST6002 smartpilot control (hit with a winch handle by previous owner approx. 10 years ago) and the new control head - 3 years old. Both are still installed and linked and both are installed in the open, exposed to sun and rain.

This is not intended to be a confessional about the stupidity of having totally exposed helms. Just think of it as an extreme 'destructive' test of equipment. Both new and old instruments are covered properly when at anchor and our cruising routine is pretty typical - maybe one day sailing for every 10 days at anchor for the last 2 years.


The result of the destructive test is conclusive - the new instruments are significantly more sensitive to exposure than the old ST series.

[flyingnut40]

Orion,
Would you be willing to share what all those parts cost you?

Not including install, of course.
It would sure help those of us contemplating a refit,
sounds like a complete setup.
Thanks

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by flyingnut40

Orion,
Would you be willing to share what all those parts cost you?

Not including install, of course.
It would sure help those of us contemplating a refit,
sounds like a complete setup.
Thanks

No problem. Sent you a PM.

[Cpt Mark]

Originally Posted by sailcrazy

If I lived and sailed someplace with lots of fog, or planned to sail alot of coastal at night, then I absolutely see the use in a radar. But..if you sail places without fog, and/or mostly daysail, what will you use it for? I'm a retired airline pilot, and I know how to use radar! We've had our boat for 19 years, and have sailed the Philippines, to and around Thailand, the Medd, and now the NE Caribbean. Except for dodging unpredictable freighters on a few night sails around the PI, and the very occasional squall to dodge, we have never needed nor used our radar; it gets turned on 1/yr,just to see if it still works. I, for one, would not spend alot of $$ on the best/latest/most dazzling radar- a forward-looking sonar (for those unknown, strange bays), very good chartplotter AND an independent backup, AIS, radios(VHF, HF if you're going transoceanic, AND a VOX intercom/walkie-talkie), and WiFi capability would be much higher on my list. And, of course, you still need a good AutoPilot and basic (wind,depth, boat speed) sailing instmnts .

You could go without radar but if you're investing in a stand alone chart plotter (not open cpn or the like) then the $ savings from no radar is only a few hundred dollars. At that point, why wouldn't you add radar as one more piece of information?