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Old 03-07-2020, 04:55   #1
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Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

My “new” 2010 Lagoon 400 was too close to a lightning strike and all of my electronics are toast. The boat had the original wind & depth instruments but the chart plotter, auto pilot, and VHF radio were updated in 2018. I’m going to replace these and would like your feedback. I’m going to primarily be a coastal sailor For the next year or 2 with plans to travel to the Bahamas and the Caribbean islands in the next 2-5 years. What do you have on your boat and what would you change? Thanks
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Old 03-07-2020, 05:43   #2
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

vhf gps depth radar AIS (both ways).

One question to answer is whether you want an integrated glass cockpit or separate instruments. I'm an advocate of separate, because I don't want to lose everything when one network or monitor goes piff, I like redundancy, and I like replacing items as they get old with whatever is best then. But, I have a lot of space on my panel and I don't have trouble integrating radar, AIS, and GPS in my head.

I've not heard from anyone who does not like Garmin electronics. But then, a Furuno wireless radar plus a refurbished iPad to receive it cost less than $1,000. OpenCPN, NOAA free charts, and a $150 refurbished LENOVO classroom laptop kept GPS/nav under $200. You can keep your costs down by picking and choosing.
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Old 03-07-2020, 14:11   #3
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

We're really pleased with our Garmin package on our 33k lb. Ketch
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Old 03-07-2020, 15:25   #4
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

IMHO, as a delivery guy, unless you are hardcore racer- they are all the same. Go to West Marine and play with Garmin and Ray, see what you like. If you are getting radar, then there are some differences. Suggest you read-up on how to use radar, so you can intelligently compare radars.

DO get everything, BUT AIS from one firm.

Do NOT get 100% touch, unless your boat displaces 80-90 Tons, using a touchscreen in rough seas - is difficult. I usually steady my right hand to be sure I touch where I want.

DO buy a Vesper XB-8000 with Wi-Fi. This will allow you to link all your boat data to a tablet or laptop using non-proprietary communications. The value of this cannot be understated. Having the ability to link to a tablet is HUGE. It can provide a second nav station inside, or allow you to download charts for a one-time trip.
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Old 04-07-2020, 09:07   #5
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

B&G, B&G, B&G. I recently replaced all my RM with B&G. Easy install, easy to integrate, it has its own wireless bluetooth network, so I can duplicate the plotter on my tablet or phone, android or Apple. Great support. Love their solid state radar, and I installed their forward looking scanner- maybe as a Cat you don't have much need for it, but in the Bahamas, sure would be handy.

I did install the B&G AIS, don't know why not use the same manufacturer, that way you know everything talks to each other without any additional hardware to adapt.
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Old 04-07-2020, 09:19   #6
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

I’m a marine electronics installer. Garmin makes good stuff and it’s certainly popular, but they really orphan their products quickly. Three years seems to be their limit. It’s not an issue when you’re buying everything together, but wait until you have to replace a radar scanner and find that your chart plotters don’t support it! Raymarine is much better about supporting old products with their new stuff.
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Old 04-07-2020, 10:04   #7
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

I stopped using Garmin products for the reason they do not support their products very long. Garmin assumes everyone has spare dollars to upgrade and keep supporting their company.

I installed B&G and have been pleased. Being able to overlay the 4G radar on the plotter is just great. Support for me has been great too. If your a sailor they have great stuff, but l will keep my Raymarine auto pilot cause its great for single handed sailing, makes tacking fun....

My 2 bits worth OK....
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Old 04-07-2020, 10:24   #8
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

I did well with Raymarine on my boat. Plotter, instruments, AIS and Radar. Only the NAVTEX and Weatherfax I bought from Furuno because back then Raymarine did not have what I liked.
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Old 04-07-2020, 10:28   #9
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

I do not like the intergraded systems, because a failure of the display loses all systems. I use a Garmin plotter which also has a depth sounder. My radar is a stand alone Icom with it's own GPS receiver. My radio also has GPS so if my plotter packs it in I still have radar with position. I also have a secondary depth sounder. I have an Autonav autopilot which talks to the chart plotter but can stand alone.
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Old 04-07-2020, 10:46   #10
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sainted View Post
I’m a marine electronics installer. Garmin makes good stuff and it’s certainly popular, but they really orphan their products quickly. Three years seems to be their limit. It’s not an issue when you’re buying everything together, but wait until you have to replace a radar scanner and find that your chart plotters don’t support it! Raymarine is much better about supporting old products with their new stuff.
Feel the same. Have Garmins on two boats and my son-in-law has all Garmin on his last two.

Very reliable, intuitive and easy to use but damn, they will discontinue a unit after just a few years and leave you hanging. I couldn't even get a new chart SIM for my Garmin handheld GPS when it was just 3-4 years old. However, I have yet to have a Garmin anything quit working.

But when I updated the autopilot I went with a Simrad/B&G and love it. Had no problem integrating the Garmin GPS and radar with the Simrad AP. The Simrad heading sensor for the AP also talks perfectly with the Garmin GPS and radar. It was a bit trickier to get the Raymarine speed and depth to talk to the rest of the stuff but with some custom cables and a Seatalk converter it happened.

Don't like the Raymarine because they use proprietary cables for their NMEA2000 network although someone posted a while ago that they were switching to the industry standard connectors.
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Old 04-07-2020, 10:59   #11
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

darelweb is correct. Garmin, since it was bought out, has terrible support and built in "obsolesce" meaning it dies after five years. They will not support it and nobody seems to be in the after market repair business for Garmin products. Once the cream of the crop, Garmin is now just a part of a big conglomerate with the typical service of dispassionate worker bees who don't give a sh-t.

Maybe I'm being to harsh to single them out. Actually nobody seems to give a sh-t anymore.
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Old 04-07-2020, 11:27   #12
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sainted View Post
I’m a marine electronics installer. Garmin makes good stuff and it’s certainly popular, but they really orphan their products quickly. Three years seems to be their limit. It’s not an issue when you’re buying everything together, but wait until you have to replace a radar scanner and find that your chart plotters don’t support it! Raymarine is much better about supporting old products with their new stuff.

Garmin is not alone.


Navico is shockingly bad about supporting older products as well. They treat their expensive marine electronics like mobile phones, expecting you to use them for 2 years only and toss them in the trash. I find this totally unacceptable. The cost requires us to use these devices for maybe 10 years, well, at least 7 or 8 years.



I will not buy B&G again. I think maybe Furuno next time.
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Old 04-07-2020, 11:48   #13
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tkeithlu View Post
vhf gps depth radar AIS (both ways).

One question to answer is whether you want an integrated glass cockpit or separate instruments. I'm an advocate of separate, because I don't want to lose everything when one network or monitor goes piff, I like redundancy, and I like replacing items as they get old with whatever is best then. But, I have a lot of space on my panel and I don't have trouble integrating radar, AIS, and GPS in my head.

I've not heard from anyone who does not like Garmin electronics. But then, a Furuno wireless radar plus a refurbished iPad to receive it cost less than $1,000. OpenCPN, NOAA free charts, and a $150 refurbished LENOVO classroom laptop kept GPS/nav under $200. You can keep your costs down by picking and choosing.

I agree keeping the devices capable of stand alone. We have Simrad for everythinge except the original Raymarine POC wind,depth,speed ST 60+ These have been terrible.

We have learned from three strikes to wire the supply power and ground negative wires to each device with a double pole switch with a air gap contact so that in a storm or if we are away from the boat the + and - are both interrupted. Devices connected this way have survived all three strikes. Keep the wires from the two pole switch to the device as short as possible. Also disconnect antennas from radios. We keep a spare cheap chart plotter in a box. We also have Navionics on an IPAD.
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Old 04-07-2020, 11:49   #14
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dockhead View Post
Garmin is not alone.


Navico is shockingly bad about supporting older products as well. They treat their expensive marine electronics like mobile phones, expecting you to use them for 2 years only and toss them in the trash. I find this totally unacceptable. The cost requires us to use these devices for maybe 10 years, well, at least 7 or 8 years.



I will not buy B&G again. I think maybe Furuno next time.
Anybody tried NTE yet? I've heard great things about their product and service and they have a complete marine package w/N2k harness for about 7 grand US. Sounds like our fears of Navico absorbing B&G may be coming to pass.
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Old 04-07-2020, 12:13   #15
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Re: Time for New Electronics- Which do You Recommend?

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. . . Sounds like our fears of Navico absorbing B&G may be coming to pass.

Navico didn't absorb B&G. B&G ceased to exist except as a stencil brand onto basically Simrad products.
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Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
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