Upgrading from Raymarine SeaTalk ???

[Tspringer]

We live aboard and cruise on our 2005 SC built Beneteau 473.

Our boat - SV Ava - has all of the original Raymarine electronics including a RL70C chart plotter with 2 displays one of which also integrates into a Raymarine Radar at the main nav station below. We also have a ST6000 (?) autopilot and regular wind and sailing instruments for speed and depth.

We got a power surge or something related to lightening. The strike did not hit our boat but it was close enough that it caused a "SeaTalk Failure" message to display on all of the Raymarine displays except the one for the Radar. The autopilot also will not function which I am sure is due to the SeaTalk Failure issue.

We also have an issue with our Lewmar bow thruster. Immediately after the lightening the bow thruster started running automatically. I had to disconnect the batteries to get it to stop and then unplugged the white connector at the thruster motor in order to reconnect the batteries without the thruster immediatly starting to run.

I do think the thruster issue and the SeaTalk Failure are related likely through the wiring for the thruster controller at the helm that I installed a couple of years ago. This is the joystick controller upgrade/adaptor for the thruster.

So currently all sailing instruments, the autopilot and the bow thruster do not work.

QUESTION: What are the BEST and EASIEST upgrade options for new instruments for wind / depth and speed plus maybe the autopilot computer to get away from SeaTalk and get everything back to working correctly????



Terry

[George_SD]

You can't really get away from seatalk since it's the language and connection that devices use to talk to each other. If the device operates otherwise, but can't use the Seatalk network - you now have a disconnected device that will not be able to communicate with anything else.

No easy answer - you need to know what's actually not working. All of your devices may have been damaged OR you may have one or several devices causing network issues that makes it appear as if all of them are not working. In a traditional computer network it would be similar to a broadcast storm, collisions (on hubs), etc. You need to disconnect the devices and reconnect one by one to see what may or may not be working. Seatalk is a low voltage system, so it doesn't take much to damage it.

If all of them are actually damaged, you may not be able to fix them since it's the electronics that is bad and Seatalk is the networking protocol. You will most likely have to replace.

[GreenWave]

Your issue may be more than just "upgrading" or moving away from Seatalk. Let's start with the thruster... obviously that should have its own switch and breaker, completely separate from the instruments. Given a lightening incident, it is very possible that your motor has been affected or the connection internally such that the connection has shorted together in some manner. But I would start by checking the switch/breaker/fuses inline to the thruster and perhaps replace them.


On the seatalk, start by isolating the instruments. Connect only one at a time and see what happens. Troubleshooting will be tedious and it is very possible that one or more of your instruments is toast.

[Tspringer]

Hmmmmm

My original post was clearly not very clear.

This is not about asking for help repairing the current problems. So assume the currently broken things will be removed from teh boat and thrown away.

So -

Given that the old equipment - all of the original 2005 Raymarine sailing instruments (wind - depth - speed) and the autopilot computer and head controller unit plus likely the autopilot computer (I see no reason why the functionaly electric ram, fluxgate and other things would need replacement) - ALL of these things ---

Say I want to replace them with newer items AND I want those to talk to the existing Raymarine radar and autopilot parts other than the current autopilot computer.

My understanding is that the old existing things used "SeaTalk" as the network. My understanding is that this "SeaTalk" network is ancient and long since replaced by Raymarine with some other network protocol.

So -- What can I buy to replace what is broken that will still be able to communicate with the other remaining equipment? I want to use the radar I have and the non-computer parts of the autopilot. IS that possible given those old parts use the old SeaTalk network?

[GreenWave]

Ahhh, well yes - do you know what model Radar you have? Raymarine publishes a list of radar/MFD compatibility. None of the latest Axioms likely work with a 2005 era radar. So you may need to stick to older models (which aren't sold new anymore).

If it were me I would change to a newer radar, buy something from the Axiom lineup at Raymarine and upgrade your network to Seatalk ng. You can get an ITC-5 converter to keep your older sensors if they still work.

[wholybee]

First things first. You don't actually know what is broken and what isn't. Something on the Seatalk network is breaking everything else. It might be a wire, or it might be a device. I would suggest disconnecting all the wires from the back of every device. Then, connect ONE. Does it work by itself? Now, connect one more to it. Do the 2 work together? Go through that until you find something the breaks the network. Then, check the involved wires that you connected, and the device you connected. It is possible that only a single inexpensive part needs replaced and it will all work again.


Nothing new will work with the old Raymarine Radar. If you need to replace a chartplotter, you are SOL and will need a new radar also. There are NMEA2000(SeatalkNG) to Seatalk converters that will connect old Seatalk equipment (except the Radar) to newer NMEA2000 or SeatalkNG equipment. So, with the exception of the Radar, you can buy an adapter(s) and use any new NMEA2000 devices you want.

Here is one that will unify NMEA2000, NMEA0183, Seatalk, and make all of that available via wifi on an ipad.
https://www.yachtd.com/products/wifi_router.html

For the autopilot, The ram is probably fine and can be used with any new autopilot system. If you buy a new computer, the old compass will not work with it. You can buy a "core pack" that includes everything except the ram. That is what you need if the autopilot is bad. If the AP is ok, than a seatalk to NMEA2000 converter should work for it(not all functions might work from the chartplotter).

I can't offer help on the bow thruster.

Sometimes lightning strikes will damage devices and they will continue to work for a few months. If this is an insurance claim, replace ALL of it and don't worry about compatibility with seatalk.

[George_SD]

The RAM drive can probably stay, provided no damage to its motor/actuator. The rest will need to be replaced. SeatTalk NG (next generation) is Raymarine's non-standard plugs for NMEA2000.

Any and all of the new equipment you buy these days is N2K, so it can be Raymarine, B&G, Garmin, etc. Just pick what you want and go for it. No guarantees it will work correctly with the old autopilot components without lots of fiddling. It may easier and economically similar to just buy everything new and sell working parts to others who may want spares.