Best Nav kit

I assume all of you guys have computers or you would not be on the forum.

I have the usual for work and as a percentage of the features and capability of office and the other programmes I use about 10% which is enough to get me by.

The boat nav aids is the same I need to use it comfortably, intuitively and get on with the job.

My boat has 17 year old Raytheon kit I am replacing it with Garmin .

I want something that is easy to use, and a chart.
 
I am still fairly new to all this and I accept you all have more experience than me, but having said that I am struggling to come to grips with the idea that the choice of the Nav kit for a big and really rather nice motorboat (carrying VIPs!) should be determined by the ability of the system to accept camera inputs. I'm not being facetious or anything, it's just that to me the most important things are the ability to use charts that are accurate and clear for the water where the boat is being operated, and ease of passage planning, and stuff like that, all navigation related. I understand that if everything else is equal the camera displays might tip the balance, but I would have thought that if the navigation system is A1 except for the display of camera images then the cameras can be displayed on something else. But I don't know how much display space there is on Magnum's new boat. I have loads of space which can be filled with glass. I have room for a 10" plotter, 2 x 15" monitors, and a 22" monitor, all of which can be made to behave like MFDs even though they are just PC monitors. Perhaps that's why I am thinking like this. Perhaps if space for glass was limited and I only had room for (say) 2 MFDs I would want to choose a brand that could display camera images really well.

Seriously, Magnum asked what is the best Nav kit. So I'm going to ask Magnum, what defines "best" for you?
 
TwoHooter said:
I am still fairly new to all this and I accept you all have more experience than me, but having said that I am struggling to come to grips with the idea that the choice of the Nav kit for a big and really rather nice motorboat (carrying VIPs!) should be determined by the ability of the system to accept camera inputs.

Seriously, Magnum asked what is the best Nav kit. So I'm going to ask Magnum, what defines "best" for you?
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Having just completed almost 2000NM from Jersey to the med with my wife and our 1 year old, live video is VERY important. Especially when leaving/arriving in port when I can keep an eye on our daughter in her playpen who more often than not is incredibly distressed. Likewise when I am up on the flybridge I know where they both are at all times. That sense of security is invaluable.

Of course the main function of an MFD is accurate GPS chart-plotting, but that really is a given with every manufacturer's offerings these days.
 
Magnum said:
Having just completed almost 2000NM from Jersey to the med with my wife and our 1 year old, live video is VERY important. Especially when leaving/arriving in port when I can keep an eye on our daughter in her playpen who more often than not is incredibly distressed. Likewise when I am up on the flybridge I know where they both are at all times. That sense of security is invaluable.

Of course the main function of an MFD is accurate GPS chart-plotting, but that really is a given with every manufacturer's offerings these days.
Click to expand...

Now I understand.

I hope you'll post what you eventually choose.
 
TwoHooter said:
I am still fairly new to all this and I accept you all have more experience than me, but having said that I am struggling to come to grips with the idea that the choice of the Nav kit for a big and really rather nice motorboat (carrying VIPs!) should be determined by the ability of the system to accept camera inputs.
Click to expand...
I would go one step further, and dare saying that I'm struggling with the idea that the choice of nav kit is relevant at all...
Imho, "overrated" doesn't begin describing the importance of this choice, because every bit of equipment has nowadays much more functionalities and tricks than anyone will ever use.

A long enough passerelle is more relevant, imho.
Or - just to stay on topic - a double and completely redundant radar, as jfm suggested (though I disagree that cruising in the DARK without a radar is a big deal - fog or heavy rain are, not darkness as such. But that's semantic, sort of).
Otoh, brand, model, PC based or not, touch screen or not, and so forth....
That's of so little relevance that whatever anyone believes to be the "best" now is likely to be already old by the time the boat which is being built will hit the water.
In fact, I've yet to meet a boater which upgraded his boat electronics because he felt restricted by it in any manner.
More like buying the last iPhone because Tim Cook says that one grand is a "value price"... :rolleyes:
 
MapisM said:
I would go one step further, and dare saying that I'm struggling with the idea that the choice of nav kit is relevant at all...
Imho, "overrated" doesn't begin describing the importance of this choice, because every bit of equipment has nowadays much more functionalities and tricks than anyone will ever use.

A long enough passerelle is more relevant, imho.
Or - just to stay on topic - a double and completely redundant radar, as jfm suggested (though I disagree that cruising in the DARK without a radar is a big deal - fog or heavy rain are, not darkness as such. But that's semantic, sort of).
Otoh, brand, model, PC based or not, touch screen or not, and so forth....
That's of so little relevance that whatever anyone believes to be the "best" now is likely to be already old by the time the boat which is being built will hit the water.
In fact, I've yet to meet a boater which upgraded his boat electronics because he felt restricted by it in any manner.
More like buying the last iPhone because Tim Cook says that one grand is a "value price"... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

It's relevant because I can have any nav kit I choose. May as well have the best available. "Best" of course means different things to different people, but on the basis that all major brands easily satisfy essential navigational requirements, for me the features that matter are brightness, resolution, intuitive interface and good video performance.

As for the 75's passarelle, it offers about 30cm more overhang than the 68's which is better but still may not be enough. I'm exploring alternatives.
 
Magnum said:
It's relevant because I can have any nav kit I choose. May as well have the best available. "Best" of course means different things to different people, but on the basis that all major brands easily satisfy essential navigational requirements, for me the features that matter are brightness, resolution, intuitive interface and good video performance.

As for the 75's passarelle, it offers about 30cm more overhang than the 68's which is better but still may not be enough. I'm exploring alternatives.
Click to expand...

I spent a few minutes looking at the alternatives for nav systems.
It has all changed (several times) since we bought our G series Raymarine.
Changed but IMO it has made the decision more complicated.
In your position, I would spend weeks investigating the options - reading the manuals carefully etc.
I agree with your comment about video performance.
Some of these offerings are still 1024 x 768 resolution - in this day and age, they ought to be full HD (1920 x 1080).
I didn't spend enough time on it but my initial view is that Garmin aren't as advanced as Raymarine in this respect.
If you are going to use these MFDs for various inputs (cameras, nav, radar etc) IMO, they must be able to switch instantly between inputs.
Anything difficult to use (switching through menus etc) just won't get used - it has got to be easy to operate.
With this in mind, I would also look at the Raymarine GS series and perhaps a more in depth look at Simrad's glass bridge system.
For me, it would definitely be a glass bridge system with the intelligence of the plotter/radar in black boxes - displays being simpler monitors.
Also, for me, HD radar wouldn't be that much of a big deal - for me there are other more important features.

Anyway, good luck on your research - there seems to be time before the boat is delivered so maybe spend time getting this bit the way you want it.
 
Hurricane said:
I spent a few minutes looking at the alternatives for nav systems.
It has all changed (several times) since we bought our G series Raymarine.
Changed but IMO it has made the decision more complicated.
In your position, I would spend weeks investigating the options - reading the manuals carefully etc.
I agree with your comment about video performance.
Some of these offerings are still 1024 x 768 resolution - in this day and age, they ought to be full HD (1920 x 1080).
I didn't spend enough time on it but my initial view is that Garmin aren't as advanced as Raymarine in this respect.
If you are going to use these MFDs for various inputs (cameras, nav, radar etc) IMO, they must be able to switch instantly between inputs.
Anything difficult to use (switching through menus etc) just won't get used - it has got to be easy to operate.
With this in mind, I would also look at the Raymarine GS series and perhaps a more in depth look at Simrad's glass bridge system.
For me, it would definitely be a glass bridge system with the intelligence of the plotter/radar in black boxes - displays being simpler monitors.
Also, for me, HD radar wouldn't be that much of a big deal - for me there are other more important features.

Anyway, good luck on your research - there seems to be time before the boat is delivered so maybe spend time getting this bit the way you want it.
Click to expand...

I have been looking at Simrads glass bridge system with Naviop loop and it does look quite cool. It looks like the preferred system setup for Sunseeker too.
 
Simrad's glass bridge system is excellent and offers HD output, although oddly Simrad's 16" monitor can't take advantage of that resolution. But the real deal breaker for me is no IP camera input.
 
Magnum said:
Simrad's glass bridge system is excellent and offers HD output, although oddly Simrad's 16" monitor can't take advantage of that resolution. But the real deal breaker for me is no IP camera input.
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Is there no module for it? Because all the boats i have seen using the system have had cameras. I will do some research.
 
I think it maybe done through the GoFree WIFI-1 module with an app, I have e-mailed them and will post the reply.
 
Hurricane said:
Sounds a bit fiddly to me.
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Could be,but maybe it adds a button on the screen via their Naviop Loop software. I cannot believe they haven't thought of it and i have seen SS86's with cameras using the Simrad glass bridge. The only thing i could find on the site was them saying it did support FLIR cameras. You would think it was standard though.
 
Just had another look round.
I can't find anything "off the shelf" that I like.
Everything that is out there is not much better than my 10 year old system.
The Simrad resolution seems to be the best but I wonder if the 1920 x 1080 is a native resolution.
But Simrad doesn't do it for me.
Likewise Garmin.
The Raymarine glass bridge gets the closest but even that doesn't have the greatest resolution - the small screens are in fact the same resolution that I have on my old system.
And as for video inputs, I would want:-
1 - A PC input (HDMI would be good)
2 - 3 (+ a spare) non IP camera inputs (maybe HD-SDI would be quick enough)
3 - And I like the idea of an "off the shelf" main nav system
4 - The ability to quickly switch between video inputs

If I were Magnum right now, I would be depressed - there is nothing that suits me.
My next step would be to look at Two Hooters suggestions and bespoke the whole installation.
 
I spent some time at the boat show playing around with the Garmin and Raymarine offerings.
I thought the Raymarine user interface on the Axiom was far slicker than anything I have seen before, and the screen updates and scrolls so much faster than my functional but clunky E120W.

The Garmin displays I tried seemed very reliant on navigating menus. Nothing wrong with that, but whereas Mrs FP was setting waypoints and building routes on the Axiom within a couple of minutes, I think you'd need to spend a bit more time learning or training to become proficient if you weren't already familiar with the Garmin way of doing things.

Ultimately, both are good systems, but I think that Raymarine Lighthouse 3.0 is the more intuitive user interface. Raymarine also now has good camera integration after the merger with FLIR. At some point in the future, I'd expect that there would be an update to the G-Series with more detailed screens, quad core processors, and the new OS: until that time, the Axiom Pro 16 looks to be a good option.

.
 
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Hurricane said:
Just had another look round.
I can't find anything "off the shelf" that I like.
Everything that is out there is not much better than my 10 year old system.
The Simrad resolution seems to be the best but I wonder if the 1920 x 1080 is a native resolution.
But Simrad doesn't do it for me.
Likewise Garmin.
The Raymarine glass bridge gets the closest but even that doesn't have the greatest resolution - the small screens are in fact the same resolution that I have on my old system.
And as for video inputs, I would want:-
1 - A PC input (HDMI would be good)
2 - 3 (+ a spare) non IP camera inputs (maybe HD-SDI would be quick enough)
3 - And I like the idea of an "off the shelf" main nav system
4 - The ability to quickly switch between video inputs

If I were Magnum right now, I would be depressed - there is nothing that suits me.
My next step would be to look at Two Hooters suggestions and bespoke the whole installation.
Click to expand...

What about using Hatteland displays? http://www.hatteland-display.com/mails/03_2017_pr.html
 
MrB said:
What about using Hatteland displays? http://www.hatteland-display.com/mails/03_2017_pr.html
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Yep - I haven't seen those monitors before - those ones could be the heart of a new bespoke system.
However, I'm not sure that 4K is necessary 1K (1920 x 1080) should be good enough.
As I say, I would spend a long time thinking and researching.
The nav system probably just "feeds into" a set of monitors like these.
Maybe "off the shelf" black boxes feed into them - just like my GPM400s
Or perhaps a full PC approach and make the PC the heart of the nav system - it wouldn't be running Windows 10 though!!!
 
Forgive my ignorance but no one has mentioned B&G. I am aware they seem to be aimed at the sailing fraternity but some of their kit seems to be very advanced and user friendly.
 
B and G is Navico as is Simrad and Lowrance.

B and G for Sailing
Simrad for Powerboats
Lowrance for fishing

They all share some of the same functions with additional aspects suited to the above applications.
 
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