Complete new electronic suite.

AIS is a new gimmick that has little use for leisure boat owners other than being interesting to watch occasionally.

Balderdash (unless you limit your leisure boating to rivers and estuaries). Apart from anything else it's a first class way for to be visible to commercial shipping.
 
Agree and op should bear this in mind, there's a huge difference between a 40' boat and say a sq 78. You will be very glad of switch gear on your nav equipment when you hit the chop. Hybrid system at that size unless
You're staying on the inland waterways!
That might depend on the boat..can't say I have any issue with touch screen and the boat is only 34ft.
 
That might depend on the boat..can't say I have any issue with touch screen and the boat is only 34ft.

Ah, a fair weather boater :)

I guess there are several contributing factors, distance of screen from helm, how far your arm needs to be extended, whether you are using auto pilot and so on. I use the touch screens 90% of the time but there are occasions for me at least, when my finger misses a contact point, or I find it difficult to helm the boat and use the nav at the same time. That's when the hardwear comes in handy for me. Not very often.

If I were refitting nav gear, I'd probably go for a glass helm but would have the Raymarine joystick panel wired somewhere near the fly by wire.
 
Ah, a fair weather boater :)

I guess there are several contributing factors, distance of screen from helm, how far your arm needs to be extended, whether you are using auto pilot and so on. I use the touch screens 90% of the time but there are occasions for me at least, when my finger misses a contact point, or I find it difficult to helm the boat and use the nav at the same time. That's when the hardwear comes in handy for me. Not very often.

If I were refitting nav gear, I'd probably go for a glass helm but would have the Raymarine joystick panel wired somewhere near the fly by wire.

Mine is an old Raymarine Glass Bridge (G Series) system with wireless keyboards - great when it is a little rough - you hold the keyboard in your lap and there is very little chance of missing a button - you AND the keyboard can move with the boat or the waves. IMO better than touch screen.
But I do sympathise with the concept of only going out if the weather is right.
 

I've had the pleasure of meeting PANBO ( Ben Ellison) in recent years. He's actually a fascinating guy and very knowledgeable as you might expect (well he loves boats so what do you expect!) . What is most unusual is that he 'forthright' in his views and unswayed by efforts to 'influence his thinking' by some sources, so always worth evaluating what he says even if you don't agree with everything he writes.
 
I

I have all touch screen; I see no use for combined press-buttons as well.

Currently we are a few miles away from Gijon, sun glaring through open roof and my screens are too hot to touch! (I've actually covered them now and using the phone on Ray control). That must happen in the Med, (unless you've got some fancy hardtop covering your flybridge;) )
 
Just on the radar vs AIS thing, ideally you would have both.
Radar ... for when the fog rolls in or the sun sets, to identify non-AIS traffic or mountains.
AIS ... for keeping track of the big boys in the shipping lanes, and if transmitting, upping your visibility to them.
 
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