Looking for a good second hand Nav Set up - Any advice?

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mavars

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Hi,
Ive been restoring a Bavaria 36 2004 for nearly two years and finally the end is in sight so i need to sort out navigation plus many other bits like a windlass etc Before taking on this project i had never really sailed much so im not very up on the best equipment!

Im on a tight budget Max £1000 for all the parts so cant go too crazy, the boat originally had a raymarine C120 screen down below and im not sure what else as it was all wrecked and missing. Im hoping to fit the same screen as the holes already cut but not sure what else i need. All the senders are still in the hull but the cables were all cut so they prob need replacing unless they can be spliced.

Im looking sail the boat down to the Med (with some delivery friends!) this summer then decide what to do with it, so i need to set it up to cope with any situations that will arise. Ive been on boats with AIS etc but have no idea what other bits i would need.

Can anyone recommend a good setup?

Thanks for reading hope you can help.
 
These days, small plotters are cheap, or you could use a tablet.
Basic charts, a spare hand held GPS and a pilot book still work.

I like to have a depth sounder.
Wind speed is useful.
A log is nice but not essential.
 
There are many different ways of setting up a navigation system, but there is no need to spend anywhere near that amount of money to get all the basic functions. I did the trip you plan, but in reverse also in a Bavaria. Charting run on a laptop powered by a 12v pack from.ships batteries. GPS from a single and AIS from a NASA engine. Imray electronic chart package and paper equivalent. Basic Navman plotter and Cmap charts at wheel, mainly because I had them already. Would probably use a tablet now. Garmin GPS to provide position on radio and a battery powered hand held GPS. Also have Navtex linked to laptop.

Very simple set up that gives you all the basics. Once you get the hang of it you can make a more informed choice if you go for the expensive systems.
 
mavars said:
Im on a tight budget Max £1000 for all the parts so cant go too crazy, the boat originally had a raymarine C120 screen down below and im not sure what else as it was all wrecked and missing. Im hoping to fit the same screen as the holes already cut but not sure what else i need.
Click to expand...

You can get classic C120 displays on eBay for around £600. You'd need a GPS input and a chart cartridge.
.
 
No Economy in old design electronics.

Even with the marine mark up that applies to our hobby electronics have become better and cheaper every year. There is little point then in buying second hand unless you get it for a song from someone who is upgrading. Software on plotters is so much better, smoother and more user friendly than it was.
For example the Garmin 750 that I swear by cost us nearly £1k when it first came out but you could now buy a new one including lots of charts and 1 free update for £600 or maybe a bit less. Add a NASA AIS engine to this and job done.
 
I get the sense that you just want to get going and are not particularly committed to keeping the boat long term:

"Im looking sail the boat down to the Med (with some delivery friends!) this summer then decide what to do with it,"

So reading between the lines you want to do three things fairly cheaply: 1) fill in the gaps that have been left, wrecked, in the boat 2) Fit enough kit to navigate offshore 3) Restore the boat to reasonably saleable condition, In case that is what you decided to do.

I would, maybe, forget about what was fitted and start from scratch. Secondhand Raymarine stuff might be difficult to source, more trouble than it was worth and, as pvb has suggested, would be expensive. You could:

Buy this combined Sounder and log new with transducers (bin the old ones on Ebay):

http://www.mesltd.co.uk//echopilot-bronze-trio-display-with-transducers-p-7308.html

£225 (or a bit more if you had two holes in the boat to fill up, with two separate displays)

Buy a plotter like this new, to bung up the Raymarine hole (or find something used which may well have charts included):

http://www.mesltd.co.uk//standard-cp300i-internal-antenna-p-1184.html

£550 (or a lot less used)

You would have enough change out of your £1000 to buy some beer and also get an AIS feed for the plotter, which is very nice to have at sea.


If you did decide to sell, you would have a bit of shiny electronic kit to show off; add 50 quids worth of secondhand paper charts you are on your way.
 
johnphilip said:
Even with the marine mark up that applies to our hobby electronics have become better and cheaper every year. There is little point then in buying second hand unless you get it for a song from someone who is upgrading. Software on plotters is so much better, smoother and more user friendly than it was.
For example the Garmin 750 that I swear by cost us nearly £1k when it first came out but you could now buy a new one including lots of charts and 1 free update for £600 or maybe a bit less. Add a NASA AIS engine to this and job done.
Click to expand...

Depends what you want, I suppose. The OP has a C120-shaped hole in his boat, so putting a C120 back in it wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. The C120 has AIS capability, has radar capability, has a good user interface, quite fast processing, and has a screen about 3 times the size of the Garmin 750, with better definition too. No touchscreen facility, though. It's easy to be seduced by shiny new electronics (which is what the manufacturers want!), but older versions which work are often just as good.
.
 
doug748 said:
I get the sense that you just want to get going and are not particularly committed to keeping the boat long term:

"Im looking sail the boat down to the Med (with some delivery friends!) this summer then decide what to do with it,"

So reading between the lines you want to do three things fairly cheaply: 1) fill in the gaps that have been left, wrecked, in the boat 2) Fit enough kit to navigate offshore 3) Restore the boat to reasonably saleable condition, In case that is what you decided to do.

I would, maybe, forget about what was fitted and start from scratch. Secondhand Raymarine stuff might be difficult to source, more trouble than it was worth and, as pvb has suggested, would be expensive. You could:

Buy this combined Sounder and log new with transducers (bin the old ones on Ebay):

http://www.mesltd.co.uk//echopilot-bronze-trio-display-with-transducers-p-7308.html

£225 (or a bit more if you had two holes in the boat to fill up, with two separate displays)

Buy a plotter like this new, to bung up the Raymarine hole (or find something used which may well have charts included):

http://www.mesltd.co.uk//standard-cp300i-internal-antenna-p-1184.html

£550 (or a lot less used)

You would have enough change out of your £1000 to buy some beer and also get an AIS feed for the plotter, which is very nice to have at sea.


If you did decide to sell, you would have a bit of shiny electronic kit to show off; add 50 quids worth of secondhand paper charts you are on your way.
Click to expand...
Add a few hundred for charts for the cp300, £550 does not include charts
 
pvb said:
Depends what you want, I suppose. The OP has a C120-shaped hole in his boat, so putting a C120 back in it wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. The C120 has AIS capability, has radar capability, has a good user interface, quite fast processing, and has a screen about 3 times the size of the Garmin 750, with better definition too. No touchscreen facility, though. It's easy to be seduced by shiny new electronics (which is what the manufacturers want!), but older versions which work are often just as good.
.
Click to expand...
I do think that newer plotters are well worth considering. After trying several at various shows the touchscreen gave us the almost instant ability to navigate without having to be a techno whizz. (Do you find the skipper jealously operates the plotter as he knows how and the crew are meant to look on in awe)
You have a point about screen size. Without going into rivalry over makes I believe that recent rather than earlier electronics are a better and better value for money option.
Probably

A very smart solution if you have to fill the holes from old instruments is to overlay a new fascia of black acrylic (Perspex ) and fit the new machines into this.
 
I think the hole in the panel down below should be filled with something else. Most people find that a chart plotter AIS radio etc should be outside near the wheel. especially if you don't have an auto pilot you will not want to go down to a nav station to work on this stuff. I would say you should start with essentials for the boat. an anchor winch would be high on list. A fixed VHF radio is essential. (hand held is just too short in range) An AIS will give you confidence re commercial shipping this might mean you need a chart plotter to show results. But really any hand held GPS will give navigation if you have charts. Don't skimp on safety gear. good luck olewill
 
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