Nav system upgrade

[Daavid]

Hi. I'm looking to buy a 200-2005 power cruiser and most of the ones I've seen have original systems Rl70 etc. Many of which don't work properly/at all. Ideally I'd like radar, plotter and autopilot plus usual depth & compass without spending more than the cost of the boat! All suggestions appreciated.

 

[Boathook]

From the comments on these forums the choice is Garmin or Raymarine, and I suspect little difference in price between them.

The only other option is to spend more money on the boat so the instruments cost less than the boat .....

 

[[70521]]

From the recent postings on here a few members are having issues with Raymarine kit and aftersales support.

I have Garmin onboard and might be am bias, but have found the kit good and their aftersales support outstanding.

I have an ancient chart plotter and they were able to match me a radar that plugged straight in. The old one was a Raython cathode ray tube.

 

[mrming]

I have experience of recent Raymarine (on our boat), and Garmin (race boat I sail on). Both are good systems imo. B&G / Simrad also have their followers. I recently fitted a B&G V60 VHF and it’s a decent bit of kit. Southampton Boat Show is coming up (if convenient), and is a great place to try out different systems and see what you prefer.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

In my last three boats I’ve had Garmin, then Simrad, then Raymarine. Of these I massively prefer Raymarine, but that’s just me. They’re all very competent, and I would guess the pricing is similar. Good tip about the show.

 

[Bobc]

Take a look at the Orca Core and their displays.

The core will talk to any flavour of NMEA2000 sensor. Mix and match.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Raymarine Axiom+ (with Lighthouse charts), ACU400 Autohelm, installed a few years ago. Has been very reliable and Raymarien support sorted out an issue I had with the interfaced NECO autohelm motor. I have also integrated the network with NMEA 0183 and Raymarine ST60 instruments and Emtrak AIS, all very easy, just plug endplay stuff after asking some questions on here. A couple of weeks ago, in the pouring rain, my Axiom + plotter operated flawlessly over 12 hours of sailing in non stop rain. It usually sits under the spray hood but I had to take that down for visibility. I was expecting shitty performance based on forum feedback but no issues were detected. My Axion is touch screen operating only.

The only reason I went with Raymarine was deals at boat shows and trade in discounts. Happy with my choices.

 

[lustyd]

I recently fitted a B&G V60 VHF and it’s a decent bit of kit

I’m going to disagree. I have the V60B and it certainly wouldn’t make my recommendations list.
There’s no wired remote mic, only Bluetooth. The Bluetooth reception isn’t great, the volume is WAY too low for a cockpit if you don’t also have a speaker, and the cradle is insanely fragile for an item meant to live outdoors.
The menu on the main radio is infuriating and the DSC functionality is poor, especially when paired with a plotter.
Standard Horizon were making better radios 20 years ago.
Technically it does the job adequately, but it doesn’t deserve a recommendation by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[mrming]

I’m going to disagree. I have the V60B and it certainly wouldn’t make my recommendations list.
There’s no wired remote mic, only Bluetooth. The Bluetooth reception isn’t great, the volume is WAY too low for a cockpit if you don’t also have a speaker, and the cradle is insanely fragile for an item meant to live outdoors.
The menu on the main radio is infuriating and the DSC functionality is poor, especially when paired with a plotter.
Standard Horizon were making better radios 20 years ago.
Technically it does the job adequately, but it doesn’t deserve a recommendation by any stretch of the imagination.

I bought it for the wireless remote, rather than having to drill yet more holes in the boat for a cockpit mic and speaker. Works well for me, although the cradle is indoors and it certainly wouldn’t survive long in a kickable position outside.

 

[lustyd]

Which is interesting because Standard Horizon also make a wireless remote but I could never find it on their website or work out how to buy one when I was looking

 

[Boathook]

I've got the icom m423 with a command mic. Had to drill holes for the cable but the command mic does everything the radio does.
Only criticism is the size of the display on the mic.

 

[Daavid]

Thanks everyone. As usual, people have their favourites, I had Garmin on my last boat and it performed faultless, so nothing against them. Raymarine seem to have a wider range and more functionality nut mixed reviews. Great tip about the boat show, mrming!

 

[Lightwave395]

Take a look at the Orca Core and their displays.

The core will talk to any flavour of NMEA2000 sensor. Mix and match.

I'd second that, I'm trying it out at the moment and liking it

 

[lustyd]

Probably worth a mention that the vast majority wont use even basic features, so “no complaints” may very well mean “it switches on and displays a chart”.

Do you need to screen mirror, transfer routes to/from a PC/phone etc. if so check that those work and are usable. Navico do neither of these well.
I probably sound grumpy in this thread but the reality is Im a power user and use lots of functionality so I find more issues than most.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Thanks everyone. As usual, people have their favourites, I had Garmin on my last boat and it performed faultless, so nothing against them. Raymarine seem to have a wider range and more functionality nut mixed reviews. Great tip about the boat show, mrming!

Not much in the way of discounting there, but a good shop window and lots of people to talk to.