Raymarine v's simrad

[Scott v39]

Another decision to make is what chart plotter to go for?? We currently have a raymarine E120 wide but on our new boat we have the option of simrad, garmin or raymarine .......our raymarine is ok but somtimes think it's a bit over complicated and looking at others at boat shows i.e. garmin they look easier? Are they.....? Opinions please?

And for another spanner in the works there offering simrad? What are they like? Ive not had any exsperiance with them or know anyone that has one so agian opinion please?

 

[jfm]

I've owned in recent years Simrad, Raymarine e120, Raymarine e140W and Garmin touch, and I'd definitely choose Garmin touch out of all of these

 

[aquapower]

Look at the new Raymarine E125 it's way ahead of any thing else available at the moment, you can also sync with an I pad to upload your routes and more, I had a demo from Raymarine last week and was impressed.

 

[oceanfroggie]

I've used all three, and all were ok, but the Garmin is just easier to use. Also prefer their PC route planner.

 

[PaulGooch]

In the last three years i've had Standard Horizon, Raymarine widescreen and Garmin. Garmin would be my first choice.

 

[neale]

I've owned in recent years Simrad, Raymarine e120, Raymarine e140W and Garmin touch, and I'd definitely choose Garmin touch out of all of these

Have you tried the Simrad since they went to the NSO, NSE and NSS models?

I used to find Simrad impossible to use, but these new models are very very good. A benefit of Simrad, and Lowrance for that matter, is the ability to use broadband radar and their clever underwater kit such as Structure Scan.

FWIW Raymarine, Garmin and Simrad all produce quality products but if you have got used to one operating system it takes a while to get your head around a new one.

Standard Horizon's new models, launched at London, also look very interesting.

I wouldn't have a problem using any of the above and would probably find it hard to pick a favourite at the moment.

 

[Philiz]

Another vote for Garmin here!

 

[wakeup]

Another vote for Garmin here!

+1, I find Garmin the most intuitive. The after sales support is second to none also even out of warranty. They really care what the customer thinks of their brand.

 

[yesod]

+1, I find Garmin the most intuitive. The after sales support is second to none also even out of warranty. They really care what the customer thinks of their brand.

they didn't care when they unceremoniously dumped their previous chart format....

 

[z1ppy]

Garmin for us. We put 2 touch screen plotters on the rib and they were so helpful in every possible way and even offered to send one of their computer wizz's down to sort out a small set up problem if we couldnt get to the bottom of it. (which we did after an hour of playing!)

We have an old Garmin on the current boat and depending on how this year goes, will look at changing for a newer one later this year

 

[wakeup]

they didn't care when they unceremoniously dumped their previous chart format....

well did you think of asking them for a trade in against a newer unit/map system?

Sometimes it is about the approach from the customer that can make the difference in attitude from the manufacturer that gets results

 

[Ripster]

Another vote for Garmin - same as veryone else - just easier to use.

 

[PaulGooch]

they didn't care when they unceremoniously dumped their previous chart format....

Oh seriously, how old was the plotter when they did that ?

 

[boatboat]

This looks interesting

Furuno Navnet TZTouch

Touch gestures and control from ipad.

 

[scubaman]

Look at the new Raymarine E125 it's way ahead of any thing else available at the moment, you can also sync with an I pad to upload your routes and more, I had a demo from Raymarine last week and was impressed.

I'm just back from the boat show where I played with the e125/7. Definitely a move forward in all aspects. Hardware was quick (on par with the Garmin 7000-series, I'd say), the usability much improved and the design wasn't too bad either with a slightly retro feel to it. Wi-fi is nice, you can also use it to replicate the display on your iPad/iPhone/etc, though of course syncing routes is much more useful. I also liked the fact that you have buttons on the side of the screen.

Remote control works over bluetooth, which I would put down as less reliable than Garmin's rf-based solution.

I have no experience on Simrad, though so can't really compare.

 

[Scott v39]

Thanks for all your comments, garmin does seem to come up a fare bit but after looking at the furuno link there seems a lot to of choice out there! Will have a good look round over the next few months.