That age old question

[Guest]

Hi there all,

I've asked this before, and thought I had taken a decision, but oh no!!!
i'm after an integrated instrument pack for the boat, and had decided on Cetrek C-net 2000 with wind/speed&depth/multi (with gps rolling road) for cockpit, and a couple of multi's by the chart table. Great so I start saving my pennies.

Now i discover that there are few stockists of Cetrek in the uk so i'm a little nervous about spending all that dosh on something which may disappear. (now 5 year old technology)

So as it is boatshow time thought I could go and haggle to get a good deal on either B&G hydra1000 with wind/multi/multi in cockpit and large nav screen for chart table. (i know this package does rolling road) but no idea of price, expensive i imagine!

or Raymarine ST60's with wind/multi/multi in cockpit (don't know if it displays rolling road) and tridata/multi down below.

Anyone any thoughts? Any advice? Any names to see and haggle with on Saturday, at the chandlery stands in Earls Court?

Many thanks
Hope someone replies before Sat.

Colin
Galago
Brighton

 

[pvb]

Rolling roads...

The rolling road displays built into regular instruments tend to be less visually effective as those in dedicated GPS units. As a thought-starter, had you considered fitting a GPS instead of one of the cockpit multis? Something like a Garmin 152 maybe?

Or, as another thought-starter, how about fitting an ICS Nav6 Repeater instead of a multi? Good rolling road graphics, plus lots more. At about £250 from someone like <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtbits.fsnet.co.uk>Yachtbits</A> it would be cheaper than a regular multi display.

Incidentally, I don't think the Raymarine ST60 series offers a rolling road function.

 

[cp99]

Don´t buy Ray/Autohelm ST 60´s. Multitude of problems with them, all the UK stockists hate them because of the number of returns. Given a choice (I know it´s not an instrument system but...), buy Garmin. Their service back-up is to US standards, not the awful UK standard. If it fails, they give you a new one by return of post - even outside warranty, in my experience. Very, very good; compare that with Autohelm / Raymarine, with the worst service backup in the UK - and that´s saying something.

 

[FlyingSpud]

Really? I was thinking of buying a similar Raymarine set up and have to say I have never seen anyone else rubbish them quite the way you have. Is this based on personal experience?

Has anybody tried the Echopilots. The forward looking sounder makes sense but it only works, as I understand it, at less than 10 degrees heel, what happens when you go past this? Do they really work off of old transducers?

 

[cp99]

Whoops! I meant ST 80´s are naff, in the last post, not ST 60's, which are OK (I´ve got some and they are A1). I´m scalextric with numbers.

 

[Twister_Ken]

One new company in this area

is TackTick (sp?). At LIBS it has introduced a VERY exciting system which uses solar powered display heads and wireless transmission from the various transducers to the display heads. So they can be installed with no power cabling, and no transmission cabling. No need to take out panelling, remove headliners, run cables down masts, etc.

It is on the 2nd floor at LIBS - well worth a look.

 

[Chris_Stannard]

I have a complete system of ST60 instrunments, speed, depth and wind on the cockpit and multi repeater at the Nav Station together with a Raymarine GPS300. The system works well and is reliable and Raymarine upgraded the GPS to the latest issue software under warranty for me. I also have a Raymaine auto helm, radar with display in the cockpit and plotter at the Nav station. I bought the plotter after I bought the GPS as these days I think you can get a sensor so you do not need an extra display for the GPS. (The only reason I bought the plotter was SHMBO said she cant navigate and what happens if I have a heart attack. The price of the plotter nearly gave me one.)
Greenham Regis gave me a good deal and were helpful although the system was not fitted by them.
The only problem that I have is that I also bought an ICS Navtex which can display lots of navigational data if the right NMEA sentences are there, but you cannot get the ST60 to produce then all, but that is a minor issue.
Raymarine have a very helpful phone help system but never answer emails.

I have no expereience of B&G so cannot make a comparison


Chris Stannard