Electronics replacement of Raymarine

[chuckwayne]

I'll second Mainesail's recommendations... We upgraded from Raymarine to Navico (Simrad) 4 years ago after raymarine basically said you have to replace everything... Simrad's techs spent the time to figure out exactly what I needed to use my st-60s, even called me back on time after doing some research, and everything worked. They went to NMEA 2000 early and as Mainesail said, you can easily interconnect vendors products.
IN the new Navico line, I'd use the B&G versions as they have some special goodies for sailors - calculating tacking lines to give realistic ETAs, for example. Also, the broadband radar is fantastic!

 

[Apex]

I would mix & match. With N2k We are way beyond locking ourselves into one brand as we've been brainwashed to do in the past. Today you pick the best units for the application...

Plotter / Radar = Garmin or Navico

Heading Sensor - Airmar H2183 (EV sensor would replace this if Ray AP)

Instruments = Garmin GMI 21's

Wind/Weather Sensor = Airmar 110WX mast head wind/weather sensor (perhaps a 150WX)

Speed Sensor = Airmar DST 900 Ultrasonic Speed Transducer

Autopilot Computer/Control = Raymarine Evolution (I may go Garmin for AP but Ray has the edge right now)

Autopilot Drive = Octopus Drive

Maine: I have 541S Chartplotter to install, and am looking to add wind instruments. The chratplotter is capable of pulling in the signal and displaying, but was toying with the idea of a duplicate display. The Garmin GWS10 and GMI10 bundle can be had for $600. and the new GMI20 ibundle is $900. What does the Airmar 110WX provide over the Garmin offering? Wind direction is measured how on the airmar? Would you keep the windex in an Airmar installation for visual indicator? The depth trans is being replaced, am unsure about speed trans yet. and the mast is down now for a new headstay. So the time is ripe for masthead revisions: anchor light, wind instruments, and perhaps a new VHF antenna, as the old has a 90degree bend to clear the current windex. No current networks.

 

[Hayden Watson]

This is a great thread but most of it assumes some current or semi-current electronics. Is there any advice for the older boat that has obsolete instyruments and is just beginning to upgrade? I have a 1988 C30 with Standard Horizon speed and depth. I also have a Humming Bird chart plotter / sounder. My auto pilot is an old AH4000 wheel pilot that doesn't talk to anything.
I want to add a wind speed/direction as my first "modern" instrument but one that leaves open the ability to connect to a new auto pilot as some point. I don't want to go cheep, but I do want to keep the costs as low as possible. Given that it seems that the only option for a new AP is the Raymarine EV-100 Wheel Evolution Autopilot as any other option seems to be at least twice as much.
If I am planning to buy the EV-100 do I need to get a Raymarine wind package?

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

All you need is wind information on the network and the EV-100 will be able to use it. You can get wind info from a new system that outputs NMEA2000, or from an older system with a converter.

I bought my boat in 2013. It had Raymarine wind, speed, depth, and a Garmin 740 plotter. The instruments were not connected. Last spring I added the EV-100 wheel pilot and a Simrad VHF / AIS. I also networked ALL the instruments together, which was easy to do with a few cables and converters (I have a NMEA2000 network). Now the plotter can direct the AP to follow a route, I can display true and apparent wind on the plotter, the AP can steer to a wind angle, and I can receive and display DSC VHF information.

The new NMEA2000 stuff is pretty cool (and pretty easy to connect).

Barry

If I am planning to buy the EV-100 do I need to get a Raymarine wind package?