Instrument Package Recommendation

[C22-Promise]

Hi All Sailors,
I recently purchased a Catalina 22. Its a MKII and is pretty bare bones right now. I am looking to add instruments for wind/speed and depth. I mainly do day sailing on Lake Norman in NC and depth is a must, but knowing my personality and need for information, I want to go ahead and just bite the bullet and get a bundle package. I'm a nerdy engineer so I can never have enough data.

I don't want to worry about adding in the future and all that goes along with that. Here are my questions and if there is a good thread somewhere that addresses these, by all means point me in the direction.

1.Multiple gauges/displays or a consolidated display. I bare boat charger large CATS and I have often wondered why there will be a large display with chart plotter and all the information you can wish for and then sitting right next to it are 2 to 3 small displays. I suppose it is for ease of viewing and redundancy, but it does seem like overkill to me. I suspect this is really a personal preference and what kind of sailing you do, but thought I would ask to see if there is any other consideration. The less holes I need to put in the area next to the companionway the better is my thought, but I am not oppose to multiple instruments. It seems like there is less to wire up when you have a multi-function gauge/display.
2. What has the experience been with the wireless wind sensors? I typically do wireless as a last option if running a wire is not easy or feasible. I'll do wireless if the consensus is that it works reliably.
3. I am thinking that I am not going to get away from putting a hole in the hull for a transducer as I am thinking this is what is needed for speed. I ultimately want to minimize the number of thru hull transducers. Is a single that can do depth and speed and temperature a good idea?

As some background information. I an a control systems engineer so instruments, low voltage wiring, gauges etc. is something I am really comfortable around. I just don't have a lot of experience around marine instruments.

Thanks in advance. I am sure some of you are going to be like: oh, another one of those questions.

 

[dlochner]

If budget is not a concern, take a look at Airmar's latest sensors for wind and speed and depth. Cool technology that comes at a price.

If depth is the primary consideration, there are transducers that are mounted inside the boat against the hull. These work pretty well so long as the hull is not cored, the C22 is not cored.

For sailing on a relatively small lake a chart plotter is not really necessary. Larger boats and those that sail distances chart plotters are an asset, the chart is right there in front of you. The separate instrument displays are useful so the crew can see how the boat is doing and they are easier for the helmsman to read. Shifting your gaze from out in front of the boat to the large numbers on the displays is much easier and faster than looking back down at a chart plotter and the much smaller numbers that may be buried with a bunch of other data.

On one of my displays I have Speed through Water, SOG, VMG, and Depth. The data I am most concerned with at any given moment. Meanwhile the same data is also on the chart plotter, along with a chart, TWS, AWS, COG, Tides, and GPS position, too much information for a quick look.

Take a look at the B&G Vulcan series. The 7" Vulcan can be configured to show a chart or instrument data and the display can be shifted between different displays. Mounted on the bulkhead of C-22 it would be a good instrument choice.

One other thing, instruments consume power, be sure you have a way of recharging your battery.

 

[jaysweet]

I installed a Raymarine Axiom 9 last August. You can display depth, SOG (speed), and other things wherever you want on the screen. I would still say that wind and autopilot (if you do that) should be separate, but I definitely appreciate having depth and speed right there on the plotter. (Or will once I network the depth sounder to the Axiom.)

 

[jssailem]

Just go to the nearest chandler... I'd say West Marine, but that is like a candy store for sailors. Being in NC you could more easily find a Bass Pro Shop. The would have all you might need and want. With the stuff they put on Bass boats for depth and bottom looking you could spend the value of the boat.

Then you have to invest in the systems that will power your StarTrek like instrument panel.

Those systems may cost more than your instruments.

There is something to sailing simple. Frees your mind from the electronic gadgets. Puts you in contact with the nature of sailing. You might surprise yourself with the power of observation and touch when handling a 22ft sailboat. They can react much quicker than the condos often called "bare boat charter large CATS".

 

[Scott T-Bird]

You sound like you like the technology but don't want to go overboard. I suggest you go directly to Defender Marine and look at the instrument system bundles. Many people go for the ubiquitous Raymarine gear, but I suggest you look at the B&G products, which I prefer. It doesn't make very much difference but I'll suggest that a great buy is the B&G Triton wireless (for wind) package with 2 displays. (You can also do the wired connection for wind for less money) I think for the price of this package I would jump on the wireless. 2 displays are great and all you need. The thru-hull transducer is good for speed and depth and this is the way to go rather than separate transducers for speed and depth. BTW, I'm pretty sure that Raymarine and B&G use the same Airmar transducers. At least on my new boat (Raymarine instruments until I switch to B&G) the transducers are the same Airmar that I had when I purchased B&G Triton for my old boat (if I'm not mistaken). B&G (Defender) also adds the external GPS antennae in the package, which really makes it a great deal. However, it is only needed for special functions on the chartplotter that you probably won't need. The internal GPS on the chartplotters are perfectly well-suited for your needs.

You can use one display for speed & depth and the other for wind. BUT - there are SO MANY interesting functions on these new displays that you will easily find out why 2 displays are FAR better than one! If you ever want to race, check out all the sailing functions that you have.

Then, to really sweeten the pot ... check out the B&G chartplotters (Raymarine if you must). I'd suggest the Vulcan 9" or the Zeus 7" (the re-manufactured one for $599) for a really nice deal. These are all networked on NMEA 2000 so you have full connectivity and integration for the functions that make it so much fun to have! I had a Vulcan 7" on my Starwind 27, integrated with my VHF and the Triton package. The VHF had AIS receiver and networked so the targets showed up on the chartplotter. I absolutely loved it and miss it now that I have older Raymarine and Garmin stuff on my boat now.

I know, this is overkill for a Catalina 22 on a lake, to be sure, but so much fun to have. Besides, there is no reason why you can't take everything with you (except maybe the thru-hull ducer) when you upgrade your boat.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

On my Starwind 27, I had the displays mounted on the bulkhead because instruments had already been mounted there. It worked well there. I had the Vulcan 7" chartplotter on a pivot mount on top of the pedestal guard (Edson) I could easily pivot it for viewing from just about any location. You won't have a pedestal, so I would recommend that you mount it so it can pivot out from the companionway and be viewed from different directions (if you decide to use a chartplotter). When I was on a lake, I had no need for a chartplotter, but I did use a handheld GPS. I found the displays for depth speed and wind to be very desirable and went for years with separate displays until I got the B&G gear later when we moved the boat to Barnegat. But even then, I left the older Datamarine depth and speed in place for redundancy and because it simply worked flawlessly!

 

[C22-Promise]

Hi,
Thanks so much for the recommendations. I decided to keep it simple for now. I went with a Faria depth gauge with an airmar in-hull transducer. I thought about it and while Lake Norman is the largest lake in NC, it is still small when you compare to costal cruising, etc. I like John's idea of keeping it simple. It's also less things to break and require attention. Depth is the most important piece of information and I should have that installed this weekend.
Happy Sailing to All!