New electronics

[planoron]

So we have decided to take her to the coast and will fitting her to cruise. First item on the list will be radar/chartplotter. I am looking to go with an aft mast and would like to get some opinions. Currently have raymarine with sea talk instruments. With others doing the high dollar upgrades I thought I might find a used system. Looking for suggestions. We will be primarily coastal but will be making a few passages.

Thanks in advance.

 

[sail sfbay]

Can you please let the forum know what specific electronics you are planning to install? Do you have a lead on used electronics?

 

[planoron]

I am wanting to add color radar, chart plotter, gps to the raymarine st60 autopilot, wind, speed, depth that is existing with sea talk. I understand 2000 can talk to sea talk with a conversion box. I am also getting a new vhf with ais

 

[JamesG161]

The world of electronics is changing so fast that todays top stuff will be outdated in 2 years.
If you can wait till Spring, you can get the Boat Show discounts.

I would not mix and match.

The RayMarine backbone will still work.

I would be thinking WireLess for the Mast stuff.

Put it mildly, most of todays Radar/Sonar were a military secret 20 years ago.
Jim...

 

[sail sfbay]

West Marine is a good place to purchase Raymarine electronics: Raymarine Radar | West Marine and Raymarine GPS & Radar | West Marine

The gps store is also a good place to purchase Raymarine electronics Chart Plotters from Garmin, Furuno, Standard, Raymarine and Marine Radar | The GPS Store, Inc.

Earlier this year I purchased a Standard Horizon GX2200 vhf radio with AIS/GP/MMSI for $310 from the gps store plus a remote mic at the helm for my Hunter 46.

 

[DougM]

I know that there a number of participants on this site who have no particular love for raymarine instruments and maybe with good reason. I have not had any particular issues with my boat. I upgraded from a c series raymarine chartplotter (ST1) which was integrated with the rest of my electronics which are all ST60. I installed a newer raymarine chartplotter (STng) using the relatively simple connection bridge and backbone, and also added Quantum radar. I chose to hard wire the radar rather than go wireless.
The entire system works very well. Even the autopilot information and the other ST60 data is visible on the chartplotter.

 

[jssailem]

At what maybe the cutting edge of AIS/VHF integration there is VesperMarine’s
“Cortex “

Garmin International | Home

Delivering innovative GPS-enabled technology across diverse markets, including sports and fitness, outdoor recreation, marine, automotive, and aviation.

www2.vespermarine.com

All I know is what the have announced. I looks interesting.

 

[CarlN]

Keep the same VHF and instead get a proper AIS transponder for about the same price as those combo VHF with AIS receiver — that are a dangerous ”half-a-loaf“. Ships now depend on AIS for anti-collision more than radar. You don’t want to be invisible on their AIS display.

I only turned my radar on a dozen times last year (and I sail in Maine). The AIS transponder is on all the time and used every day.

A good transponder costs less than $600. Look at the excellent Vesper Xb- 6000 which will work fine with a Raymarine chartplotter as well as network with your phone and tablet. Get the also excellent Vesper antenna splitter and you can use your current VHF antenna installation.

 

[jeff356]

I was faced with the same issue when I got my boat as it had older Raymarine ST60 instruments and a Garmin plotter.
Decided to keep with Raymarine and upgraded the plotter to a Axiom 9" MFD which I love, Raymarine Autopilot also have the Quantum Radar running wireless and the Standard Horizon GX2200 with AIS running on the Axiom as an overlay. If we go further than the Bay I will upgrade to the AIS class B send and receive.
Needed to purchase the Raymarine Seatalk to Seatalk NG interface to get all the Raymarine to talk to one another. Also needed the Seatalk NG to Nema 0183 for the SH GX2200 to transmit to the network.

All integrates and works very well.

Jeff