Raymarine products

woodster · Apr 1, 2015

contact raymarine and see what they have to say ....sadly everything is made in china these days ...or as i like to say made by CH Ina company

Blitz · Apr 1, 2015

What models do you have? Assume it was the head display units that failed and not the senders?

I think Raymarine extends most warrenties to three years if you register devices online. Did you talk to customer service?

Everything is made in China for the most part....

I have not had problems with my Raymarine devices when I took the leap installing an autopiliot, wind & chartplotter over five years ago. I do not leave them installed on the boat in the winter though.

I kept my Datamarine speed and depth since still working after 30 years.

Looking around at other 10+ year old boats and have come to the conclusion that all instruments eventually fail and if you cut holes in your boat to install them you'll need to deal with that.

Mostly see Raymarine or Furuno - and most people are happy with them although some are more complicated to install with compatibility issues that need to be worked out if you mix brands.

Hello Below · Apr 1, 2015

hewebb said:
I am very disappointed in the reliability of the two Raymarine products I have installed on my boat. The speed failed in less than three years and the depth in less than four years. One of those years the boat was on the trailer.
I am thinking about switching to another brand if there is a more reliable product available, however I am not looking forward to redoing the installation. What are your thoughts?

I noticed that there is Made in China info on the units I have.

Not-with-standing the local Raymarine service centre, I have had nothing but good experiences with them. I have found their support outstanding, the forum is very responsive and their products, IMHO, just keep on ticking. A 3 year warranty is hard to come by in that industry. Even after the warranty is up, I have found their technical support to go way beyond expectations. I would call them and give them an opportunity to assist you.

Now if I could just get the local chaps to play their part I would ecstatic.

DougM · Apr 1, 2015

I know that Raymarine gets bad mouthed from time to time. Sometimes I tend to think that it's more an installation issue than the product its
I have had good experience with their equipment and am going into year ten. The only incident in that time was a screen malfunction on, by that time, an obsolete multifunction display. The local service people sent it back to Raymarine, and I got it back in less than two weeks at a very nominal charge.

Bill Roosa · Apr 1, 2015

I have Ray speed, depth and AP from 93 and they all work fine, the wind instruments are from circa 2000 and they also work fine.
The GPS antenna crapped out last year due to corrosion but installed a Grumman and the plotter still works fine.

Benny17441 · Apr 1, 2015

I sincerely believe that the only difference as far as quality is concerned between a product manufactured in China and the same product manufactured in the US is that the guy flipping the switch is Chinese instead of American. US manufacturers do the design fabricate the machinery, determine the manufacturing processes and quality control guidelines. it is all in the cost saving measures in ownership, taxes, salaries and environmental considerations. Just the guy flipping the switch.

markwbird · Apr 1, 2015

Raymarine instructions and support

The one criticism I consistently hear about Raymarine is that the instructions are bad and the support is bad. I have the EV100 wheel pilot and I must say; those things are true. The instructions that come with the EV100 are bad to the point of being comical. I just purchased the i60 wind instrument but only after exhaustive efforts to find out more about it so I could determine if it is a good fit. They need better installation instructions and better product support.

Mark Maulden · Apr 1, 2015

They have a support forum run by RM. Raymarine.ning.com

Maine Sail · Apr 2, 2015

hewebb said:
Update additional information

When it first quit I checked for any loose wiring, removed the transducer to clean. When that failed I contacted Raymarine and was given some test to perform. After those activities were completed I was instructed to ship to them in the UK for repairs under warranty. Last message from them was the transducer was bad and it was not covered under warranty. I ask them to return the unit and where to get a new transducer. I have not received any further information from them as of this writing. Unit was a gift and I do not have the receipt to prove purchase. Gift giver did not save it. The only date available is an entry in the ships log when it was installed.

Raymarine does not make their transducers. Almost all the transducers in the entire industry are made by Airmar....

That said I find Raymarine has slightly more glitches than the other big guys but they all have their issues. It is how they deal with these issues that can make a difference.

Late last week I sent a Garmin GHP-10 ECU autopilot course computer off to Garmin for an "owner created issue". It was not repairable so they sent me a re-manufactured one out of warranty for just $99.00. I sent it last week and it is sitting on my desk this morning.

Tim R. · Apr 2, 2015

I have had the same model Airmar transducer fail in the exact same way twice now. It is the DST800(depth, speed, temp) transcpducer. After about a year the temp started gradually increasing until it topped out at about 130. Garmin sent me a replacement and about a year after that it did the exact same thing. Maybe Airmar stuff is not as good as it once was.

Captn TJ · Apr 2, 2015

markwbird said:
The one criticism I consistently hear about Raymarine is that the instructions are bad and the support is bad. I have the EV100 wheel pilot and I must say; those things are true. The instructions that come with the EV100 are bad to the point of being comical. I just purchased the i60 wind instrument but only after exhaustive efforts to find out more about it so I could determine if it is a good fit. They need better installation instructions and better product support.

I have nothing but complements for their customer service. Not too many companies in the electronics business where you can get the phone picked up in US vs INDIA

PGIJon · Apr 2, 2015

I also have nothing but compliments for RM except for their service. Spoke once with the VP who oversees the repair 2 years ago. I was told that it would take 10 working days before my MFD was returned. After 6 weeks I called. The VP was, in a word, belligerent, telling my the part was sent out the previous day and how could I bother him. I was never notified of the shipment. More than triple the time to effect the repair. Could I have been wrong to ask to speak with the person in charge after 6 weeks?????

centerline · Apr 3, 2015

PGIJon said:
I also have nothing but compliments for RM except for their service. Spoke once with the VP who oversees the repair 2 years ago. I was told that it would take 10 working days before my MFD was returned. After 6 weeks I called. The VP was, in a word, belligerent, telling my the part was sent out the previous day and how could I bother him. I was never notified of the shipment. More than triple the time to effect the repair. Could I have been wrong to ask to speak with the person in charge after 6 weeks?????

Compliments or Complaints???

Maine Sail · Apr 3, 2015

centerline said:
Compliments or Complaints???

"I also have nothing but compliments for RM except for their service."

markwbird · Apr 3, 2015

Raymarine Yes or no?

We seem to have touched a nerve regarding Raymarine. We have some passionate Raymarine defenders. I'm intrigued. So far, I have purchased Raymarine electronics only for my boat and have been very pleased with the products themselves. They really just need to rewrite their tech manuals and include better and more organized info on their website. For example: not all of their products are compatible with each other so I should be able easily look that up. I was not able to do that regarding finding a wind instrument that is compatible with the EV100. I had to call them.