Best Multi function units

[Jus the two of us]

I have a 1998 450 DA with all original equipment. Wanting to update to new stuff. Have been looking at Furuno TZTL15 F, Garmin GS7612, and Raymarine GS125. Any comments or advice would be appreciated. :smt100

 

[BigBoysToys]

Check out Simrad while you're looking. I'm impressed with it.

 

[Mike Blake]

A lot of people don't like Raymarine but I have had good luck.

 

[BurgundyS24]

I have a 1998 450 DA with all original equipment. Wanting to update to new stuff. Have been looking at Furuno TZTL15 F, Garmin GS7612, and Raymarine GS125. Any comments or advice would be appreciated. :smt100

Check out Simrad while you're looking. I'm impressed with it.

Im very impressed with the simrad NSS evo2 series i have

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[The Bill Collector]

I have B&G set up (OE) and the PO pulled out the radar and put a Raymarine C80 with Radar, Chartplotter etc. he didn't add a sounder to it though... trying to save $ I guess, but radar & chart plotter work great.

 

[bmac]

I just went through this. I was looking to install two new MFDs and HD digital radar. I looked at Garmin, Raymarine, Simrad and Furuno. I narrowed it down to the Raymarine and Furuno and then picked Raymarine. I further narrowed it between two gS 165's or two eS127's and decided on the eS units. The two gS's were $4,000 more installed and I just couldn't justify that difference. The new units should be installed next week. Ultimately it came down to the fact that I've run Raymarine equipment on all of my boats and they've been virtually bulletproof.

 

[ttmott]

Just finished a complete systems update and weighed most of the possibilities; ended up with a Garmin suite. What took me over the top was the Garmin advanced charting and their integration across all the devices. I wanted Raymarine / FLIR but as of late there are a lot of internal squabbling between the two principals which has ended up in litigation (very weird). Additionally, staying with NMEA 2000 protocol was important and Raymarine again is stepping out with their own propriety which really sets a bad taste for compatibility and evolutionary replacement (like Floscan, Noland, Maretron, etc). In my area there is better support for the Garmin products which also sets weight in choice.

 

[bmac]

Just finished a complete systems update and weighed most of the possibilities; ended up with a Garmin suite. What took me over the top was the Garmin advanced charting and their integration across all the devices. I wanted Raymarine / FLIR but as of late there are a lot of internal squabbling between the two principals which has ended up in litigation (very weird). Additionally, staying with NMEA 2000 protocol was important and Raymarine again is stepping out with their own propriety which really sets a bad taste for compatibility and evolutionary replacement (like Floscan, Noland, Maretron, etc). In my area there is better support for the Garmin products which also sets weight in choice.

I liked all of the Garmin hardware and my dealer is a certified Garmin and Raymarine installer, so support wasn't an issue for me. What did Garmin in for me was their cartography. It looked to me too much like cartoons and not the paper charts I am accustomed to looking at. Raymarine gives me a choice of Navionics and C-Map cartography. You can even run both on the same unit. Not sure what RM products you were looking at but the gS and eS units I considered (and ultimately bought eS) are all NMEA 0813 and NMEA 2000 compatible. But.....that's why they make vanilla and chocloate....not everyone's taste is the same.

 

[Billfletcher]

I grew up working on fishing boats, and every single boat had Furuno. Most of the sport boats still have their Furono gear, and if they upgrade they stay with it. It is bullet proof, and rarely breaks down.

It appears the gear out now from all of the manufacturers is fairly reliable, especially with the solid state components.

The Garmin interface also does not impress me, for reasons noted, but I realize Garmin is great gear and used on high end boats, and other stuff as well much more technical than a boat.

I am doing a electronics upgrade in the Winter of 2017, and the leading contenders for me are Raymarine and Simrad.


Simrad – 4 ft open array, Halo with a 24 in display. My West Marine store is running one above the store, near the bay, and the output is crystal clear.

Raymarine – They have recently put out the solid state dome, but I am waiting to see if they come out with an open array solid state.

 

[Jus the two of us]

Thanks for all the input, I greatly appreciate it. Its nice getting input from people that have already been down the path.

 

[hottoddie]

Isn't Lake Cumberland about 100 miles long X 1 mile wide. Seems like a basic inland chart plotter sounder would suffice. Radar optional and auto pilot not needed. From the Yachtworld listings I've seen it seems like lake boats have simple electronics and no radars most of the time. :huh:

 

[FootballFan]

If your out at night radar is nice.

 

[FastMarkA]

I just installed a new Raymarine e7 (small space, so small screen) and Quantum Radar. Haven't had the chance to use them yet.

That said, one of the "must-haves" for me was a hybrid input -- a touchscreen and some sort of input "knob" to use the display. When a boat is moving, touchscreens can be frustrating to use.

 

[JJ Chones]

I just installed a new Raymarine e7 (small space, so small screen) and Quantum Radar. Haven't had the chance to use them yet.

That said, one of the "must-haves" for me was a hybrid input -- a touchscreen and some sort of input "knob" to use the display. When a boat is moving, touchscreens can be frustrating to use.

would love to hear how you like the setup once you use it.

 

[FastMarkA]

would love to hear how you like the setup once you use it.

I'll report back in about a month.

I'm familiar with the Raymarine e series -- it's a pretty good user interface and if you can use a toaster, you can use these MFDs. I'm curious to see how the Quantum works compared to regular digital radars I've used in the past.

 

[dwna1a]

I'll report back in about a month.

I'm familiar with the Raymarine e series -- it's a pretty good user interface and if you can use a toaster, you can use these MFDs. I'm curious to see how the Quantum works compared to regular digital radars I've used in the past.

Can you tell me how big the base of the Quantum is please? I'm looking at a Battlewagon Radarmast and I am hopeful that the Quantum will fit the mast

 

[bmac]

I'll report back in about a month.

I'm familiar with the Raymarine e series -- it's a pretty good user interface and if you can use a toaster, you can use these MFDs. I'm curious to see how the Quantum works compared to regular digital radars I've used in the past.

I can reply to the question on the Quantum performance vs. the digital radars. The quantum is a really great unit for close distances. It can discern individual birds almost a mile out (though, other than for fishing I'm not sure what else that is useful for). It easily picks up buoys and other water hazards, better than digital HD but not to the point of being a necessity. Once you get past a few miles, I did not think Quantum was nearly as effective as the digital HD radars. If you have any interest in effectively seeing past 3 or 4 miles I'd stay with a digital HD. The new digital HDs have dual range capability. For my money I might add the Quantum as a secondary unit if thought I needed its benefits but it wouldn't replace my 4kW open array.

 

[SR400DB]

Can you tell me how big the base of the Quantum is please? I'm looking at a Battlewagon Radarmast and I am hopeful that the Quantum will fit the mast

Contact Mark at battlewagon, he will make you a mount that fits. He was great to deal with for me on two fully custom units.

 

[dwna1a]

Ok Thank you

 

[dwna1a]

Brian can I ask one other thing? Are you saying for river travel or close to the shore along the bay. Would the Quantum be best for my area?

I am sorry for the hijack