Brand interest Raymarine vs Garmin

[Craig]

I find the Axiom a bit more intuitive than Simrad. If I didn't have a Flir camera and Augmented reality I would choose Simrad for the reason you state. Perfectly good unit.
Not hard to learn.

 

[b_arrington]

swaterhouse....I am actually in the process of deciding on an upgrade of my electronics right now. Having used both the Simrad system and the Axioms which do you prefer? I was leaning towards simrad just because of the easier integration with the merc interface.

I've mentioned it a couple times recently. I have a pair Garmin 8612 units, which I find very user friendly.

I also have a Cummins-branded VesselView display. This is actually a rebranded Mercury VesselView 502 with a Cummins sticker. Which, in turn is a rebranded Simrad GO5 (5") unit. Its a fully-featured Simrad MFD from the GO product line. While I use it to display engine data I've played around with the other settings / functions. I find it not user friendly at all, and actually quite difficult to configure and use.

My VV / Simrad unit integrates via a NMEA 2000 connection. There is no direct SmartCraft connection point on the GO series units. You need either a SmartCraft gateway or the optional Vessel View Link unit. Therefore I'm not sure that Simrad is easier to integrate with the the Mercury interface. It may be the case compared to Raymarine because they use proprietary cabling, but with a Garmin system you just need a SmartCraft Gateway to convert the SmartCraft data to NMEA 2000.

 

[swaterhouse]

swaterhouse....I am actually in the process of deciding on an upgrade of my electronics right now. Having used both the Simrad system and the Axioms which do you prefer? I was leaning towards simrad just because of the easier integration with the merc interface.

Between the two, today I would probably go Axioms. As mentioned, the merc interface has nmea2000, so integration with any brand is easy. The new axioms have the "standard" nmea2000 connector now, and cables with both raymarine and "standard" are available. There is no need for a "converter" its all in the plug configuration.

 

[Henry Boyd]

I finally got off the fence and have ordered two Axiom Pro 12s and the DBW autopilot. I stuck with RM mainly because the HD open array did not need to be replaced. And striping everything out was cost prohibitive. So we’ll see how it goes.

 

[mnm99]

I have a Garmin and am very happy with it. I too went to the Miami show. I stopped by the FLIR booth too and talked to the guy there. All I have to say is I want one! It is so cool how it works and how visible everything becomes. I was looking at the M232. Not bad price at $3499. The mount on the other hand I need is $1300. There are a lot of things that we really don't need for out boats, but I look at it this way. 2 years ago I installed a bow Thruster. Do I need it? NO, But now I go out more often on windy days and am not nervous. Do I need a FLIR? NO, but I would go out many more nights and and hang out without thinking about what's in the water that I can't see. I have many fishing pots that get caught in props often by me. This is the boat my wife and I will have for a long time. I feel they are a well made investment for me. They both just give me more boating time is the way I look at it with the season so short in NY.

 

[Henry Boyd]

I have a Garmin and am very happy with it. I too went to the Miami show. I stopped by the FLIR booth too and talked to the guy there. All I have to say is I want one! It is so cool how it works and how visible everything becomes. I was looking at the M232. Not bad price at $3499. The mount on the other hand I need is $1300. There are a lot of things that we really don't need for out boats, but I look at it this way. 2 years ago I installed a bow Thruster. Do I need it? NO, But now I go out more often on windy days and am not nervous. Do I need a FLIR? NO, but I would go out many more nights and and hang out without thinking about what's in the water that I can't see. I have many fishing pots that get caught in props often by me. This is the boat my wife and I will have for a long time. I feel they are a well made investment for me. They both just give me more boating time is the way I look at it with the season so short in NY.

Changing course slightly, I’ve had a night assist package consisting of forward facing heat sensing imaging and warning software on my car for a year now. I don’t view this as a bling purchase. I came to own the car because I had a similar car as a loaner and while driving that at night the system picked up deer crossing the road and triggered the collision alarm. If you boat at night regularly this really should be considered.

 

[Jeremygavin]

I have a Garmin and am very happy with it. I too went to the Miami show. I stopped by the FLIR booth too and talked to the guy there. All I have to say is I want one! It is so cool how it works and how visible everything becomes. I was looking at the M232. Not bad price at $3499. The mount on the other hand I need is $1300. There are a lot of things that we really don't need for out boats, but I look at it this way. 2 years ago I installed a bow Thruster. Do I need it? NO, But now I go out more often on windy days and am not nervous. Do I need a FLIR? NO, but I would go out many more nights and and hang out without thinking about what's in the water that I can't see. I have many fishing pots that get caught in props often by me. This is the boat my wife and I will have for a long time. I feel they are a well made investment for me. They both just give me more boating time is the way I look at it with the season so short in NY.

I installed a Flir last year and although I am not out at night often, it makes night boating a whole lot safer and more comfortable. When we are out it is usually fire works or something of that nature and that means lots of other boats out in the dark with us. It is nice to have a clear image of what is ahead. My only gripe is that the view is fairly narrow. I spoke with the Raymarine rep at the Newport Boat Show and it sounds like that is the way the cameras have to be built and will not be remedied in the near future.

 

[mnm99]

I installed a Flir last year and although I am not out at night often, it makes night boating a whole lot safer and more comfortable. When we are out it is usually fire works or something of that nature and that means lots of other boats out in the dark with us. It is nice to have a clear image of what is ahead. My only gripe is that the view is fairly narrow. I spoke with the Raymarine rep at the Newport Boat Show and it sounds like that is the way the cameras have to be built and will not be remedied in the near future.

Yea I feel the same way. You still have to look out, but man I have been loving it. Takes some getting use to though.