Garmin or Raymarine? Which is better radar/chartplotter?

justlookin

New Member
Nov 17, 2012
66
Long Island Sound
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2006
Engines
8.1's V Drives
Just purchased a 2006 34 Sundancer with a Raymarine C80 and I am looking to upgrade the radar/chartplotter and possibly have the ability to add on later(auto pilot, mechanical readouts). We boat in Long Island Sound and i was set on the Raymarine E95 but I was advised to go with Garmin 5208 instead. Is Garmin a superior product to Raymarine? Can you please provide me with your suggestion with what i should purchase Garmin or Raymarine?



 
You are going to get a lot of opinions and that is all they are, opinions. Each work well I guess but here is my opinion. I removed all Raymarine junk out of my boat and threw them away. I have Garmin and I thin it is a far superior unit with much better customer service. And as with everything else, your mileage may vary.


As you can probably tell, I had some issues with Raymarine and there customer service was horrible. Even before I purchases Garmin units, I called their customer service and they were very helpful. I guess it also depends on how you are using but I took a look at all the USCG and other authority radar units in the area and they were all either Furuno or Garmin. Might have something to do with pricing but they still have to work.
 
I agree with Tom, you are going to get varied opinions to your question. I have a Garmin and really like it. Garmin Marine technical support is awesome. Other than looking at the RayMarine line at boat shows I have no experience with them and they might if fact be superior.
 
I have an old Raymarine on my 300DA and a newer Garmin on my 175 Sport. I like them both. So that doesn't help you at all. It seems to me most opinions are based on how intuitive (thus, the ease of learning) these interfaces are, whether they break unnaturally, and the customer support. I did find once you learn and get used to the user interfaces, then its all good. If you use them all the time then everything becomes second nature, regardless of the manufacturer. There have been no problems with either of my units. The Raymarine is 9 years old and the Garmin is 3 years old. I can say I do like the constant software fixes/upgrades that Garmin makes available as downloads. From what I've read while considering replacing my 9 year old stuff, the radar purists like the radar technology of Raymarine better than Garmin.
 
Not sure why you are upgrading, but always nice to get new toys. I like Raymarine for radar and Garmin for GPS. I find Garmin GPS much more user friendly and find the Raymarine radar very easy to use. Also, always good to have a back up system on the boat if space and funds allow. Equipment never fails on sunny days with 10 knot winds! I am not a fan of all in one devices on a boat. I like knowing if one dies, I have the other. I like to have my radar display separate from my GPS display. A half page of radar is just not enough and overlay is good, but I like a good clear radar screen. Radar is your most important tool for safety in the dark and and fog. Not bad for finding birds for fishing too. My radar set up is old (RL80c) but it got me to florida and back. Ran multiple days in ocean with another boat without seeing him with my eyes for 6 straight hours, but he was always on my radar. I installed a separate Garmin for GPS and love it. I also like knowing that if my Garmin dies, I have the Old Raymarine as back up. Net-net, the bigger the display the better. As far as brands are concerned, everyone has a favorite. I have played with Northstar, Raymarine, Garmin, Hummingbird, Furuno. If i was building from scratch, I would go with Garmin for GPS and Raymarine or Furuno for radar. Good luck with your decision!
 

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