Newbie refit questions Garmin vs RayMarine and others

[Larry]

So maybe for simplicity I could say it like this.

If you want the best radar pick Furuno
If you want the easiest interface pick Garmin

If you want the best Camera/Flir pick Raymarine.

I know that’s almost stupid simple but it is fitting huh?

Well I just spent my Winter/Spring refitting ALL my electronics, (same exact boat as OP). Spent a lot of time discussing with each manufacturer and I would categorize myself as a fairly knowledgeable boater as I have traveled by boat extensively the Eastern seaboard (USA), and also an instrument rated pilot. That all being said my electronics upgrade consists of a slightly unconventional approach, I went with the Furuno TZ2 12” screen with there NXT open array (hands down the best radar I have ever used) then for my second screen I went with the Garmin 8612, in my installation I was able to cosmetically get away with two slightly different touch screens as they are not exactly side by side. The Garmin interface is hands down the easiest to use and I do like having the AC capability. I also installed the Furuno NAVPILOT 300 with Furuno heading sensor, all are connected through the NMEA 2000 bus which gives me the option to select either screen to use for autopilot and heading and depth is shared all on the NMEA bus. I have made already this year a 450 mile trip as well as a 200 mile trip and all performed flawlessly. So I see this as the best of all options and very happy.

I am adding a FLIR camera before the end of this season as well and plan on viewing it on either screen.

 

[STI581]

Wow so much to digest and I am very thankful for the massive experience this group brings. As Josh put it, and I completely agree, with the phone logic and the user interface.

Larry, funny you did what you did, I was thinking of that same setup after talking with Josh and his input on Furano. Working in the Defense industry and birding a lot of patrol craft our government and Defense group uses Furano radar on almost every vessel I boarded. Which to me speaks massive volume! Guess I have more work to do!!

Looks like Garmin rocks in the GPS space and why not take the best of each provider and put a mix and match on the boat Like Larry has done. Would be nice to have one suite of manufacturer, but ideally, it’s about functionality and who offers the best solution do what I need. While user interface is huge on my list, functionality and capability are at the highest part.

This really has been such a great thread and appreciate everyone’s input thus far!!!

 

[dtfeld]

I replaced old Raymarine RL80c open array radar and associated components this year with an Axiom 12 and Quantum 2 Doppler Radar. I kept the old autopilot, but will be upgrading that too. I’m pretty happy with everything and performance is what I expected.

A couple of features that you may want to consider.

1. Spotify app - I had been looking to upgrade the stereo system and instead of an expensive fusion or JL, I use the Spotify app to stream, and download a ton of music, then connect to a basic Bluetooth stereo for and awesome sound system improvement.

2. Augmented Reality - this add on system adds on screen data from various sources that really adds to your situational awareness in crowded areas. In combination with the Doppler Radar, AIS, and a camera or two, you really have a great set of tools to keep track of you and all other traffic...day night, in the weather etc. I think it makes the most sense for cruisers in busy coastal area or river navigation.

 

[STI581]

Well I just spent my Winter/Spring refitting ALL my electronics, (same exact boat as OP). Spent a lot of time discussing with each manufacturer and I would categorize myself as a fairly knowledgeable boater as I have traveled by boat extensively the Eastern seaboard (USA), and also an instrument rated pilot. That all being said my electronics upgrade consists of a slightly unconventional approach, I went with the Furuno TZ2 12” screen with there NXT open array (hands down the best radar I have ever used) then for my second screen I went with the Garmin 8612, in my installation I was able to cosmetically get away with two slightly different touch screens as they are not exactly side by side. The Garmin interface is hands down the easiest to use and I do like having the AC capability. I also installed the Furuno NAVPILOT 300 with Furuno heading sensor, all are connected through the NMEA 2000 bus which gives me the option to select either screen to use for autopilot and heading and depth is shared all on the NMEA bus. I have made already this year a 450 mile trip as well as a 200 mile trip and all performed flawlessly. So I see this as the best of all options and very happy.

I am adding a FLIR camera before the end of this season as well and plan on viewing it on either screen.

Larry,

Do you mind sharing pictures of your setup? I would love to see how it looks since we have the same rig.

Thanks
Amir

 

[ttmott]

We are recovering from a massive lightning strike and are replacing all of the boat's electronics. The boat had the original 2006 Raymarine equipment with several enhancements and upgrades. The incident has given the opportunity to look across the spectrum at replacement equipment. I looked and compared Furuno, Garmin, and Raymarine. In reality for recreational boating any one of the three are perfectly suited. However, for me some discerning critical aspects I thought important are:

• Simplicity of use (I need to have my guests on long trips capable to operate the equipment with minimal technical instruction).
• Seamless integration (I want to have "point and click" accessibility to all of the features; not have to go through layers of menus)
• Manufacturer's support (this is expensive equipment and if issues crop up access to qualified help must be a simple and immediate phone call away).
• Integration of newer equipment models in the event of a failure in future years (I plan on a ten year service life for the equipment).
• Charts with detail, and fast painting when panning locations.
  
  So, for me Garmin stood out for the above points. Here are my take-aways:

1. Radar - all the manufacturers have excellent radar packages and they all paint very good situational awareness. Furuno stood out in it's adjustability which suits hard core fishing best but for the recreational boater all three are more than acceptable.
   
2. MFD - Garmin is the hands down winner on Human Machine Interface and it's intrinsic simplicity of use. The only issue I noticed on the Garmin is the screen can get rather warm to the touch (I had 12 inch Garmin 76xx on my 400DA).
   
3. Sonar - All three are perfectly acceptable for depth and temperature; they all use Airmar sounders. However, the Garmin Clearvu and Panoptix technology is simply amazing in the detail below the boat. For diving, fishing, and bottom accurate profiles, Garmin is the leader.
   
4. Equipment failure replacement - Furuno and Garmin are the only viable choices. Raymarine has a significant issue in future equipment compatibility; they continue to be proprietorial in their interfaces, don't play well with other manufacturers, and have a sorrid history in compatibility with new equipment models. Take a look at the Ray technical support blog site and the scores of issues; however, Ray has a technical support blog site that is excellent.
   
5. Cartography - All three manufactures have excellent chart packages and all are sourced to the same basis of data. However, the Garmin Bluechart Vision chart packages really stood out in their detail, clarity, and speed. It appeared to me that the Garmin terrestrial detail and submarinal detail was significantly better. One thing of particular importance was the cartography panning and zooming speed - The pan and zoom speed (on my old 76xx mfd and especially the 86xx equipment) is simply amazing.
   
6. Autopilot - In all three manufacturers using the autopilot features require some experience, and time at the helm. I really liked the Garmin Autoroute features and the instantaneous capability to dynamically alter a route. The Garmin shadow drive feature which disengages the autopilot when the wheel is turned is important to me and I have used to immediately alter course for floating debris many times..

 

[Larry]

Larry,

Do you mind sharing pictures of your setup? I would love to see how it looks since we have the same rig.

Thanks
Amir

 

[Larry]

For comparison, both charts are of the same location above.

FYI, Flounder Poundeer made my new dash panels, we pushed the gauges out about 1/2” on either side

I also had the dash brow covered in leather and stitched

 

[FootballFan]

We are recovering from a massive lightning strike and are replacing all of the boat's electronics. The boat had the original 2006 Raymarine equipment with several enhancements and upgrades. The incident has given the opportunity to look across the spectrum at replacement equipment. I looked and compared Furuno, Garmin, and Raymarine. In reality for recreational boating any one of the three are perfectly suited. However, for me some discerning critical aspects I thought important are:

• Simplicity of use (I need to have my guests on long trips capable to operate the equipment with minimal technical instruction).
• Seamless integration (I want to have "point and click" accessibility to all of the features; not have to go through layers of menus)
• Manufacturer's support (this is expensive equipment and if issues crop up access to qualified help must be a simple and immediate phone call away).
• Integration of newer equipment models in the event of a failure in future years (I plan on a ten year service life for the equipment).
• Charts with detail, and fast painting when panning locations.
  
  So, for me Garmin stood out for the above points. Here are my take-aways:

1. Radar - all the manufacturers have excellent radar packages and they all paint very good situational awareness. Furuno stood out in it's adjustability which suits hard core fishing best but for the recreational boater all three are more than acceptable.
   
2. MFD - Garmin is the hands down winner on Human Machine Interface and it's intrinsic simplicity of use. The only issue I noticed on the Garmin is the screen can get rather warm to the touch (I had 12 inch Garmin 76xx on my 400DA).
   
3. Sonar - All three are perfectly acceptable for depth and temperature; they all use Airmar sounders. However, the Garmin Clearvu and Panoptix technology is simply amazing in the detail below the boat. For diving, fishing, and bottom accurate profiles, Garmin is the leader.
   
4. Equipment failure replacement - Furuno and Garmin are the only viable choices. Raymarine has a significant issue in future equipment compatibility; they continue to be proprietorial in their interfaces, don't play well with other manufacturers, and have a sorrid history in compatibility with new equipment models. Take a look at the Ray technical support blog site and the scores of issues; however, Ray has a technical support blog site that is excellent.
   
5. Cartography - All three manufactures have excellent chart packages and all are sourced to the same basis of data. However, the Garmin Bluechart Vision chart packages really stood out in their detail, clarity, and speed. It appeared to me that the Garmin terrestrial detail and submarinal detail was significantly better. One thing of particular importance was the cartography panning and zooming speed - The pan and zoom speed (on my old 76xx mfd and especially the 86xx equipment) is simply amazing.
   
6. Autopilot - In all three manufacturers using the autopilot features require some experience, and time at the helm. I really liked the Garmin Autoroute features and the instantaneous capability to dynamically alter a route. The Garmin shadow drive feature which disengages the autopilot when the wheel is turned is important to me and I have used to immediately alter course for floating debris many times..

@ttmott glad you responded to this thread. I thought the other day about the fact that you are redoing electronics from the lightning strike. Knew that you would have some excellent evaluative advice.

Question about some of your evaluation.

What are you thoughts on single platform (chart plotter, radar, etc from the same manufacturer) versus mixing and matching (radar from one, chartplotter from another)?

My limited experience. Previous owner of my boat had replaced everything except the Auto Pilot with Garmin. AP remained Ray Marine. It worked fine.

In the second year of owning the boat, the RM control head failed. Old product, not replaceable. I went with Garmin AP following the single platform perspective. It works also. Difference is a whole new set of features opened up that were not available with the mixed platform.

Thanks

 

[ttmott]

@ttmott glad you responded to this thread. I thought the other day about the fact that you are redoing electronics from the lightning strike. Knew that you would have some excellent evaluative advice.

Question about some of your evaluation.

What are you thoughts on single platform (chart plotter, radar, etc from the same manufacturer) versus mixing and matching (radar from one, chartplotter from another)?

My limited experience. Previous owner of my boat had replaced everything except the Auto Pilot with Garmin. AP remained Ray Marine. It worked fine.

In the second year of owning the boat, the RM control head failed. Old product, not replaceable. I went with Garmin AP following the single platform perspective. It works also. Difference is a whole new set of features opened up that were not available with the mixed platform.

Thanks

I don't really have any expertise on mix / match other in the NMEA 2000 realm. In theory, if NMEA 2000 certified then all features are compatible but in reality not all pertinent PGN's are used by all equipment. Due to my lack of mix / match experience I defaulted to one manufacturer on the primary equipment then I have a lot of Maretron monitoring devices around the boat which we will see if seamless with the Garmin; I understand they are fully compatible.

 

[bobeast]

I went all Garmin, primarily because of their user interface. After spending a couple of hours playing with display models at West Marine (and making the sales associate's head explode), the Garmin was a no brainer. The second no brainer was actually buying the equipment from Hodges Marine as opposed to West Marine. (I feel so guilty....not).

I was initially concerned about going all touch, until I discovered the Garmin Grid 20 remote. This gives you the best of both worlds. Fusion stereos (now owned by Garmin), fully interoperate with the Garmin MFD. If you don't have auto-pilot, a heading sensor is a must have to keep the chart (and radar if you have it) correctly oriented with your bow when you are not moving. I went with the Garmin SteadyCast sensor for that purpose.

I plan on adding a Maretron DSMxxx display in the near future. This will allow me to see additional parameters without cluttering up the Chart plotter screen. I'm in the process of installing a SmartCraft to NMEA 2000 bridge, so the Maretron will come in handy for engine, fuel, etc. monitoring.

 

[JVM225]

We are recovering from a massive lightning strike and are replacing all of the boat's electronics. The boat had the original 2006 Raymarine equipment with several enhancements and upgrades. The incident has given the opportunity to look across the spectrum at replacement equipment. I looked and compared Furuno, Garmin, and Raymarine. In reality for recreational boating any one of the three are perfectly suited. However, for me some discerning critical aspects I thought important are:

• Simplicity of use (I need to have my guests on long trips capable to operate the equipment with minimal technical instruction).
• Seamless integration (I want to have "point and click" accessibility to all of the features; not have to go through layers of menus)
• Manufacturer's support (this is expensive equipment and if issues crop up access to qualified help must be a simple and immediate phone call away).
• Integration of newer equipment models in the event of a failure in future years (I plan on a ten year service life for the equipment).
• Charts with detail, and fast painting when panning locations.
  
  So, for me Garmin stood out for the above points. Here are my take-aways:

1. Radar - all the manufacturers have excellent radar packages and they all paint very good situational awareness. Furuno stood out in it's adjustability which suits hard core fishing best but for the recreational boater all three are more than acceptable.
   
2. MFD - Garmin is the hands down winner on Human Machine Interface and it's intrinsic simplicity of use. The only issue I noticed on the Garmin is the screen can get rather warm to the touch (I had 12 inch Garmin 76xx on my 400DA).
   
3. Sonar - All three are perfectly acceptable for depth and temperature; they all use Airmar sounders. However, the Garmin Clearvu and Panoptix technology is simply amazing in the detail below the boat. For diving, fishing, and bottom accurate profiles, Garmin is the leader.
   
4. Equipment failure replacement - Furuno and Garmin are the only viable choices. Raymarine has a significant issue in future equipment compatibility; they continue to be proprietorial in their interfaces, don't play well with other manufacturers, and have a sorrid history in compatibility with new equipment models. Take a look at the Ray technical support blog site and the scores of issues; however, Ray has a technical support blog site that is excellent.
   
5. Cartography - All three manufactures have excellent chart packages and all are sourced to the same basis of data. However, the Garmin Bluechart Vision chart packages really stood out in their detail, clarity, and speed. It appeared to me that the Garmin terrestrial detail and submarinal detail was significantly better. One thing of particular importance was the cartography panning and zooming speed - The pan and zoom speed (on my old 76xx mfd and especially the 86xx equipment) is simply amazing.
   
6. Autopilot - In all three manufacturers using the autopilot features require some experience, and time at the helm. I really liked the Garmin Autoroute features and the instantaneous capability to dynamically alter a route. The Garmin shadow drive feature which disengages the autopilot when the wheel is turned is important to me and I have used to immediately alter course for floating debris many times..

FWIW: It’s been several years now, but I remember calling Garmin a couple of times with questions when I installed their stuff on my old boat and being very happy with their customer support.

 

[b_arrington]

My 12 year old Garmin GSD 22 sounder was acting up. Not only did Garmin still provide support, but sent me a FREE transducer to rule out a problem with my B60. When it was confirmed to be the GSD 22, they did an exchange for $75. Not bad for a unit that had been long discontinued.

 

[Craig]

I went all Raymarine this time. Axiom, Flir m232, Cam220, B60 ducer, I70s instrument, remote keypad, and Ray260 vhf. Nmea 2000 networked with a Vesselview 502 (Simrad go5)
Had Garmin on my last boat and it was great. Went with RM mainly for price and to give it a try. Bought a bunch of stuff together on a promotion. Axiom is really fast and integrates best with Flir. I think tmott's post above is spot on. Really comes down to personal preference and use.

 

[ttmott]

I don't really have any expertise on mix / match other in the NMEA 2000 realm. In theory, if NMEA 2000 certified then all features are compatible but in reality not all pertinent PGN's are used by all equipment. Due to my lack of mix / match experience I defaulted to one manufacturer on the primary equipment then I have a lot of Maretron monitoring devices around the boat which we will see if seamless with the Garmin; I understand they are fully compatible.

I will add this; I was very disappointed with the Garmin GMI10 and GMI20 monitors as they have a limited library of displayable PGN's; Additionally, they are very limited on how to configure, alarm, and display the PGN's. For these type of monitors the Maretron DSM410 is the absolute best and relegates the GMI's to the garbage.