Skybolt
Well-Known Member
- Nov 11, 2014
- 6,488
- Boat Info
- Reel Nauti
460 EC
- Engines
- Detroit 6v92TA
(Low profile's)
Alison Gears
Westerbeke
12.5kw Genset
Ok so after a lot of pondering and research on this. I have decided to just go all NMEA 2000. N2K supports all of the PGN's that the system monitor monitors and with the right setup you can have them go off as alarms as well. With this in mind, I might just keep the "Idiot" lights as a quick reference point. The cost of a digital system monitor and work needed to convert over, totally out weighs it's benefit to me when a properly setup N2K system will do that same exact thing and go a few steps further. What I mean by that is if I add wifi converter to the N2K setup I could even get alarms and texts on my phone, or just check status of things like fuel levels and such.
The cost of switching over to N2K is about the same as a Sea-Ray system monitor (complete system) but N2K is endless in its expansion, all displays can be used for just about anything including the stereo with the right upgrade path. The conversion units analog and digital inputs for a dual engine application is around $500 and then you need compatible display, which I have. So thats a great place to get started.
The cost of switching over to N2K is about the same as a Sea-Ray system monitor (complete system) but N2K is endless in its expansion, all displays can be used for just about anything including the stereo with the right upgrade path. The conversion units analog and digital inputs for a dual engine application is around $500 and then you need compatible display, which I have. So thats a great place to get started.