Radar is nice but not necessary for the Bahamas unless you are really set on fishing.
Enjoy the SR 280 it is a fine boat! Several other CSR members I am sure will answer your question about the Electronics. GOD bless. JC

 

You're going to get multiple opinions here as everyone wants to be convinced they made the right choices. It's really a personal choice as in how intuitive the MFD feels to you. Start with the MFD, as that will drive your decision as to the other devices. Personally, I find the Garmin units to be very intuitive but it may well seem like a foreign language to you.

Go into a West Marine near you, and play around with the units they have on display. Once you've settled on the MFD, the rest will become self-evident. Although you can mix brands on your NMEA 2000 network, the best interoperability will be achieved if your major pieces are from a single manufacturer.

 

I upgraded to the Garmin 7610 and had great luck with it, very easy to use. It will do everything you are looking to do with it. Another feature I enjoy is the Garmin app downloaded to my Ipad that allows me to build waypoints or entire trips from anywhere and then upload them to the MFD when I arrive at the boat. Another important issue to consider is fit and finish. I had a local MFD supplier/installer come to the boat with templates to see what would either fit in the existing cut-out or be slightly larger so I could maintain the original equipment look without major modifications. All of the MFD's I considered had the option to do the things you are looking for. On my boat, the Garmin was the best fit as far as size.

 

Thanks everyone. Great advice.

 

I don't know of any products other than Vessel View (which is a Mercury product) that integrate with SmartCraft; so, you would need a SC/NMEA2000 gateway which are common. If it were me I would stay with products that have DeviceNet standard NMEA 2000 interfaces for the external devices so you are unrestricted in later upgrades. Last boat was Garmin and I really enjoyed the HMI on those touch screens as well as the advanced autopilot features; this boat is Raymarine which are bullet proof but it's a quagmire to get them to work with other manufacturer's NMEA 2000 devices and the autopilot route features are clumsy and a bit difficult to use. Regarding radar, I use it at night and it's a valued tool for me; we cross to the Bahamas regularly and are usually leaving at O-Dark Thirty so it's important to us. Many times we will see a storm cell forming and the radar gives us the precipitation density so we can make a decision to run through or go around. B&G equipment is not common anymore with the power boats but very common with the sail boats. Furuno is all top notch equipment; I don't know much about the charting however... Simrad is common with many yacht builders but like Furuno I don't know much about; maybe someone else can comment on these..
Tom

 

I have not purchased it yet, but there is a mercury smartcraft to NMEA 2000 converter, then, you get the engine data on any chart plotter. I cannot speak to how well this works, price is around 400$?? If you go with simrad, there is a vesselview link (mentioned above) for around 1 to 1.5 boat dollars, and this provides really good integration with your simrad chart plotter and mercury engines. I believe you get some 2 way communication, like being able to turn on tow control, etc, if that is something your engine has. the integration does not work for other plotters, but the other plotters can receive the data (if I understand correctly). I have the smartcraft to Bluetooth converter, only 150$, but this allows me to see engine data on my phone or iPad, so I use this as my smartcraft engine monitor, and leave the MFD to radar and GPS. At some point, I will add the engine data, but after 3k on GPS+4G RADAR, 1K on new panels and new radar mount, 400 on incidentals, hours spent installing and integrating the vhf, heading sensor, etc, the accountant has pulled my funding! I went with the simrad NSS9 EVO3, it’s good, but I’m a software guy, so I really don’t like any of the MFD software interfaces or the speed of the units. I like being able to use auto routing on my iPad, then upload that chart into my MFD, but that’s common on most MFDs, as mentioned above with garmin.

 

I installed the SC to N2K gateway on my former 320DA. It’s fantastic. Once you have a NMEA2000 network, ANY MFD with an N2K port can accept the data. Take the advice above. Go to a show or store and play with the various vendors. See whose user interface you like. See what interfaces you find to be sluggish and slow to respond. See if you like all touch screen or want some dials and buttons (and think about using them in some bouncy seas). Choose the MFD you like the best. They all have decent radar available.

 

Break out your checkbook!

I've found Garmin to be the easiest to use of the units I've toyed with (Garmin, Raymarine and Furuno) but I feel like Simrad is taking over based on the number of boats upgrading to that brand around me...

 

Well, if we are promoting brands, I'd go the Simrad track. For me, I hated the Raymarine interface. Lowrance units were slow to respond. Garmin was touch-only. Simrad NSS units had touch and controls. Having only touch on a bouncy sea is a pain. I know, because I ran an iPad in parallel with the Simrad NSS9 evo2. I loved the touch on the Simrad (and the iPad) but there were times we were rolling around and touch was really a pain to use. So I'd opt for the NSS (now evo3 series) from Simrad. Love them and prefer the way the Navionics maps "look" vs. Garmin maps. But let's be honest. Choose a new Garmin model or a new Simrad model and you can't go wrong. It's all about personal preference at that point.

 

I'll admit to liking the Garmin and its interface. Combined with the Chetco and a NEMA2000 network it gives much more flexibility and the ability to remote monitor.

 

regarding Garmin being touch only, this is true. However Garmin sells a slick remote (Grid 20) that interfaces via NMEA 2000. You can put that remote wherever your dominant hand tends to rest. This combo gives you the best of both worlds.

 

The Simrad physical buttons can also be tricky to use while underway. My typical task while underway is to zoom in or out on the map/radar screen, and so I use the Simrad knob (super easy, just rotate to zoom in/out!), problem is, if you depress that knob, it registers as a waypoint/MOB marker, and now you have to dismiss that to continue to zoom in/out. Easier than pinching, but still tricky when you hit even a small wave.

 

For what its worth Im installing a new garmin and a closed aray radar. Been please with garmin in the past and since we are keeping this boat for a while we think we've spent wisely. Radar is a must, IMHO, particularly for traveling off shore, at night or in weather. Make sure its installed properly and you understand how the beam works. Many will make the argument for XM weather which isn't bad but the radar can help you get through the fog if need be. If you have never used it the concept and presentation is foreign. Overlay the radar on your chart plotter and learn what it does and does not tell you. Just a quick thought.

Technology is a wonderful tool if you know how to use it. If you don't you're blowing thousand on a pretty gadget.

 

your doing complete electronics.

I would focus more on the MFD, Radar, Sonar, and autopilot (if that is important to you).

Solve the Merc engine data after you make the priority decisions.

For years I had Ray Marine, now I have Garmin. Not endorsing a brand.

Find what you like - then let the pieces fall in. Bottom line, I would not put Merc engine data integration as the priority.