And i have never heard anyone admit to theirs, especially when it comes to electronics. I also admit that I go over board with it sometimes.
Just installed the Raymarine C120 Multi-function Chartplotter/radar/fish finder and I just cant stop thinking about this unit.
So what electronics do you guys run on your boats? I saw the Garmin 3010C and thought that was a pretty sweet deal as well. But I do prefer the Raymarine units over most.
My boat came with dinosaurs... When they break I'll replace... I jump on a lot of boats that have a lot of nifty toys... I like the Ray and Furuno toys a whole lot...
This toy I'm typing on though really is the addictive toy of them all. Only thing I have to keep me from going nuts while quitting smoking and waiting for my engine to be replaced...
We run the Garman 3010c as the primary chartplotter with an older northstar as a back up. Furuno Rador and Sounder the radar is monocrome (dont remember model). I love the garman. The boat is getting new transmissions, so it currently blocked. The owner is thinking of adding the sounder module for the garman while its out.
The Ray is a very sweet unit. I also admit an affliction for the gadgets.
My preference is the Garmins. Garmin was the first gps I ever purchased and continued to buy them as I have upgraded. I'm currently running the 2006c and have been very happy with it.
Next boat will probably get the 3010c with all the extras. It is a very tempting setup.
I prefer Garmin chartplotters......I think they are superior to most in their softweare and ease of use right out of the box, never having to touch a manual.
However, their fishfinders I don't care for at all, and certainly don't trust their radar (yet)
Fishfinders, I think Furuno and Si-Tex make some of the best units.
Radar? I don't have one yet but would consider both Furuno, and, yes, JRC lol. Many think JRC is not a good unit because it's cheap but I have to admit after seeing several in action they maker a solid unit!
Radio, I personally like ICOM the best.
I don't think there is any one manufacturer that makes the best of everything, which is why I stick with individual units.
That said, I currently have:
- Garmin 182C Color Chartplotter
- Si-Tex CVS-106L Color Fishfinder
- (No Radar Yet, next year)
- 2 Icom VHFs (one 402 and one 402S)
Last edited by 74Formula233; 09-23-2005 at 09:59 AM.
All Furuno for the bread and butter. Everything was installed in 2002 a year after the purchase of our 2001 Albemarle.
Furuno Color Chart
Furuno Color Scope
Furuno CRT Radar in Radome
Simrad AutoPilot
Garmin Fixed GPS Unit on Tower
Garmin Handheld as Back-up to the Back Up
DiTek Temp Gauge
Icom Radio with Two Station Mic (one on tower)
No SSB yet. Next year, as well as Satellite phone.
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Gotta love the electronics....or hate them sometimes. After using several brands I think Garmin has the best interface however I went with Raymarine for their charting and radar.
This year I replaced my Northstar 951 plotter, and Furuno sounder, with the Raymarine E-Series and a DSM300 sounder module. I am having some issues with temperature reporting on the Raymarine system but overall the system is excellent. Also did a factory upgrade on the Raymarine Radar so I have the ability to overlay radar on the charts...an excellent feature. If not already, they should be releasing the Platinum charts which I've kicked around a bit and they are very cool. Stored satellite images of harbors, 3D views and more. I use seatalk to show additional data on an RL70C, NMEA to interface with an AP22 autopilot, and have an RN300 GPS as a backup system.
One thing that's very clear is that market is moving from dedicated systems to Displays with "black box" components. This makes it a bit screwy if your out to replace just a sounder, since many of the new units do it all. The only function my Furuno unit serves now is to fill the hole in the dash.
I also have the wxworx marine weather system on board that gets continuous updates over the XM radio satellite system of sea temps, wind, waves, radar, etc. and displays them on an onboard computer. Since I sell them you can consider this a biased point of view, but it is a great tool to have when you're off shore.
I have to agree with you Formula. The garmin chartplotters are great. I should clarify that I'm only running the garmin as a chartplotter. As far as sounders and radar go Furuno can't be beat. The 582 is a great unit for the money, which is why I went with it.
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