January 21, 2009 15:29
The major manufacturers in my opinion are Raymarine, Furuno, and Garmin. There's much more to the decision than just a list of what works together. There are many different ways to move information in and out of the different devices and that really isn't a problem today at all.
I've never, ever had a problem moving routes to Raymarine devices. If there's an inconsistency, it's probably due to the software that is sending the data. Mine has worked flawlessly over some 20,000 nm of cruising. We almost never move our boat more than a couple of miles without a route and we always have multiple platforms running the exact same route. It just works.
I've always liked the reliability of Raymarine. Their devices are very waterproof and rugged. Autopilot support is exceptionally well done and integrated to the entire system.
If I were getting all new equipment, I'd look pretty seriously at Garmin's new products. Their radar looks really good and their chartplotters look really nice.
I'm under the impression that Furuno has the best radar systems out there. I believe it from the looks of the displays I've seen on other friend's boats. I don't know much about their chartplotters though.
Personally, I like having a waterproof system as the main system with backup laptop/phone/PDA/etc. You never know when a big splash is going to come out of nowhere and it's nice to have hardware that can take it.
I've never, ever had a problem moving routes to Raymarine devices. If there's an inconsistency, it's probably due to the software that is sending the data. Mine has worked flawlessly over some 20,000 nm of cruising. We almost never move our boat more than a couple of miles without a route and we always have multiple platforms running the exact same route. It just works.
I've always liked the reliability of Raymarine. Their devices are very waterproof and rugged. Autopilot support is exceptionally well done and integrated to the entire system.
If I were getting all new equipment, I'd look pretty seriously at Garmin's new products. Their radar looks really good and their chartplotters look really nice.
I'm under the impression that Furuno has the best radar systems out there. I believe it from the looks of the displays I've seen on other friend's boats. I don't know much about their chartplotters though.
Personally, I like having a waterproof system as the main system with backup laptop/phone/PDA/etc. You never know when a big splash is going to come out of nowhere and it's nice to have hardware that can take it.