I am contemplating a major update to the navsystem on VALIS, my Pacific
Seacraft 44 sailboat, and would appreciate some advice.

Currently, I have a Raymarine RL70CRC+ chartplotter at the navstation, a
RLC80CRC+ at the helm, and a Raymarine 4kW radome on the mast. There is a
Raymarine GPS receiver on the pushpit, and a Raymarine "Smart Heading
Sensor" down below. I also have B&G "Network" gear for depth, speed, wind,
and autopilot (including a B&G fluxgate compass). There is a B&G "Data"
repeater unit at the navstation.

The Raymarine chartplotters are getting old. They will never support AIS
(which I *really* want on my chartplotter), and one of the units has started
to reset when in high temperatures. These chartplotters don't recognize all
the NMEA data that the B&G units send, and they are no longer being
manufactured, so I am looking into replacements. In order to put in the new
Raymarine "E-series" gear, I will need to replace my radar scanner for
compatability.

I am inclined to keep the B&G gear, since it has been working well for me,
but this may change once I start looking at the new stuff. Money isn't a
big problem, but reliability, performance, and features are important.

Furuno is an alternative I have been considering -- their NAVnet vx2 system.
Furuno has been very effective selling into the fishing fleets, and this has
been used in sales-pitches to demonstrate their value and reliability. This
may be true, or it may show that Furuno has better marketing, or has
features that are particularly useful for fishing operations. I don't
really care about fishing, so I am interested in anyone's experience with
the new Furuno gear, particularly on sailboats.

Here are my current priorities:

Charting - ease of use, good world-wide charts available, other important
features?
Radar - performance, chart overlay and dual-window modes. ARPA / MARPA
AIS - on-chart display, flexible alarms, ease of use.
Display of data from my other nav gear - Depth, speed through the water,
wind.
Autopilot integration - not necessary, bit nice.
Networking - helm and navstation units must work well together, all features
available at both locations.
Display visibility - especially at the helm. Visible in full sun, fully
dimmable for night operation.
Power consumption - lower is better. VALIS is a sailboat, with solar panels
and an engine-alternator.
Reliability - of course.
Computer interface - possibly nice to have?

Other features such as weather overlays on the chart are probably not so
important, but I will have to play with this before I decide. I currently
use a laptop for route-planning and weather-routing (and email ications) but
if the chartplotter worked well for this I would consider it. At the
moment, I consider these to be two different functions, and the laptop is
better-suited for what it does.

So, does anybody have any experience with the latest Raymarine or Furuno
systems? Are there other systems I should be considering? Larry, have you
looked at the *latest* Raymarine radomes? Or at the Furuno ones? Any
features I should re-consider?

Thanks,
Paul
S/V VALIS - PSC44 #16 - Sausalito, California
www.sailvalis.com

Also, try to investigate/compare quality of services at your place, or where
you are going to sail. For example, at my place (Croatia) they have very
qualified Furuno service, but very poor Raymarine service. My recomendation
is always Furuno becouse of this, but at your country may be oposite
situation...

In article , "Hani" wrote:

Also, try to investigate/compare quality of services at your place, or where
you are going to sail. For example, at my place (Croatia) they have very
qualified Furuno service, but very poor Raymarine service. My recomendation
is always Furuno becouse of this, but at your country may be oposite
situation...



I second the above... Furuno has ALWAYS been one of the leaders in Marine
Electronics Service and support, Worldwide. Just try and walk into ANY
Marine Electronics Repair Shop, ANYwhere in the World, and see what gear
is available, and what their Techs can fix, or Parts Replace. Furuno
will be #1, and the rest will follow. If Money isn't the problem, then
Furuno is for you.

Bruce in alaska who has been out there, and seen what is available
--
add a 2 before @

"Bruce in Alaska" wrote in message
...
In article , "Hani" wrote:

Also, try to investigate/compare quality of services at your place, or
where
you are going to sail. For example, at my place (Croatia) they have very
qualified Furuno service, but very poor Raymarine service. My
recomendation
is always Furuno becouse of this, but at your country may be oposite
situation...



I second the above... Furuno has ALWAYS been one of the leaders in Marine
Electronics Service and support, Worldwide. Just try and walk into ANY
Marine Electronics Repair Shop, ANYwhere in the World, and see what gear
is available, and what their Techs can fix, or Parts Replace. Furuno
will be #1, and the rest will follow. If Money isn't the problem, then
Furuno is for you.

Thanks guys. This is a consideration I hadn't put on my short-list, and it
definitely should be there. I have had only the one problem with my
Raymarine unit (the high-temperature reset problem I mentioned), but service
can be a real issue.

-Paul