2nd try on electronics

J

jacko

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exMember
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29042
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So the boat I am working on Has Furuno Radar and Furuno Plotter. both are at least 12 years old from what I have been able to find out.

What would you replace them with and WHY?

Personally I am looking at the Garmin but we only gave 1 dealer here that installs. ( that I know of )
 
I have installed raymarine garmin and furuno. Garmin doesn't like to cross breed. Furuno works well with others buut isn't easy to intermix. Raymarine has good graphics works with others well and has a larger network of accesories
 
I had never installed any boat electronics in my life. My boat came with Raymarine electronics. I personally removed it and replaced it with Garmin. The only part of the job I hired was the transducer replacement.

I did have to fabricate a new mounting "board" for the Garmin. The old Raymarine was two seperate unite and I replaced with a unified chartplotter/sounder.

It is not a difficult job if you are a handyman around your house.

George
 
Garmin is easy as pie to install, reliable and easy to upgrade the firmware, the new plotters from the 4200 series on up have NMEA2000 networks they work fine with other NMEA2000 manufactures units. I have some Maretron NMEA2000 sensors and a Navonics class B AIS transponder on my N2K network and all is fine. You will however be stuck using Garmins Radar but I don't see anything wrong with that. If it were me I wouldn't consider any other brand but Garmin unless I wanted the top end Furuno Navnet 3D.
Bill
 
I am a Furuno man by default (boat came with a big suite of it) and certainly happy with it, but if starting from scratch would default to the American-based Garmin stuff as first preference. All things being fairly equal, why not?
 
I do like the Garmin simplicity. being US based never hurts. The only thing that kills me is we only have one guy here installing and backing up the work. From what I see his prices seem fair, but one never knows how much profit he is pulling in.
 
I have always looked at stuff like that as; if I am comfortable with the price and the price seems reasonable then who cares what his profit margin is? I wouldn't want people second guessing my profit margin.
 
Had the same, RP 110??.

kept the radar and replaced the RP110 with a garman 5200
 
quote:
Originally posted by Billylll

Garmin is easy as pie to install, reliable and easy to upgrade the firmware, the new plotters from the 4200 series on up have NMEA2000 networks they work fine with other NMEA2000 manufactures units. I have some Maretron NMEA2000 sensors and a Navonics class B AIS transponder on my N2K network and all is fine. You will however be stuck using Garmins Radar but I don't see anything wrong with that. If it were me I wouldn't consider any other brand but Garmin unless I wanted the top end Furuno Navnet 3D.
Bill

Click to expand...


The Garmin 3210 that I purchased last year is also NMEA2000 compatible. I do not know about other 3000 series.

George
 
I do not know the size boat you are dealing with. But if a 10" diagonal screen will work for you check with boatfix and see if they have a Garmin 3210 left in stock or can get one. I think it will do exactly what you want.

Georg
 
quote:
Originally posted by gcolton

quote:
Originally posted by Billylll

Garmin is easy as pie to install, reliable and easy to upgrade the firmware, the new plotters from the 4200 series on up have NMEA2000 networks they work fine with other NMEA2000 manufactures units. I have some Maretron NMEA2000 sensors and a Navonics class B AIS transponder on my N2K network and all is fine. You will however be stuck using Garmins Radar but I don't see anything wrong with that. If it were me I wouldn't consider any other brand but Garmin unless I wanted the top end Furuno Navnet 3D.
Bill

Click to expand...


The Garmin 3210 that I purchased last year is also NMEA2000 compatible. I do not know about other 3000 series.

George

Click to expand...

Only the 4200 series and up are NMEA2000 compliant not the 3000 series George.
As far as needing an installer don't waste your money Jacko, if anything pay the marina to pull cables or do it yourself. Garmin equipment is cake to install it really is DIY.
Bill
 
There are a bunch of electronics installers in Maryland who I think would make the trip to where you are for a whole new install. You can ask them if they will do a labor only job (most profitabe) if you chose to buy your electronics on the internet.

BOE Marine 1-866-735-5926 press 2 for electronics, very knowledgeable
Bristol Marine Technology in Solomans did the rather elaborate installation of my Furuno system for the prior owner. 410 - 326 - 4014
Mid Shore Electronics has a great reputation, I have seen their work. They say they go to Virginia 410-228-7335

All have web pages, but it would violate forum rules to post them. Boat Fix typically seems to have the best equipment prices.

George
Hatteras 56MY
Boston Whaler 130 Sport
 
Been talking to Frank at Mid shore. My thought is to just let him do the whole thing. His prices seem fair and what the heck I have to drive by his place to get the boat home. Although Solomans is also on the way home.
 
Well, you won't go wrong with Mid-Shore. I think I would use them instead of Bristol given the choice. I had some very minor issues with the way Bristol set things up, though they volunteered to change them even though I wasn't the original customer. But that wasn't convenient at the time. No big deal, but I think Mid Shore is about as good as you can get from what I have seen first hand and heard second hand.
 
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