[Uhehner]

I'm venting here because my customers do not always take my advice and purchase Raymarine equipment because of the price. I don't sell any equipment, I just fix it. Raymarine VHF radio's have been failing, Raymarine VHF microphone cables disintegrate in sunlight, Raymarine GPS antennas have been failing, Raymarine autopilot LCD displays have been failing, Raymarine depth sounder modules fail and now I'm seeing bent pins on Raymarine cable connectors. The male pins are not tapered and the female pins are not chamfered. How do they expect them to connect? Is this a high school design project? Unless you have PERFECT alignment the pins bend and some break when straightened, a major problem. Also, the I/O functions are not on a separate board so a complete board replacement is necessary when a power surge or lightning strike occurs. Furuno, Garmin, Icom and Standard Horizon are my recommendations. Just so you know. I feel better now. Capt. George, Master Mariner, Electronics Engineer, FCC GROL and Tiara owner.

[Chris Burkard]

I actually like Raymarine, but I do acknowledge that they have their flaws and drawbacks and you pointed most of them out above. I do really like the new Garmin units, but I do not have as much experience with them. I do have a client however that is having an issue with a new Garmin digital HD Radar on a 59' Yacht. Garmin has been to repair it multiple times and have failed to provide a long lasting fix. I guess each manufacturer has their drawbacks and quirks. Furuno has always been more difficult to use, at least on the older machines. I have not had the opportunity to play with the newer Furuno components. My favorite VHF radio is Icom. I agree, the Raymarine VHFs are not that great and yes, the cords disintegrate in the sun after about 5 years.

I have sold nearly every brand of electronics with all of the boats I have sold over the years. They all become obsolete after about 5 years, so if they make it that long, you have done well.

In the end however, I suggest buying what you like and if at all possible, buy and have your electronics installed locally, so you have good service for them in your home port. This can be more important than the brand.

[Dazzle]

Capt. George,

Thanks for the info on Raymarine equipment. Any thoughts on Simrad radar & GPS chart plotters?

I was always a Raymarine user until we purchased a boat with a Northstar 958; there is no comparison. The Northstar is way better than the Raymarine unit.

Unfortunately service for the Northstar is no longer available so we have started doing research for new hardware.

Gary

[Uhehner]

Gary
I prefer Furuno radar for reliability and Garmin chart plotters for ease of use and reliability. As Cris said, you should buy locally. How thick is the manual? What is your navigation skill level? Do you need hundreds of features? Do all the boxes interface easily? Will they fit in your cabinet and be out of the weather? Are they legible in sunlight? What do your hard core neighbors and commercial guys have? When I look at my scrap pile I see mostly Raymarine and no Simrad. But Raymarine sells many more units than Simrad so you can draw your own conclusion. Good luck on your selection. Capt. George

[trit21]

I also agree that Raymarine is not my choice for marine electronics. I like Garmin and Furuno, never had a Simrad but I hear they are top notch, just look a little bulky and square. But maybe the newer ones are have better ergonomics.

[Uhehner]

And two more Raymarine failures this week. A C70 Chart plotter / Radar with a screen failure and an autopilot with a screen failure and no replacement parts are available. Its an expensive throw away. I have 20 year old Furuno radars and fishfinders and Icom radios still working like new. You get what you pay for. Capt. George

[greylion]

To get my depth sounder to work I have to unplug the power cord from the DSM 300 and plug it back in. First time I've had Raymarine in a boat, as I had a Furuno Navnet VX 2 in my last boat. As soon as I get the money, this stuff is coming out.

[Uhehner]

Todays failure, a Raymarine chart plotter internal flex cable with tarnished contacts and a weak locking mechanism. Great on a cruise ship but shakes loose on a small boat when they pound. I always suggest that Raymarine units be installed with double sided tape. They will fail and that way you won't have a big hole in your console to cover up when you replace them. Capt. George