Garmin verses Furuno

[sunchaser]

Seven years ago we installed a Furuno NN3 at the lower helm. A few months later we embarked on a journey to find a daylight viewable screen for the fly bridge. They were several thousand more than getting another NN3 for the upper helm. Both units and their setup have been flawless.

As MYT and others have said, the NN3 is (still in production) a very good and cost effective unit. Our NN3s primary function is for radar and DFFI. Other less important inputs are done as well. If a course is laid out it very nicely integrates with the Furuno AP.

For the gizmo and touch screen crowd the NN3 is not that. It is just a workhorse and used by commercial and CG boats in great numbers.

 

[CaptTom]

Tom,
Just curious if you saw the latest software update bundle to the Garmin GPSMAP 740 dated March 09 2017?

Garmin GPSMAP 740 update bundle

Ted

I hadn't, but I just looked at it. It covers just about all their "legacy" MFD's. There are three minor changes that don't look like they apply to my device at all, or if they do, they have nothing to do with added functionality.

Just because the update package for all MFDs references your model, doesn't mean there's any changes to your particular model. Just that the package was updated. Maybe one of the dozens of models the package supports got an update.

Releasing and update which makes no changes to my device doesn't count as an update, IMHO.

 

[Seevee]

One thing about OEMs, is what their support is like and how easy it is to just call them and get some info directly from them. You don't want to talk to a dealer, because that dealer may not like the company and knows nothing about their products. How often have we seen this?

A few are just impossible to talk to... try Furuno, hard to find and email or phone number, and most likely if you find it, it will be in Japan. Furuno USA, has very little on their web site.

Simrad is better, but not much. Try and talk to their support department for more than a minute or two.

Raymarine isn't any better, either. But "supposedly getting there since FLIR bought them. But they really went down hill fast in the past several years. We'll see.

Garmin still answers and WILL talk to you as long as you want. While they may not have the best of everything, you can still talk to them if you're lonely.

Food for thought....

 

[MYTraveler]

... try Furuno, hard to find and email or phone number, and most likely if you find it, it will be in Japan. Furuno USA, has very little on their web site.

I think you got Furuno wrong -- it is really easy to get a knowledgeable tech on the phone (during normal working hours). In fact, I can't think of any product with better tech support.

 

[BandB]

I think you got Furuno wrong -- it is really easy to get a knowledgeable tech on the phone (during normal working hours). In fact, I can't think of any product with better tech support.

That's been our experience as well. Nothing negative about Garmin, but we've always found Furuno to have excellent support.

 

[CaptTom]

I'm not a huge believer in the theory that you have to buy everything from one manufacturer.

I don't think I have any two devices that match, and everything is interconnected, via NMEA 0183 and 2000. It all works fine.

Support is important, but frankly I've never gotten an answer that helps. By the time I've exhausted what's in the manual and on the web, I'm either beyond the knowledge of the technician or we agree the device is toast.

 

[psneeld]

I think you got Furuno wrong -- it is really easy to get a knowledgeable tech on the phone (during normal working hours). In fact, I can't think of any product with better tech support.

Have found the same....I want to say they had a West and east coast Support center. One in Washington and Maryland.

Not sure if still there, but Furuno has always been the rock of time. Slow and steady.

Looked it up.....

http://www.furunousa.com/Company/ContactUs.aspx

 

[twistedtree]

One trend if I'm reading it right in this thread is that whatever supplier you choose, make sure your chart plotter and your autopilot are from the same company to ensure they talk to each other....?

Many recommend that, but I don't think it's necessary, and artificially constrains your choices. Autopilots are one device where the interaction to follow a chart plotter route is well standardized. I have operated several combination myself with no issues, and seen many additional combinations that work just fine.

The advantages of sticking with a single brand are pretty obvious - in theory it will all work together without issue, and if something does go wrong, you have one throat the choke.

I don't disagree with that, but there is another side to the equation providing counterbalance.

The down sides of single brand are less obvious, but potentially just as problematic.

The first issue is that you necessarily have to accept the various offerings from one company. They all make lots of good products, but none of them make the best of everything. So you can easily find yourself pleased with most of the system, but with one component or another that is not meeting expectations. This happened to me, and more recently happened to Steve Dashew on his boat (setsail.com)

The second issue is when you need to replace some component, perhaps because it isn't performing as desired, or perhaps because it has broken, or perhaps because something new comes along that you really love. If you are locked in with proprietary operation between components, replacing one device can quickly turn into a ripple effect of replacing most or all of your system. This is exactly what happened to me, and might well happen to Steve Dashew as well. Replacing a poor performing radar renders the MFD much less useful, and occupying space where your alternate radar display would ideally go. So you get rid of the MFD as well, but that now renders your fish finder and Sat Weather unusable, so you replace those. And if you were using the MFD to control your auto pilot, now that has to go as well.

If you want to go with a single vendor, by all means do it. Just understand the down sides as well.

 

[Bruce B]

Having spent far, far to many hours of my life on the phone trying to get Raymarine tech support to answer, one of my first tasks was to contact tech support of both Furuno and Garmin. I waited for a Monday morning in July and easily contacted each...
I had no issues getting through and support for each company even spent time talking about the product that we didn't yet own!
Sometimes tech support employees offer pretty frank assessments of their companies product.
One theme that showed up in conversations about gear reliability with both companies was "installation"... It seems that many of the problems they troubleshoot are rooted in improper or poor installation. Apparently it is a very common issue even among big OEM's. Insufficient backbone bus wiring leading to voltage drop, incorrect wiring, poor wire termination and wholesale ignoring of protocol all seem to be common themes that they have to deal with.
I was warned of certain hardware to avoid by more than one technician too.
Bruce

 

[Rossland]

I would suggest you go with what you know. When I changed boats I went from Garmin and Raymarine to Furuno. Big learning curve, not helped by a confusing and incomplete operators manual. But once I figured it all out, the Furuno stuff works great.

But then it is only a backup for my iPad anyway.

 

[sunchaser]

I think you got Furuno wrong -- it is really easy to get a knowledgeable tech on the phone (during normal working hours). In fact, I can't think of any product with better tech support.

Agree. That is one of the reasons my installer prefers Furuno, quick contact information 24/7. This ready contact cuts down on his install time and improves his troubleshooting.

 

[danderer]

Raymarine isn't any better, either.

Not my experience. I've had no problem getting quality answers from them both online and on the phone over the past couple of years.

 

[ranger58sb]

A few are just impossible to talk to... try Furuno, hard to find and email or phone number, and most likely if you find it, it will be in Japan. Furuno USA, has very little on their web site.

Sounds odd...I got excellent help from their support site on line when I once had an issue...

-Chris

 

[sunchaser]

My main Furuno NN3 uses are sunlight viewable and night time dimmable screen, radar, depth and AP integration. Other lesser needs such as cameras and Sirius weather are available too.

These uses are not the strength of my IPad which for us serves as a fun diversion at worst and a great dinghy chart plotter at best. I must say I'm on it right now though.

 

[Seevee]

Have found the same....I want to say they had a West and east coast Support center. One in Washington and Maryland.

Not sure if still there, but Furuno has always been the rock of time. Slow and steady.

Looked it up.....

Contact Us

Psneeld,

Thx, I couldn't even find their phone number, certainly not intuitive or well published.

However, I'll stand corrected on Furuno, I just haven't tried to call them that much over the years. Did have one bad experience with them about 5 years ago and got nowhere, and that's the last time I've contacted them.

 

[MYTraveler]

That's been our experience as well. Nothing negative about Garmin, but we've always found Furuno to have excellent support.

I should have been clear that I wasn't commenting on Garmin tech support, as I have no direct, personal experience. FWIW, my buddy has received a lot of support from them, and since he is a doctor, he needs to fit it in between patients, so I don't think he can stay on hold too long. On the other hand, he has had to haul his boat 2x after the initial installation in order to install additional transducers. I am not sure why he didn't figure that out the first time, but part of the problem seems to be Garmin's unique terminology for the various capabilities of their fishfinders. Stuff like RealVu, ClearVu, LiveVu, with forward, chirp and side view being other capabilities that may or may not be available with the other views, and that may or may not require different transducers.

One other comment I can make about Garmin tech support -- My buddy was having trouble getting the tower station of his Simrad AP to respond to navigational data from the Garmin chartplotter. He was told that the problem was with Simrad, but that in Garmin's experience, it is necessary to replace the Simrad AP with a Garmin AP. That makes no sense to me since a) my Simrad works fine with my NN3D at each of 5 different helm stations, b) my buddy's old Raytheon system worked fine with his Simrad at both of his helms, c) Simrad works fine with Garmin data coming from his main helm, so I would think the same data would work fine coming from his tower, and the fact that it doesn't tells me the Garmin data is somehow different. Nevertheless, my buddy bought a new Garmin AP.

 

[FF]

"Having spent far, far to many hours of my life on the phone trying to get Raymarine tech support to answer, one of my first tasks was to contact tech support of both Furuno and Garmin. I waited for a Monday morning in July and easily contacted each...
I had no issues getting through and support for each company even spent time talking about the product that we didn't yet own!
Sometimes tech support employees offer pretty frank assessments of their companies product."

This concept is great for ANY big ticket items on a boat you might buy.

Some engine or tranny you never heard of ?,
call and ask about specific repair parts delivery. Gasket kit , cylinder head gasket , piston rings.

Same for noisemaker , windlass , AP, water maker ,,, you get the idea.

 

[BandB]

One other comment I can make about Garmin tech support -- My buddy was having trouble getting the tower station of his Simrad AP to respond to navigational data from the Garmin chartplotter. He was told that the problem was with Simrad, but that in Garmin's experience, it is necessary to replace the Simrad AP with a Garmin AP. That makes no sense to me since a) my Simrad works fine with my NN3D at each of 5 different helm stations, b) my buddy's old Raytheon system worked fine with his Simrad at both of his helms, c) Simrad works fine with Garmin data coming from his main helm, so I would think the same data would work fine coming from his tower, and the fact that it doesn't tells me the Garmin data is somehow different. Nevertheless, my buddy bought a new Garmin AP.

Ideally I prefer all the same but it is by no means a requirement and the moment a sales person or tech support indicates that is the moment I stop talking to them and ask for someone else. We use to get that all the time with computers and peripherals. We were told by IBM you couldn't hook Apple computers up to an AS400. Well, I happened to know Apple used an AS400 in their office so just called them for advice. Easy job.

Simrad has always been big in autopilots and they're worked fine with every system. We have Furuno radar with Transas navigation and Maxsea with Simrad autopilot.

I'm likely to start with all of one brand in mind but will quickly select something else if there's a strong reason to do so. For instance, now forward sonar is a big topic. Well, none of the standard units match FarSounder. Of course none of the others cost as much.

Whoever is leading in an area, isn't likely to stay number one long.

 

[Bigsfish]

I have had most every electronics system over the years even Loran A and C and I found that if I go to a few electronic guys in my area and ask them what units they like best I go that route. My last two boats I went with Garmin. The clincher is I like to cruise the Bahamas and Garmins have better charts for that area. NEMA 2000 "should" make it easy to connect equipment from various manufacturers. BTW I find Garmin more intuitive than other companies.

Just my SSO!

 

[danderer]

I haven't been following the market but I believe I've seen/understood that:

• The latest offerings from Garmin use Garmin charts.
• The latest offerings from Furuno can use NOAA charts or C-MAP charts or Navionics charts.
• The latest offerings from Raymarine can use Raymarine charts C-MAP charts or Navionics charts.

If the above is correct, is there any significant advantage to having the option of these multiple chart sources?

 

[twistedtree]

I haven't been following the market but I believe I've seen/understood that:

• The latest offerings from Garmin use Garmin charts.
• The latest offerings from Furuno can use NOAA charts or C-MAP charts or Navionics charts.
• The latest offerings from Raymarine can use Raymarine charts C-MAP charts or Navionics charts.

If the above is correct, is there any significant advantage to having the option of these multiple chart sources?

I think it totally depends on where you plan to cruise.

If you are cruising in the US, then I don't think it matters at all since they are all derived from the NOAA charts.

If you cruise outside the US, and depending one where outside, it can make a big difference.

When we picked a charting system, support for a wide range of chart products was a very important criteria, but for other people it may matter very little.

 

[Bigsfish]

NOAA charts suck in the out islands of the Bahamas. I've been using the Explorer Charts for that area for fifty years and they are accurate 90% + of the time. Garmin uses the Explorer Charts and that convinced me to go with their product. I'm now on the third boat with Garmin and, in my opinion, I made the correct choice.

If I stayed state side I don't think it would matter much.

 

[twistedtree]

NOAA charts suck in the out islands of the Bahamas. I've been using the Explorer Charts for that area for fifty years and they are accurate 90% + of the time. Garmin uses the Explorer Charts and that convinced me to go with their product. I'm now on the third boat with Garmin and, in my opinion, I made the correct choice.

If I stayed state side I don't think it would matter much.

Right, the Bahamas aren't part of the US, and the NOAA charts are of US waters (I think including territories, but not certain). The Bahamas, Canada, and Mexico are probably the areas most likely to be visited by US boaters, so yours is a good example of needing more than just NOAA charts.

 

[BandB]

I haven't been following the market but I believe I've seen/understood that:

• The latest offerings from Garmin use Garmin charts.
• The latest offerings from Furuno can use NOAA charts or C-MAP charts or Navionics charts.
• The latest offerings from Raymarine can use Raymarine charts C-MAP charts or Navionics charts.

If the above is correct, is there any significant advantage to having the option of these multiple chart sources?

Overall, it's a toss up. Having choices is nice, but then there are areas one has better coverage than others. My experience has shown Garmin to have the best charts on inland rivers. We often have more than one charting system open and I can't say overall I have a strong preference for one over the other.

I've run Transas beside Maxsea and while Transas is unbeatable as far as long range and off shore cruising, there were areas in the PNW we liked Maxsea better.