Navigation replacement ideas

[Rated Aargh]

I’m starting to think out the update for my navigation equipment and would like some input from other on their opinions or experience as dangerous as that may be.
I’m doing a full replacement of all electronics getting rid of an old humminbird up top and an old lowrance down below as well as possibly replacing the old 3g radar.

I would like to have the same mfd units or possibly a tablet up top if and only if I can get the radar overlay on it from the lower mfd. my plan is a dedicated MFD at lower helm as primary and either by cable preferably to upper helm have them connected unless it’s easier or better to run a tablet via Wi-Fi from lower station to upper.

Not a fan of lowrance or humminbird I’ve had great luck with Simrad and raymarine in the past for their functionality and relative ease of use.

So who has a system with two mfd stations and how did you do it so you could have your radar, autopilot and all controls from either station?

 

[DDW]

I think any of the big 4 manufacturers can supply such a system. As far as I know also mirroring the display and controls to a tablet (though it will be hard to read in the sun). You will get lots of opinions as to the best brand. I personally avoid Navico/Simrad and Garmin as they have discontinued support on products I have purchase that weren't very old. But there are critics of all brands. I own two boats with Raymarine installations. Not perfect, but overall I'm happy with them.

 

[Comodave]

I like Raymarine due to the support I have from them over the years.

 

[FWT]

I agree with DDW. Radar overlay over charts has become a standard feature I think you will find in all major brands.

Know that with Simrad both topside and bottom MFD's can do the same thing, but you have to go through settings independently in setting things up. And there are a ton of settings in deep menus. I like that control, but acknowledge the complexity isn't for everyone. I have not owned Garmin but have the outsider's suspicion its more plug and play, which is easier but offers less control. Choose your poison.

I just had MFD's installed in the pilothouse and flybridge this summer with a new build. I went with Simrad but frankly there are good and bad things to say about each brand. There are dedicated lovers and haters of each, and the reasons on both sides have validity. That being the case you still need to make a decision on one of the brands.

What each brand can or cannot do can have some slight differences. There simply is no substitute for getting a clear idea of what you want out of them, and just begin to see who checks your boxes. If they all do, then it becomes a need to find a reason to rule some of them out, even it it just comes down to price for the total package. And its total package price that matters, because that's the check you write.

If the #1 purpose of a MFD is to display charts, exactly what your chart options are by brand can be an important defining feature.

If you are keeping some of the widgets in your current system, verifying the new gear can work with the old is hard but important. Just being able to reuse existing cabling can save a lot of installation headache. Best fit into existing dashboard holes can be a valid reason. Lots to look at with the final choice and it takes time to get there.

 

[Flatswing]

I’m doing a full replacement of all electronics getting rid of an old humminbird up top and an old lowrance down below as well as possibly replacing the old 3g radar. I would like to have the same mfd units or possibly a tablet up top if and only if I can get the radar overlay on it from the lower mfd. my plan is a dedicated MFD at lower helm as primary and either by cable preferably to upper helm have them connected unless it’s easier or better to run a tablet via Wi-Fi./QUOTE]

Any of the major manufacturers can do all you want from a single MFD at each helm station as long as the AP & radar are compatible - which shouldn’t be an issue since you are buying all new. Having a tablet running a Nav app separately as a back up is a great idea -providing a completely independent source of charts, gps and power. Tablets need to be kept cool & out of the sun and need a constant power source, but can also display the data from the N2K network such as GPS data, AIS, depth, heading, speed etc via Wi-Fi.
I don’t believe you will be able to control your AP or overlay/display radar on an Android or ios device presently.

 

[ranger58sb]

Any of the major manufacturers can do all you want from a single MFD at each helm station as long as the AP & radar are compatible - which shouldn’t be an issue since you are buying all new. Having a tablet running a Nav app separately as a back up is a great idea -providing a completely independent source of charts, gps and power. Tablets need to be kept cool & out of the sun and need a constant power source, but can also display the data from the N2K network such as GPS data, AIS, depth, heading, speed etc via Wi-Fi.
I don’t believe you will be able to control your AP or overlay/display radar on an Android or ios device presently.

One of our MFDs is a Furuno TZT3, and they offer three different tablet apps... which all seem to be able to mirror their MFDs... and at least one of which is said to control the MFD.

I've only briefly glanced at those, mostly because the time I'd be using an app is the same time I'd usually sitting about a foot away from the MFD. IOW, no location advantage for us... Maybe something for OP to examine, though.

We (wifey) also do run a tablet app at the helm (Aquamap) for backup and triple redundancy... and for an additional charting source. We find that useful, but yes, there are sunlight, power, and heat issues. Not unsolvable...

-Chris

 

[Turtle Blues]

More info on what your preferences is for the main operating station and current layout would be helpful. Do you mainly operate from the lower or upper station?
Have found tablet use on the upper station difficult during daytime usage.
As I get older there is no such thing as too large a display. The new Garmin 27" is awesome but at 17K can be a significant part of a budget.
I would suggest that radar integration to the MFD would drive your brand choice. I run separate displays as a personal choice. Have Raymarine and Simrad units side by side on the upper station just so I don't get complacent with one system. Personal preference is the Ray equipment, that is what drives the autohelm.
On this boat I only run from the flybridge so the lower equipment is just a redundant display. Cheap mini computer and 27" monitor running open CPN for a quick view of what is going on.

 

[jgtrucking]

FWIW, I have a dedicated Garmin MFD at each helm. In the lower helm I also have my laptop with dual screens. I run everything with Coastal explorer, including driving the autopilot. When I want radar I also have Open CPN for the other screen. It will display the garmin radar standalone and overlay. On the FB I have the dedicated GPD map 9", plus a mount for the 9" echomap. This pops out of the mount, and snapps in on the dinghy when we go adventure with it. Plus if I scout a route into someplace, I have my cookie crumb trail to follow with the big boat Works well for us!

 

[rwidman]

I would suggest Garmin networked MFDs and any other devices you may need or want (AIS, Radar, depth sounder, etc.).

 

[Circumnavigator]

I like Raymarine due to the support I have from them over the years.

I use Furuno for everything because I've never needed their support. You can do what you want with any of their Consoles, but I like their black boxes because then I can use non marine displays indoors which are much cheaper (1280x1040 $10 at Salvation Army). Even outdoors rated units are much cheaper non-Furuno. You can use a software screen dimmer for night work.


Jim