Raymarine C90-W Chartplotter - Reviews?

[Zetec7]

I just picked up a Raymarine C90-W chartplotter for my boat (no room for anything larger on my command bridge dash), and I'm wondering about the experiences of others with this instrument.


I fired it up at my shop, outdoors, in full sun, and was surprised how bright & visible the screen was.


It (now) has the latest Navionics charts for my area - I had to get a Navionics rep to take over my computer to get them to load, though, as the original data card is suspected to have had a corrupted file, so the rep had to format the card & reload it. That took several hours & I haven't had a chance to try it out since, so I hope the charts work!


Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone is still using one, and what your experiences are with it?

 

[Seevee]

I just picked up a Raymarine C90-W chartplotter for my boat (no room for anything larger on my command bridge dash), and I'm wondering about the experiences of others with this instrument.


I fired it up at my shop, outdoors, in full sun, and was surprised how bright & visible the screen was.


It (now) has the latest Navionics charts for my area - I had to get a Navionics rep to take over my computer to get them to load, though, as the original data card is suspected to have had a corrupted file, so the rep had to format the card & reload it. That took several hours & I haven't had a chance to try it out since, so I hope the charts work!


Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone is still using one, and what your experiences are with it?

Dump it, worthless. I've had several and none work well.
New plotters are just too cheap today.

 

[tiltrider1]

The C90w was designed to be a stand alone Display. Meaning it does not have the ability to connect to multiple Display units. So, if you only have one helm it will work. Unless you wanted multiple displays at the helm position. You can over come this by having one display dedicated to Radar and another dedicated to chart plotter.

The C90w is getting long in the tooth so to say. They are much slower than current models and they are more sensitive to overheating. That said, I still use the two E90w's and one E140w on my current boat. They do the job. However, I am feeling like it is time to upgrade. One of the new features out there is color coded radar objects. If the target is coming at you it is in red and if it traveling away from you it is in green. This is a very helpful feature for those 6 hour fog runs.

 

[Comodave]

As said, nothing wrong with them but they are about 10+ year old technology so they are a bit slow and not expandable. But if it does what you need it to then it will be fine.

 

[Zetec7]

Dump it, worthless. I've had several and none work well.
New plotters are just too cheap today.

Well, that's disappointing. Did they simply never work at all? I'm surprised - I always thought Raymarine was pretty decent equipment.

Here in Canada, there's no such thing as a "cheap" chartplotter, unless one considers $1500-$3500 cheap. In our case, we're on a shoestring budget and this one (in new condition) was only $660CDN, roughly half the price newer ones cost - which were just plain out of reach on our mid-covid budget.

Up until now, my GPS has been on a handheld Garmin GPSMap 60CX, with a little 1.5"X2.2" screen, albeit with state of the art (for Canada) CHS charts. It's a dandy little unit, but hard to see in sunlight & too small to use in waters crowded with reefs. I needed something I could see clearly, and with a much larger screen. In this case, 48.6 square inches vs. 3.3 square inches...almost 15X larger.

I also didn't need integration, as none of the newer units will talk to my analog Furuno radar, and probably not my Garmin sounder either. So, a single, stand-alone unit was called for.

Anyway, since I bought it, and installed it, and can't afford to toss it & buy something else, I guess I'll have to give it a try.

 

[Comodave]

It will be fine in your application assuming it works ok.

 

[Seevee]

Well, that's disappointing. Did they simply never work at all? I'm surprised - I always thought Raymarine was pretty decent equipment.

Here in Canada, there's no such thing as a "cheap" chartplotter, unless one considers $1500-$3500 cheap. In our case, we're on a shoestring budget and this one (in new condition) was only $660CDN, roughly half the price newer ones cost - which were just plain out of reach on our mid-covid budget.

Up until now, my GPS has been on a handheld Garmin GPSMap 60CX, with a little 1.5"X2.2" screen, albeit with state of the art (for Canada) CHS charts. It's a dandy little unit, but hard to see in sunlight & too small to use in waters crowded with reefs. I needed something I could see clearly, and with a much larger screen. In this case, 48.6 square inches vs. 3.3 square inches...almost 15X larger.

I also didn't need integration, as none of the newer units will talk to my analog Furuno radar, and probably not my Garmin sounder either. So, a single, stand-alone unit was called for.

Anyway, since I bought it, and installed it, and can't afford to toss it & buy something else, I guess I'll have to give it a try.

I really hope you didn't pay for that C90.... I would have given you mine, but couldn't get anyone to take it so I threw it in the trash.


You can get BRAND new Garmin stuff WITH depth starting at $500, and touch at $1000... just a monumental BETTER option... even on a budget.



Really wish I saved mine for you.


However, one has to decide what is appropriate for their boating. If you operate only daylight, no fog, a plain Jane plotter will work and a "cheap" but NEW iPad is a great backup.


Radars are pretty cheap also today.... but a bit more, and autopilots are expensive.


Hope it works for you. With mine... NONE from the day I bought the boat worked good enough to be called reliable at all. My iPad did a better job.

 

[Zetec7]

Well, as I said, I'm in Canada so....the cheapest Garmin starts at $1,500 and they go up to $4,000 here! Crazy prices, 3-4X what they are in the US. That's the way it is with most things here - I was looking at something on Amazon.com for $80. On Amazon.ca the identical item, from Amazon as the seller, it was $400.


The C90W I bought was waaaay cheaper than the other half dozen used ones I looked at - the rest were over $1,000, and this one came in its original box with everything - including the $165 CDN mounting bracket, still in its wrap.


Wish me luck!

 

[catalinajack]

There is a guy on the GreatLoop website who had a horrible experience with Raymarine MFDs and trying to get factory service for a failed unit less than five years old. Knowing the details of his story I would nev3r opt for a Raymarine product.

 

[Comodave]

Back in 2003 we bought a complete Raymarine system. I ended up moving it to a center console we had. In 2014 I started having problems with the DSM300, the black box depth finder, I called Raymarine and talked to them about it. They said they had problems with the units assembled in Mexico. He sent me a new model the CP300 for free in exchange for the old DSM300. The next year I was talking to them about a different installation and told them that they had exchanged the dept sounder the previous year. He said send the CP300 back and he would send me a later model the CP370. Who does that? I don’t know of any manufacturer that will replace a faulty unit 11 years after you bought it. I have had nothing but excellent service from Raymarine, wish my new boat had Raymarine instead of Garmin.

 

[catalinajack]

Back in 2003 we bought a complete Raymarine system. I ended up moving it to a center console we had. In 2014 I started having problems with the DSM300, the black box depth finder, I called Raymarine and talked to them about it. They said they had problems with the units assembled in Mexico. He sent me a new model the CP300 for free in exchange for the old DSM300. The next year I was talking to them about a different installation and told them that they had exchanged the dept sounder the previous year. He said send the CP300 back and he would send me a later model the CP370. Who does that? I don’t know of any manufacturer that will replace a faulty unit 11 years after you bought it. I have had nothing but excellent service from Raymarine, wish my new boat had Raymarine instead of Garmin.

That was six years ago. My friend recently had a problem with his three-year-old MFD. Raymarine would't repair his unit because they were holding onto circuit boards in case dealers needed them, a supply chain problem. This after the factory told him to send it in for repair but then they didn't.

 

[Comodave]

I have dealt with them since then without any problems.

 

[catalinajack]

I have dealt with them since then without any problems.

Dave, how so? Were you trying to get a repair done? Anyway, this is how we all reach a decision on what to buy, that is, the collective input and experience of users who respond to questions. I have had good luck with Simrad. Purchase, install, gone boating. Twistedtree hates Simrad because of a bad experience. Furuno is almost universally praised for service but what does that mean? Lots of breakdowns but good, prompt repairs? Or does that mean highly reliable equipment with good service for rarely-needed repairs? Probably the latter but I do not know that. If I were ever to upgrade my Simrad suite - it works and gives me what I need it to give - I will consider Furuno products but I am not sure why with my good experience with Simrad. Raymarine is last on my list for reasons previously stated.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, I have had repairs done in that timeframe.

 

[catalinajack]

Yes, I have had repairs done in that timeframe.

Well, Dave, you simply had better luck or the repair you required had enough parts available. I guess I am lucky with Simrad. Five years now and still functioning out of the box.

 

[Seevee]

Well, that's disappointing. Did they simply never work at all? I'm surprised - I always thought Raymarine was pretty decent equipment.

Here in Canada, there's no such thing as a "cheap" chartplotter, unless one considers $1500-$3500 cheap. In our case, we're on a shoestring budget and this one (in new condition) was only $660CDN, roughly half the price newer ones cost - which were just plain out of reach on our mid-covid budget.

Up until now, my GPS has been on a handheld Garmin GPSMap 60CX, with a little 1.5"X2.2" screen, albeit with state of the art (for Canada) CHS charts. It's a dandy little unit, but hard to see in sunlight & too small to use in waters crowded with reefs. I needed something I could see clearly, and with a much larger screen. In this case, 48.6 square inches vs. 3.3 square inches...almost 15X larger.

I also didn't need integration, as none of the newer units will talk to my analog Furuno radar, and probably not my Garmin sounder either. So, a single, stand-alone unit was called for.

Anyway, since I bought it, and installed it, and can't afford to toss it & buy something else, I guess I'll have to give it a try.

Zetec7,


Well, some of the old C90s I had would turn on at times, but at times wouldn't, and often failed to get a GPS signal, and then the radar wouldn't display. Just too many problems and after my first experience with the old Ray stuff (very popular in the 2000 to 2010 era), I just decided to get new.


Now, I don't know why plotters are more expensive in Canada. And $1500 to $3500 is not necessarily "cheap", it's very reasonable for a marine plotter. But you can get good NEW ones, for less that $1000. What do you think is reasonable for a "command bridge" boat? You don't say what kind of boat you have or what boating activities you do, but even the cheapest boats on this forum are most likely north of $30 to $50K, so spending a few thousand on electronics doesn't seem out of line.



One issue you might have, is just the cost of installing the old C90 and the maintenance on it makes it a bad deal if it were free.

 

[grahamdouglass]

I hope I am not hijacking this thread. If I am the mods can move it

I have a networked E80 system I installed my self in 2010, replacing an original install of a C90 in 2008. I subsequently had a Raymarine auto pilot installed and I installed a DSM30 with a interior transducer in 2011 or there abouts.

Recently my radar, installed in 2008 with my C90 and subsequently networked with my E80's stopped working. I haven't yet trouble shooted it and am thinking of an up grade.

If I want to keep my Raymarine auto pilot but upgrade my MFD's and radar and depth sounder what should work?

I would like a 12 to 14" on the flybridge and 9 to 12" on the lower helm.

What kind of cost is this in Vancouver B.C. Do I have to redo every thing with a 'Raymarine backbone kind of conection?" Is it super hard to do?
Can I integrate my S1G autopilot with it?

 

[SoWhat]

The anti-Raymarine folks are the same ones who believe Microsoft should have supported Windows 3.1 forever. Raymarine has an active R&D group, releases new products frequently, and has an established EOL policy where they no longer support products. Just like any other technology co.

Search on EBay for used instruments from each co. Should give you an idea of which co. has the biggest market share. The market leader will always have more complaints.

I have both Garmin and Raymarine products installed as redundant systems. They are both plug and play and easy to network via nmea 2000. I would not consider combining them because I would lose the simplicity of plug and play.

Older systems such as C90 and S1G used NMEA 0183 and although you can connect different products it is a trial and error process with little support. Raymarine does make converters so it can be done but at some point making the leap to Windows 10 is a better choice. (but certainly not the ony choice)

 

[catalinajack]

The anti-Raymarine folks are the same ones who believe Microsoft should have supported Windows 3.1 forever. Raymarine has an active R&D group, releases new products frequently, and has an established EOL policy where they no longer support products. Just like any other technology co.

Search on EBay for used instruments from each co. Should give you an idea of which co. has the biggest market share. The market leader will always have more complaints.

I have both Garmin and Raymarine products installed as redundant systems. They are both plug and play and easy to network via nmea 2000. I would not consider combining them because I would lose the simplicity of plug and play.

Older systems such as C90 and S1G used NMEA 0183 and although you can connect different products it is a trial and error process with little support. Raymarine does make converters so it can be done but at some point making the leap to Windows 10 is a better choice. (but certainly not the ony choice)

Conflating anti-Raymarine folks with Windows 3.1 fanboys is ridiculous. Look, there are plenty of folks who like Ray and plenty who don't. Each camp's experiences are valid. So what ypu have had nothin but good experiences with Ray. Means nothing. I have had a great experience with Simrad. Twistedtree had a lousy expwrience. But lumping folks who don't like Ray with computing neanderthals is, again, ridiculous. Of course, you must know moremthan any of those ignorant folks. What chutzpah!

 

[Zetec7]

Zetec7,


Well, some of the old C90s I had would turn on at times, but at times wouldn't, and often failed to get a GPS signal, and then the radar wouldn't display. Just too many problems and after my first experience with the old Ray stuff (very popular in the 2000 to 2010 era), I just decided to get new.


Now, I don't know why plotters are more expensive in Canada. And $1500 to $3500 is not necessarily "cheap", it's very reasonable for a marine plotter. But you can get good NEW ones, for less that $1000. What do you think is reasonable for a "command bridge" boat? You don't say what kind of boat you have or what boating activities you do, but even the cheapest boats on this forum are most likely north of $30 to $50K, so spending a few thousand on electronics doesn't seem out of line.



One issue you might have, is just the cost of installing the old C90 and the maintenance on it makes it a bad deal if it were free.

The boat is a '91 Cooper Yachts Prowler 28', with a small command bridge. Due to the dash design, the C90W has to be mounted vertically, with a bracket, rather than installed into a vertical dash face.

This I have already done (very easy, and the screen faces me directly, which is great for visibility), so there is zero cost for installation. I'm doing the wiring tomorrow.

I did run it at home, before installation, and it fired up immediately, locking on to my land-locked position in seconds (looks a little weird, to see your boat position well inland....). The only issue I had was the screen went dark after about 15 minutes of playing with it, as though in night mode....but once I discovered the shop battery I connected it to had dropped to less than 10V, and put an actual 12V source to it, everything came back to normal. I have read several complaints of the same issue, and low voltage was usually the culprit.

GPS lock was within 3 meters, IIRC, although there was no clear view of the sky due to lots of large trees overhead, so I expect that to improve once it's on my fly bridge with an unobstructed view of the sky.

Anyway, I'm locked into it now, so it's time to give it a try.

What I was primarily asking for, from the beginning, was other people's experiences with using it underway, vs. failures and other such issues.

Prices-wise, everything in Canada is roughly 50%-200% higher than the identical product in the US. It's just something we have to deal with - even on Amazon, where items are typically at least twice the price as they are in the US. Anything new and comparable to the C90W is in the $3500-$4500 range, and far outside my covid-ruined budget.