Garmin Electronics

[Steve_O_Malley]

Hello,

As part our ongoing upgrades to our 1985 N26C this August we purchased a Garmin 215 AiS radio. Too bad we found out after buying it, the gps and AIS cannot be really used with out a GPS MFD or separate GPS antenna. Oh well.
We decided on Garmin because we were told it will work well with a Garmin GPS 942xs chart plotter and transducer we pan to add for next year. I would appreciate any thoughts on the need for and experiences with MFDs, transducers, wind speed and radar. Some think they are just expensive gadgets and we did make it through the summer with the. non working data marine speed and depth, lol. Would love to hear from those that have added these instruments and their added satisfaction vs the expense. Is AIS enough when fog rolls in? Thank you.

Steve O’Malley
N26C #176 ANU
Marblehead MA

[user70]

When fog rolls in you need radar…

Brian McCuaig. NS30u
Whitby, Ontario

“Having a yacht is reason for being more cheerful than most."

[user70]

and a good chart plotter .

Brian McCuaig. NS30u
Whitby, Ontario

“Having a yacht is reason for being more cheerful than most."

[Willi_Google]

Hi Steve,

The Garmin MFD’s and the radar work beautifully. I have not connected to the Nexus Speed/depth NMEA2000 system yet, but will give that a try. I have extensive Raymarine use on most of the boats I have owned, raced and cruised. I would say I like how Garmin works.

As far as AIS. You cannot trust AID for smaller boats. All commercial ships are required to have, but in my experience many smaller boats do not. On the Great Lakes very few boats transmit AIS data, and we rarely get the fog, so in my opinion, AIS is very low on the list of updates. Now if you are in an area with lots of ferries and ships etc, then AIS is a godsend.

—Willi
— Toronto Islands
— Brigadoon
— NS 324 #109

[system]

Steve,

There was a P-79 sender attached to a Garmin 742xs when I bought KitKat.
I liked it so, I bought the same setup when I moved up to NS26C SEA HORSE

.I mounted the sender just behind the water muffler to make the install easier. Works great.

(attachments)

[system]

Just put a zero loss splitter on the antenna line and share the existing VHF antenna. AIS uses the top end of the VHf range. You’ll be fine.

[Steve_O_Malley]

Thanks for all your input. Your collective experience is so invaluable I very much appreciate. Joe on the Garmin 742xs, do you find that screen big enough to read the chart, depth radio and AIS. I was thinking of going up to the 942 to leave room for future electronics radar and windspeed if I decide on in future, but think it is too large for 26C? I assume the new transducers do no match the exisiting hole for the data marine transducer that must have come with the boat. Has anyone found use of space where the old data marine depth and speed are ?
Thanks again everybody!

[system]

I plan on putting a Fusion Panel Stereo in those holes next spring. It looks like it should just about cover them.

I also upgraded my Chartplotter and instruments very recently. Went with a B&G “Sail Pack” my local boat shop was offering. It came with a B&G Vulcan 9" MFD, B&G Wired Wind Instrument, Speed Depth Temperature Triducer, and GPS Antenna & Compass for $2200 cdn. I didn’t do a lot of research but I liked that the B&G is supposed to be designed for sailors. Hopefully it will work out!

I’m also hoping the new transducer might fit in my through-hull for the old SR Mariners but probably dreaming on that one…

Ken Julian
Nonsuch 26C #9 “Idyll Ours”
Fredericton, New Brunswick

[system]

The concept of electronic aids to navigation has become vast and very affordable compared to even 5 years ago. And integration ,the equivalent of a glass cockpit, is now here. AIS, Radar, Wind, Depth, SOG, VMG all those important elements of navigation ll on one display. Very cool and right at hand

However it is probably a good idea to think, what if the display stopped? How do I know my depth? I decided to sail in fog now the radar is u/s.

I have electronic charts, but they are not connected to my depth sounder, it is a separate dial.How will I know my depth? I have a VHF, but also a portable with DSC, the eprib is up on the cabin wall. I have paper charts for all places we may go. The compass has deviation cards. There is bit of redundancy in the things I feel I must have. Bad things never happen at 10 am on a sunny day, in 7 knots , half a mile from home.

So MFD are a great thing, but there are other aspects of this integration that require thought. Much like the difference between rastor and vector.

Thor

[user70]

All of the modern navigation aids and even some Chart “books” have a caveat “not to be used for navigation”. Good luck with your insurance company if you get into a mess without real charts on board…

Brian McCuaig. NS30u
CD Whitby, Ontario

“Having a yacht is reason for being more cheerful than most."

[Steve_O_Malley]

Thank you so true, and point well taken. I suppose a true navigator does not even need a compass just a sextant. We keep charts onboard and actually this summer practiced taking bearings and plotting our position, even though we knew where were. Comparing our actual course from buoy to buoy with the one we plotted was great fun, sometimes we nailed it other times not so much. Would love to hear of more experiences with electronics. Thanks again.

Steve O

[system]

A couple seasons ago we added a Raymarine Axiom 9" MFD at the wheel, replaced our Data Marine speedo through hull with a triducer (depth, speed & temp). We included an AIS transceiver in the mix.

1 - I recommend you NOT buy a triducer with a paddle wheel - it gets gummed up too fast - need to pull it for very frequent cleanings and even then, it never seems accurate on our boat. Spend the extra money and get the one without the paddle wheel.

2 - You should be able to use the old Data Marine hole in the hull for a new transducer - push out the old, clean it all up and bed down the new. I seem to recall that the old hole was 1/8" bigger than called for for the new transducer. The mechanics at the boat yard I was working with laughed at me when I asked about the “gap.” That is what bedding compound is for.

3 - AIS (at least from Raymarine) takes two antennas - we used a splitter to hook into our masthead VHF and then installed the AIS’s GPS antenna under the dodger where no one will walk on it, etc. No idea why the GPS in the MFD does not take care of the AIS function, but at least for Raymarine, it does not.

4 - We love having AIS - the big boys are transmitting, it is easier to contact them to figure out what their intentions are (they truly seem to appreciate the call), and if your friends are transmitting, you can meet up easier with them. I don’t sail enough in fog to worry about getting radar and decided to avoid the expense and the added complexity. The learning curve for AIS is much easier than for radar, a big added plus. Most of the boats I have sailed on that have radar do not run it - takes too much energy - and therefore it is a waste. If you have a collision and you are not running your radar, that is a big strike against you in a hearing.

I am in the process of pulling out my old Data Marine gauges - I did too good of a job bedding them down a few years back and they do not want to vacate their spot on the bulkhead. We plan on glassing in the spot, spot painting, and then installing a Raymarine dedicated depth gauge and a Raymarine wind instrument. It does not appear that we can drop in the Raymarine without doing a bit of glass work.

Since I put in a triducer, I now have an extra hole in the hull from the old depth sounder. Am toying with using the hole for a keel cooled refrigeration unit (our fridge has died so the timing is right). Might be cheaper then glassing over the hole, but am not sure if the area is flat enough for the unit and the hole is too big in any event, so glass work will be involved. Suspect there will not be enough money in the budget in any event so for at least this next summer, it will be blocks of ice, again, with a plug in the through hole.

lloyd herman
Rendezvous, 30U
Port Washington, NY

[Steve_O_Malley]

Lloyd thank you for that thoughtful information.

Steve O

On Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 8:09:49 PM UTC-5 Julie & Lloyd on Rendezvous wrote:

[Steve_O_Malley]

Lloyd makes a great point on Radar power consumption. Has anyone had experience with the new HD radar power consumption so it can be used while
sailing? Thank you

Steve O

[system]

Hi Thor;

So MFD are a great thing, but there are other aspects of this integration that require thought. Much like the difference between rastor and vector.

Lets see - 5 GPS style devices on board (olde chart-plotter, VHF radio, iPhone, android phone, and laptop running OpenCPN). Paper charts, and, on new explorations, a hand-drawn picture of rough landscape and buoy markings.

Took out and disposed of the old LORAN unit. Still have old charts at home with LORAN lines on them - antiques now.

I don’t think I’m a luddite - my daily work revolves around generating and displaying 3D content (writing the software to do so) for a certain organization, I’d absolutely agree with your caution. I do remember watching a Youtube sailing channel - someone these people came across in the Bahamas sailed over for assistance - they had lost power, and thus ALL the navigation they had onboard. Redundancy is good!

John Stewart NS26C 046, Ottawa.

[system]

Lloyd, I too am switching out my Data Marine instruments for new Raymarine i50/ i60’s. If the holes for your old gauges were cut to the spec in the DM book, as mine were, the Raymarine displays will cover the old hole. Not by a lot but they cover and that’s all that matters. With the screws In the corners of the new displays they are far from the hole edge and completely solid.

Paul M
NS30U #211, Sandpiper
Cowichan Bay, B.C.

[system]

I liked the old format for pictures better… can anyone explain how to send as an attachment.
… from an iPad.

[user69]

As it happens, I was watching Lady K Sailing episode 48 on YouTube last night, which includes a good discussion on using an iPad mini with Navionics instead of a chart plotter. He said to get the cellular version because it includes a dedicated GPS chip, which will then work anywhere without a SIM card inserted. It sounds as though this is a popular approach among the cruising community.

Julian Smith
Leda
N26C
Shelburne, VT

[system]

I did that for years. The biggest problems are that iPads are hard to see in sunlight and they have a bad habit of overheating and timing out just when you need the data most.
The GPS version works well enough but adding a Bad Elf Pro Bluetooth GPS nearby amps up the accuracy considerably.

[Willi_Google]

Hi all,

As someone who worked for Apple for 25+ years I can attest the value of the iPad and the iPhone as a great back-up tool for navigation. The Apps available for weather, routing, and navigation have set a very high bar for dedicated plotters. BUT, until recently these devices were not very water resistant, early days water would void the warranty. Things are better now and I would not leave the dock without one or two of these. Nothing better than seeing the Raymarine Radar from your bunk when off-shift.

However, there is nothing like a dedicated plotter designed to be in the elements. These to are not without their issues… as I found during a Welland Canal transit this summer. Speed = 0 is correct we were tied to the sea wall waiting for a ship to pass. The location however… picture says it all.

—Willi
— Toronto Islands
— Brigadoon
— NS 324 #109