Electronics upgrade...convince me not to spend this money on Garmin...please?

[Stee6043]

For anyone planning on buying Garmin electronics in the spring plan on being patient. It's been two weeks since I ordered...another week to go before I hit my expected ship date. A loooonnnngggg wait.

I've been substantially spoiled by Amazon...it's ruined me. If something can't ship two days after I order it I'm not sure I really need it

 

[bobeast]

That made me laugh out loud. I look forward to seeing your post mid-April about how smoothly the Garmin watch integration goes!

I feel like we're one step away from heated toilet seats here. A slippery slope indeed. All I really wanted was a remote for my Fusion!!! ha.

Just had to say it didn't you? Now I'm looking in my head as to where I can hook up the toilet seat!

 

[RollerCoastr]

I've been substantially spoiled by Amazon...it's ruined me. If something can't ship two days after I order it I'm not sure I really need it

The work-around is to always have something coming from Amazon. That way you’re less likely to notice the slow shippers.

 

[Handsome Transom]

But can I tune my radio with paper charts??

I was trying to convince him not to apparantly i was unsuccessful.

 

[Stee6043]

Finally....after an eternity of waiting....my gear arrived yesterday. 3 weeks and 1 day after order entry. I feel like General Motors could deliver a custom ordered pickup truck faster

I plan to bench test all it this weekend using a 12V power supply. Picture me sitting out on my deck with a beer in-hand waiting for the units to get a GPS signal.

My hope is to have everything configured and updated before I start cutting holes in the helm. Hopefully more pictures to come shortly!

 

[Jaybeaux]

Picture me sitting out on my deck with a beer in-hand waiting for the units to get a GPS signal.

I just did the same thing a few weeks back, but it was the kitchen table! My VHF antenna hadn't arrived yet. I was told by BOE Marine to not key the mic on my VHF and I would be fine.

Jaybeaux

 

[b_arrington]

I feel like we're one step away from heated toilet seats here. A slippery slope indeed. All I really wanted was a remote for my Fusion!!! ha.

My office has heated toilet seats, plus the "cleansing spray". It's nice. There is definitely a difference between the electrically heated seat, and one heated by a previous occupant.

 

[j98052]

I just completed installation of all new Garmin gear, replacing all the Raymarine equipment the boat came with, plus some new stuff.

The new Garmin 8616s just barely fit, but they sure are nice! Technographics made the new panel, plus panels for the VHF speaker and keyboard. It was actually cheaper to put the Garmin keyboard in than to have the hole from the Ray keyboard filled in and gel coated.

 

[b_arrington]

Wow, looks fantastic.

 

[Stee6043]

I just completed installation of all new Garmin gear, replacing all the Raymarine equipment the boat came with, plus some new stuff.

The new Garmin 8616s just barely fit, but they sure are nice! Technographics made the new panel, plus panels for the VHF speaker and keyboard. It was actually cheaper to put the Garmin keyboard in than to have the hole from the Ray keyboard filled in and gel coated.

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Wow....now that's how you upgrade electronics! Nice. Very nice. Thanks for sharing.

 

[b_arrington]

What’s the use case for having both the fixed mount GRID 20 and the wireless remote?

 

[j98052]

What’s the use case for having both the fixed mount GRID 20 and the wireless remote?

The wireless remote is specifically for the auto-pilot. The GRID fully controls the MFDs. I put the GRID in because it was much cheaper than trying to fill the gaping hole left by the Raymarine keypad, but I actually find myself using it, especially in rough seas.

 

[RollerCoastr]

So Stee, I've made another upgrade to my dash that I highly recommend. I'm sure you're already bracing for sticker shock, so I'll get this out of the way: Dig deep into your wallet and pull out $6.

It took 2 decades to get my RayPilot 650 working perfectly, but now that it is, there's no way I can justify thousands of dollars to replace it. It's an eye-sore though. Aside from the gray case not matching any other components, it has been turning olive green as it ages.

When a friend replaced his, he gave me his 650 head unit. Having a spare gave me some courage... The only labels on the case itself instead of the buttons are the brand (defunct), "course" (duh) and "pwr str"(whatever), so I thought it was a great candidate for painting. After removing the screws to separate the case and removing the circuit board, I realize that the window appears to be glued-in, so I taped it off. The wheel also appears to be affixed to the circuit board, so I used the hole in the case cover to trace a hole in newspaper to protect the board while painting the wheel.

I used satin black plastic paint. I'm very happy with the results.

 

[Stee6043]

So Stee, I've made another upgrade to my dash that I highly recommend. I'm sure you're already bracing for sticker shock, so I'll get this out of the way: Dig deep into your wallet and pull out $6.

It took 2 decades to get my RayPilot 650 working perfectly, but now that it is, there's no way I can justify thousands of dollars to replace it. It's an eye-sore though. Aside from the gray case not matching any other components, it has been turning olive green as it ages.

When a friend replaced his, he gave me his 650 head unit. Having a spare gave me some courage... The only labels on the case itself instead of the buttons are the brand (defunct), "course" (duh) and "pwr str"(whatever), so I thought it was a great candidate for painting. After removing the screws to separate the case and removing the circuit board, I realize that the window appears to be glued-in, so I taped it off. The wheel also appears to be affixed to the circuit board, so I used the hole in the case cover to trace a hole in newspaper to protect the board while painting the wheel.

I used satin black plastic paint. I'm very happy with the results.

I feel like I'm wearing you down, Roller. Finally a sub-$1000 upgrade from you! hah. This is good stuff.

Question - any concerns with the sun cover rubbing the paint when you take it off/put it on? That looks really good in the photos. A great idea and nice that you have a spare.

I painted all of the Ray suncovers on my 340 a few years back. It was a quick and cheap upgrade. The only bummer was the durability (or lack thereof). But like you mentioned for $6 I could almost afford to repaint it....every year

 

[RollerCoastr]

I wondered about the cover wearing off the paint, so tried to scratch paint off the back of the unit as a test. It held up, so I'm optimistic.

The cover is another story. I tried to paint them in the past, but by the time I did it, they had already begun to deteriorate. All of the nicks and grooves showed through the paint. I'm in the process now of trying to sand down a cover to prep it for painting, but success is evading me.

 

[Stee6043]

So this has been the extent of my electronics upgrade project so far. I'm not sure if I'll get these installed before I launch (2 weeks away +/-) or shortly after.

It was nice to get these powered up in the comfort of the house. I managed to get the NMEA network running, updated all the software, set my MMSI and sync'd the plotters with my phone/iPad. The view would have been better doing this from the boat but the couch is more comfortable in my living room.

 

[OllieC]

Is that a Bells Two Hearted Ale?

 

[Stee6043]

Is that a Bells Two Hearted Ale?

That's a Bells.....Arabicadabra. It's a coffee ale. Perfect to sip on whilst getting the last 6" of snow for the season....

 

[Stee6043]

Spring update:

So far this spring I've been focusing on getting the less glamorous spring projects done so I have not yet fully installed my new Garmin gear. I did start the process this past weekend, however.

I was surprised to find my helm completely cut open beneath the burl panel. This actually makes the install easier, which is nice. I managed to get one chartplotter fitted and installed (not wired) before deciding to bring the dash panel back home to finish the trimming and fitting of the second plotter and the relocation of the autopilot. It's going to be a bit tighter than I had planned.

Hey Roller - if you're still reading this thread - I found the burl panel I have on my lower dash area for sale on Flounder Pounder. It looks like a standard piece they offer for the 96-00 400. I wanted to make sure I could replace mine, worst case, before I really started butchering it

Disclaimer - I did not cut that larger opening that shows the drill holes every 1/4" in the glass. The more work I do on this boat the more I wonder about the prior owner...

 

[OllieC]

That's a Bells.....Arabicadabra. It's a coffee ale. Perfect to sip on whilst getting the last 6" of snow for the season....

I don't think I've had a bad "Belle's" beer yet. I'll have to try that.

Looks good btw.