Raymarine vs garmin

[jmauld]

There looks to be a bit of dirty history with Raymarine. The old stuff(E120 classic) on my sundancer seems to be really well built and still works fine. Albeit a bit slow and obviously difficult to network with. So raytheon used to own raymarine, then RM was sold or split and stuff went downhill from there? And now RM is owned by FLIR and their products and product development have been increasing significantly? Is all of that fairly accurate?

 

[Henry Boyd]

I converted our two E120Ws, autopilot,and depth to 2 Axiom 12 PRO xxx (version with everything),ECI-100 gateway, STNG network, EV2 autopilot, Raystar GPS and new depth transducer. I kept the AIS 650 and HD color 48" radar array. I also have the Volvo/Garmin GPS map as an engine display. Honestly I prefer the Raymarine. When comparing the Garmin to the 120Ws the Garmin was far better. However, comparing the Axioms to the Garmin, the Axioms win hands down. I did consider going all Garmin when I was planning the upgrade, however besides needing to scrap the radar, the cost of the Garmin autopilot was ridiculous (approaching $6K as I recall). It plus the radar would have nearly doubled the parts cost.

As for buying stuff with the best price, wait until spring boat show season, the manufacturers offer rebates and/or special pricing. I got a $1500 rebate from the stuff I bought from RM, a little more than 10% discount, and its the current model.

 

[Irie308]

Looks like you just need to enable the wireless router built into the axiom:

The lack of NMEA0183 on the raymarine really makes it difficult to upgrade incrementally. But I respect their forward looking commitment

my older raymarine auto pilot is 0183 and it communicates with my axiom albeit only in track mode.

 

[Skybolt]

my older raymarine auto pilot is 0183 and it communicates with my axiom albeit only in track mode.

I have my SPx10 communicating with my Garmin 1243 in every mode, albeit in 0183 as well. I had to turn off Waypoint names and it worked like a charm. Even have a more modern p70Rs control head working as well.

 

[b_arrington]

So, I’m going to miss fishing season if I hold off. Do you expect new models or better deals for boat show season?

Sales can be very hit or miss. I've been actively looking for a sale on the Garmin gear I wanted (a GPS 86xx and radar) since last October. Haven't seen anything. There have been a few sales on smaller units, but not those.

 

[jmauld]

I fretted over this long enough. Axiom+ ordered. Thank you all for the feedback

 

[Frtbroker]

I am running with a Raymarine Axion 12+ and an ES97. The lesson learned, the version of the software must be the same or they will not network nicely. So the ES Series has no more updates available but is running Lighthouse 3 with all the current mapping.

 

[ErikE]

Not sure where you ordered your Axiom from this week, but several just came on sale at West Marine for labor day. Might be worth a check and a call to them if yours went on sale...

 

[SeasNT]

There looks to be a bit of dirty history with Raymarine. The old stuff(E120 classic) on my sundancer seems to be really well built and still works fine. Albeit a bit slow and obviously difficult to network with. So raytheon used to own raymarine, then RM was sold or split and stuff went downhill from there? And now RM is owned by FLIR and their products and product development have been increasing significantly? Is all of that fairly accurate?

It's hard to keep up with mergers but it looks like Teledyne is acquiring FLIR. Not sure what that means for Raymarine. My guess is they will continue to support it.

 

[jmauld]

Not sure where you ordered your Axiom from this week, but several just came on sale at West Marine for labor day. Might be worth a check and a call to them if yours went on sale...

I got it from TheGPSStore.com (their store is only an hour from me), and went with the Axiom+ which doesn't appear to be onsale. I'm hoping there will be black friday sales so I can pick up the second unit for my sundancer.

 

[dtfeld]

I fretted over this long enough. Axiom+ ordered. Thank you all for the feedback

You really can't go wrong either way, but I think your going to be very happy with the decision.

 

[Shaps]

May I ask, thoughts on the all glass Axiom + vs one with buttons/knob like the Axiom PRO?

I'm considering another upgrade this off season and while I love the look of the all glass, i am concerned about the practicality of them without the knob/button.

Apologies for the hijack...

 

[techmitch]

May I ask, thoughts on the all glass Axiom + vs one with buttons/knob like the Axiom PRO?

I'm considering another upgrade this off season and while I love the look of the all glass, i am concerned about the practicality of them without the knob/button.

Apologies for the hijack...

Not sure if these work with the + but @ttmott would probably know as I believe he has one.

https://www.raymarine.com/multifunction-displays/accessories/rmk-10/index.html

Utilising Raymarine’s RayNet high speed networking, the RMK-10 can be setup to control a single multifunction display, or multiple displays mounted at the same location. When controlling multiple displays on the same helm, the RMK-10 provides seamless control across all of the displays.

When used with aSeries, gS Series, AXIOM or AXIOM-XL Multitouch displays, the RMK-10 brings full HybridTouch™ control capability to these products. The RMK-10 integrates seamlessly with the LightHouse II user interface and LightHouse 3 user interface and allows the navigation system to be operated solely by touch, by keypad, or any variation between.

It may be an option for you.

 

[Shaps]

Not sure if these work with the + but @ttmott would probably know as I believe he has one.

https://www.raymarine.com/multifunction-displays/accessories/rmk-10/index.html

Utilising Raymarine’s RayNet high speed networking, the RMK-10 can be setup to control a single multifunction display, or multiple displays mounted at the same location. When controlling multiple displays on the same helm, the RMK-10 provides seamless control across all of the displays.

When used with aSeries, gS Series, AXIOM or AXIOM-XL Multitouch displays, the RMK-10 brings full HybridTouch™ control capability to these products. The RMK-10 integrates seamlessly with the LightHouse II user interface and LightHouse 3 user interface and allows the navigation system to be operated solely by touch, by keypad, or any variation between.

It may be an option for you.

Thanks @techmitch
I did see those. And I do like that 1 remote would work with multiple MFDs.
I guess I was looking for those who have gone to the pure touch screen from knobs/buttons and if they had any regrets..
I should probably start my own thread....

 

[jmauld]

I am planning on purchasing a remote if the touchscreen becomes an issue.

From what I’ve read, the touchscreen is mainly an issue during wet or rough conditions. It looks like your helm is dry, and the size of your boat reduces your movement in rough conditions.

I think you’ll be fine, unless you just don’t like touchscreens.

 

[Shaps]

Thanks @jmauld
Looking forward to your feedback!

 

[ocgrant]

I am pure touch and no issues I love it. You can also use your phone or iPad as a remote with the app from Raymarine. I was considering the remote but figured I would try all glass first. No issues here plus 2 16’s barely fit in our boat edge to edge. No room for knobs.

 

[Shaps]

Grant
I was thinking 2 12"ers
That said I do LOVE the look of your all glass helm....

 

[scooper321]

When I was looking, I went into a West Marine and played around with all the display models. Based on that research, I ended up with Garmin because of the intuitiveness of its interface. You may reach a different conclusion, but I highly recommend you taking a similar approach.

interesting. I did the exact same thing and found the Garmin to NOT be intuitive. The Axiom was. The OP should do the same and decide for himself.

 

[scooper321]

May I ask, thoughts on the all glass Axiom + vs one with buttons/knob like the Axiom PRO?

I'm considering another upgrade this off season and while I love the look of the all glass, i am concerned about the practicality of them without the knob/button.

Apologies for the hijack...

on my previous boat I chose a Simrad for exactly this reason. Bouncing in the waves I liked having the dial and buttons. For my current boat I went Axiom, all touch. They have the remote dial and pad, which I may install. Or I may not. The touch is sometimes annoying if I’m bouncing a lot but I don’t honestly play with the plotter that often so it’s not as big a deal for me as I thought it would be.