Replacement of Raymarine Rl 70c radar chartplotter with what

[JohnForr]

I would appreciate any input on suggested replacement for the RL 70c?
Also, do any of the new chartplotters allow hook up of the radar that is part of the rl70c?

[markws1852]

John, I am in the process of researching an upgrade of my electronics and have contacted a Raymarine authorized installer/reseller for a quote and various options. I have hull 300 and the classic C80 chartplotter. Based on what I have found so far, the new chartplotters require an upgrade to one of the new digital radomes--meaning you can't keep your current radar. I would like to keep my depth and speed instruments and replace by wind instrument (which is very tempermental) and possibly the autopilot. I'll let you know what is suggested although I probably will go with the new e series touchscreen from Raymarine for my chartplotter.

[JohnForr]

Mark,
Thank you for your answer. Your answer provided a lot of valuable info that I had the same questions about. I figured I was going to need a new radar dome also.
Please let me know what you find out, especially the part about matching the old depth gauge, wind and speed with the new one. And I would appreciate knowing which package you decide on.

Also, I am assuming the old self steering system will not link into the newer chartplotters.


I contacted west marine and asked if they would match an Amazon combo Package. My message to west marine. "I saw a combo pac on Amazon and contacted West Marine and asked them if they would match Amazon and they said no."

Here is their answer.

We do not price match Amazon.com. I have included the link to West Marine price matching policy.

http://www.westmarine.com/CustomerServi ... ing-Policy


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Ashley
West Marine
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[markws1852]

Not sure what you mean by steering system. I am advised that that actuator and other moving parts associated with the autopilot will work fine with the new EV200 autopilot.

It's been about 4 days since my request for a quote with options. It's only January but I am getting anxious.

[JohnForr]

Yes I was talking about the autopilot. That is good news that those moving parts are adaptable to the new autopilot. Last fall we tom a 1700 mile trip and the autopilot did not work. It got tiring having to stand or sit at the helm all day.

[markws1852]

John, I never received a reply to my request for a quote from my Catalina dealer. I followed up at least twice but still no response. As an alternative, I requested that my current Marina provide me with a quote. They were very attentive and provided a preliminary quote for an upgrade to the new e series MFD, new radome and new wind instrument. The quote comes in at around $9000 plus tax. About 50-60% of the quote is labor. I intend to schedule a meeting to discuss more of the details. This quote did NOT include an upgrade of the autopilot which I believe I will want to do. I don't expect there to be much of an increase in the labor for this but we'll see! The bottom line is, that regardless of price, the existing seatalk instruments (including my existing autopilot) can co-exist with the new MFD and Radar unit.

[JohnForr]

Mark,
Thanks for the info and I am glad to hear that the other instruments are compatible. Was there something wrong with your wind instrument that it needs replacement or is that a compatibility issue also. My wind instrument is working fine, however there is an osprey that perches on the wind vane every morning. So I don't know how long that will hold out.

[markws1852]

The wind instrument works intermittently--but mostly not. It generally shows 3 dashes. Sometimes if I cycle the power a few times I can get it to work but it does not appear to display accurate information. I believe there is a fault in the unit or in the wiring. I haven't decided to definitely replace it and will discuss the cost differential in replacement vs. fault checking. The existing instrument is compatible with the new MFD. I would prefer NOT to change it as there is a fair amount of labor involved as new wiring down the mast is required. I expect to meet up at the marina to discuss the plan in greater detail.

[Capt. Nini]

I have a Raymarine ST60 that showed the same symptoms. You can call Raymarine Tech and they will provide you with the voltage readings for each wire on the system. Knowing the voltages, you can test each item,(instrument, anemometer)to determine which component is bad.Turns out that the mast top "block" that the anomometer screws into and the cable runs from, was allowing the system to go to ground. I replaced it and all is well. I talked to Lee Tang at Raymarine and found him extremely helpful. His number is: 603-324-7951.

[markws1852]

Thanks for your post. I just got off the phone with my contact at the marina. We spent quite a bit of time discussing the options and a plan of action. It was quite helpful. He recommended that I go with the e125 MFD (12" display). It's a bit more money than the 9" but has a higher resolution display and will be the focal point for new instruments and sensors--including the autopilot. This will likely mean a new navpod but he is going to measure it see for sure. I will likely go with this option. The biggest cost factor is the labor and this is something of an unknown--it depends on the ability to run the new radar cable inside the mast without removing the mast from the cabin top.

As soon as I mentioned the three dashes in the wind instrument display he provided me with the likely cause--which is exactly what you describe in your post. I hope he is right as that would save a good bit of money on the project and let me spend it where I really want it to go.

[KevinMc]

I'm looking forward to reading how the upgrade went. I'm the third owner of hull #59 and everything onboard appears circa 2003. Next year (the Admiral and my retirement year) I'm looking at a complete upgrade from masthead to transducer before a sail to the Bahamas from the Chesapeake Bay.

I also am getting a sticking wind vane, fluxgate compass suddenly swinging 60, 120 or 180 degrees off it's heading and a chart plotter which just doesn't work for 57 year old eyes.

I'm thinking of just going with a single vendor so everything would be integrated and I do look forward to jumping a few electronic generations in the process.

[markws1852]

I am hopeful that the process with be painless (except for the $). We have already determined that we will likely need to unstep the mast in order to run the new cable for the digital radar unit. My existing cable run terminates in the mast at a junction box. We also determined that a new navpod will be required to house the e125. The labor cost is still somewhat of an unknown as I wait for a more complete estimate.

Mark
Legal Tender III
Hull 300

[saileagleswings]

I like my Garmin 4208 chart plotter. I have no experience with Raymarine so I can't compare. I also have a Garmin radar and a sonar with a hockey puck type transducer that shots through the hull. The autopilot & wind transducer are Nexus which is now a Garmin company. My VHF sends AIS info to the chart plotter. I think AIS is better than radar for crossing the Gulf Stream with big ship traffic.

I also have paper Explorer charts for the Bahamas (highly recommended) and PlantoNav (very inexpensive) with Active Captain on my cellphone and tablet. For the Abacos, I got Steve Dodges' paper cruising guide and his electronic charts on a notebook. I also like the Southeast Salty Dog Cruisers net.

I don't have a SSB but it sure would be nice.

If you are headed for the Abacos, you might want to join the Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club for the discounts especially if you get stuck in West End.

No doubt there are hundreds of cruising blogs but I like to follow http://svbarefoot.blogspot.com/ Here you can read about experiences with real Bahamians.

Have a great trip.

[jrohrbaugh]

I am in the process of adding a AIS receiver to my primitive electronics. (no radar)

I looked carefully at adding a marine radio with AIS but by the time I did the math, adding a simple ais was less expensive and accomplished the same goal; seeing big ships!

Product is AMIEC Cypho-150s from Milltech. Will run it from near the I Com VHF radio mounted above the chart table. The AIS has a splitter function built in so no need for separate antenna. Will interface with the Garmin 720 I have as a GPS/Chart plotter. Cost is $265. (boat show special)
I am using a professional electronics tech to do this but install looks pretty easy.

I am putting this unit on a separate power switch to help make sure it's turned off in high traffic marinas.

I delivered a 355 last year to the boat show with the Ray Marine set up. As we neared the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami areas we were bombarded with signals and could not figure out a solution. (we finally did at the dock) Since we did overnighters it was a great comfort to have this feature available.

Good luck on your trip. We are headed to the Abaco Islands early in May ourselves. This is a must have item for our trip.
If you would like more Abaco info, feel free to contact me.

Jamie
S/V Soixante
Hull 444

[JohnForr]

This discussion has been very informative.
For what it is worth I notice that Raymarine is having discounts on their electronics till the end of April. The info is on their site and summarized below.


Raymarine’s Gear Up Sales Event is the perfect time to build your dream electronics system. No matter if you’re starting from scratch or adding to an existing Raymarine system, the Gear Up Sales Event will help you save big on the technology you need.
Save up to $500 on select Multifunction Displays*

Save up to $200 on Evolution™ Autopilots*

Save up to $200 on select radar scanners

Plus big savings on CHIRP sonar, instruments and more!

Raymarine is offering generous upgrade bonuses and other incentives too - see below.

Click here for the official Gear Up Rebate Coupon

The Gear-Up Sales event ends April 30, 2015, so don’t delay. Start outfitting your boat today!