On a recent delivery from the Virgin Islands to Florida, I was once again enlightened on how important AIS and radar are for ship and storm avoidance. Yes, I have both on my 1984 Grand Soleil 39, Yahtzee, but the systems I was using on the delivery were newer and, in many of their functions, easier to use. When the delivery was successfully completed, I decided to look into what was currently on the market for those looking to upgrade their AIS, chartplotter and radar systems.
There are more technology choices now than even a few years ago and, of course, many options are as different as the voyagers who use them. I’m by no means an expert in the field of onboard electronics, but as an experienced cruiser, boatowner, sailing instructor and delivery skipper, I kept coming back to these helpful questions while researching the various options on the market.
The question I started with is, “How intuitive are the systems to use?” For my boat, I purchased a Vesper AIS back in 2017 and linked it to a Raymarine C90 chartplotter, Raymarine radar and the Vesper AIS WatchMate app on my iPad and iPhone. That setup has functioned admirably over many thousands of miles, but the capabilities of units such as these have come a very long way since then.
On this delivery, I found the vessel’s newer B&G Zeus³ S 9 chartplotter to be moderately intuitive as I poked through pages and started to learn the radar, sonar, AIS and sailing instrument functions on my own. When a fellow crew member gave me a short tutorial, though, it became much easier to move through all the screens to get a vast amount of information from the unit. By the end of the delivery, I was wishing I had something as intuitive on my boat.
My advice on intuitiveness is to try as many chartplotters as you can before you buy one. B&G, Simrad, Raymarine, Garmin and more all have great products; what matters is finding which one works best for you, your crew and the boat.
In terms of functionality, I turned to the physical components themselves and how they’ll be integrated. “Do I need to replace everything or can I keep some of what I have?” This is a question that differs for every boat owner. If you’re buying a new boat, all these components are most likely already put together or you may have some options in how you interchange them. But for the vast majority of sailors who are purchasing a used boat or plan to upgrade the systems they already have, this can be either a limiting factor or a reason to just replace everything.
I start by thinking about the chartplotter, depth sounder, sonar, VHF/DSC, AIS, radar and autopilot as one big body of electronics that are connected and talking to each other. From there, many of the new systems will allow you to integrate water, fuel and waste tank levels, entertainment options, power management, such as battery levels and lighting, and even alarms for bilge pumps. There’s a lot to consider, which makes it important to understand what you’re getting and how much functionality you want or need on your boat. Reading about and comparing all the various features and talking to salespeople and representatives from each company can help you get an idea of what is similar and different.
Another major consideration is, “Where am I going to put everything?” Again, every boat is going to be different and there are options to help with choosing locations for many of the components. Chartplotters come in various sizes, usually 7-, 9- and 12-inches, and can be mounted on brackets at the helm or in the nav station. Increasingly common now is mounting them flush on interior or exterior bulkheads or in pods at the helm.
The key to mounting chartplotters is to position them in a location where they can be viewed and operated easily. You must be able to see the key features in one place simultaneously, like the chart, radar and sonar. If they’re out of the way, they either won’t get used as much or will be frustrating to use when you need to. The same can be said for control units for wind, depth and autopilot. For electronics down below, such as AIS transceivers and radios, you want them to be out of the way but also easy to get to when they’re needed. Indeed, it’s a puzzle. But an important one.
While you’re installing all the electronics in the cockpit and down below, you need to be thinking about where you’ll put the radar dome. Will it get mounted on an arch on the stern, from the backstay on a bracket that allows it to swing when the boat heels or on the mast? Each of those options is going to have different considerations when thinking about wiring and each will have a different price point.
All of this leads up to the question on every boat owner’s mind: “How much is all of this going to cost me?” The obvious answer is, “It depends.” From what I can tell, each company’s base package is roughly the same, yet you can often find bargains. Smaller, stand-alone chartplotters alone can start in the $600 to $800 range and go up from there. If you’re adding control heads, radar, AIS and autopilot, you’re well on your way to spending more than just a few bucks. One thing to consider when choosing a package is the service you’ll get with it. How is the company’s reputation for customer care? What are the warranty options? How much of the installation can you do on your own to help alleviate some of the cost?
In my experience, using modern electronics on a variety of boats and putting the time into researching and choosing the best option for your boat will be worth the expense. Nothing replaces the need for good seamanship and competent watch-standing, but when you get out on the ocean and can identify shipping traffic and storm cells more easily, you won’t be thinking about the money. n