Marine electronics
Check out the latest in multifunction displays and more at the Boat Show
One of the best ways to choose new marine electronics is to get your hands on kit from a range of manufacturers, ideally with a knowledgeable expert on hand to answer questions. It’s also always interesting to see higher end products operating alongside more budget priced units – this makes it easier to assess the extra functionality that can be gained by spending more.
However, opportunities to do this over the past couple of years have been limited thanks to the cancellation of boat shows because of Covid. As a result, this year’s Southampton Boat Show will have a bumper selection of new electronics that have not been displayed before.
MFD upgrades
Stands: Raymarine J385, B&G/Navico J372, Garmin J386
Improvements in both touchscreens and processing power over the past few years have resulted in big steps forward in multifunction displays (MFDs).
Screens now typically have better resolution and are much clearer in bright sunlight, with wider viewing angles.
The screens of Raymarine’s latest Axiom + range, for instance, are 25% brighter and have twice the resolution of the previous Axiom product, which itself was a significant step up compared to earlier units. At the same time there’s also more contrast and viewing angles have been increased still further.
In addition, both Raymarine (Axiom +) and B&G (Zeus 3S) have added quick quad-core processors that eliminate delays when scrolling or redrawing charts.
Garmin’s flagship GPSMAP Plus MFDs were upgraded a couple of years ago to include faster processors and better integration of third party devices using the Garmin OneHelm interface. These units now also offer a more seamless experience when using Garmin’s ActiveCaptain app. The addition of 7in and 9in units to the range both offers lower cost options and gives more location options for tiller steered boats, including bulkhead mounting at the front of the cockpit.
At the very high end, B&G’s Nemesis range is intended as a new generation of displays which offers flexible and superbly clear readouts that can be used for a wide variety of different purposes. A ‘drag and drop’ editor allows users to adjust the size and colour of each number. Even if this model is out of your price range, features developed initially for high-end units are often cascaded down to more modestly priced products, so it gives a glimpse of a potentially not so distant future.
The Nemesis system can also be configured to automatically display different data for different points of sail, with different upwind, reaching, downwind and, for those who race, pre-start context modes.
It can even show the input from onboard cameras, which can be extremely useful when manoeuvring a catamaran, for example, where one of the bows is not easily visible from the helm station.
Improved cartography
The greater processing power of MFDs has also enabled a step forward in cartography and all the big marine electronics manufacturers now have in-house charting departments.
Raymarine’s latest charts, for instance, were developed to upgrade clarity and functionality. User control has been improved in this respect – you can change the size of navigation aid icons to best suit your screen and different zoom levels.
There are also two different viewing modes aimed at leisure and professional users. The latter provides a presentation of key data only, while the leisure option gives a more data-rich experience. Users can also create their own sonar maps to overlay onto charts created from official hydrographic data.
In addition, high-definition satellite imagery with sufficient detail to show areas in an anchorage with kelp and clear sand, is also available.
Prices: B&G Zeus 3S from £2,700; B&G Nemesis from £3,260. bandg.com
Garmin GPSMAP Plus: £870- £2,600. garmin.com
Raymarine Axiom + 7in £745; 9in £1,295; 12in £2,495; LightHouse charts from £79.
raymarine.co.uk