Replace old electronics with simple

[Ken C]

My express cruiser has old 2006 electronics: Raymarine C80 MFD with no charts, Radar that seems to work OK, GPS, autopilot. Maybe this suite made sense in a previous life on inland rivers, but I'm never going to need them on my land-locked lake where we overnight when it's easy and are never more than a few hours from our dock. Someday the next owner will certainly replace everything they plan to use.

That said, I would really like to utilize an MFD at the helm to display a navigational chart. I don't need it but want it for the same reason I own a boat: for the enjoyment and entertainment of myself and my guests.

My options are purchase midwest US charts, somehow copy to a compact flash card, try to load in the old C80. However, putting any $ into an 18yo MFD when downloading success is not assured seems questionable. With this plan I could continue using the old analog radar - again for entertainment as I can't see using it in a tight spot.

Other option is replacing with a newer MFD, that fits my helm, and get charts for that. Old radar will not connect so could remove it. Even the simplest displays seem to have functionality that I'll not need - but still have to pay for.

I realize this question is far more remedial than the expertise of most regular contributors, but I would appreciate your incite nonetheless because I have no experience weighing these options.

 

[tiltrider1]

While old, the C80 is a very capable chart plotter. You should be able to find CF cards on eBay for any area you desire. A simple card purchase is probably your simplest and least expensive solution. This would also preserve your radar which would be another fun tool to play with and could come in handy that one time you get caught out on the lake in the dark.

 

[Ken C]

thanks for the reply. A used Navionics USA Central CF card (assuming that's what I need) is cheap enough to purchase and play around with regardless of the outcome.

 

[tiltrider1]

thanks for the reply. A used Navionics USA Central CF card (assuming that's what I need) is cheap enough to purchase and play around with regardless of the outcome.

Yes, but to be safe stay check the manual on line for the C80 and see what capacity size CF the unit can read. It might not have the capacity to read a Navionics platinum version. I’m sure it can handle a standard Navionics CF card.

 

[Jcslocum]

You will need to use an old chart card, not a new one. The processor in these older units can’t redraw the screen fast enough. I have found this out on my C120. Troll EBay for find one.

 

[Iggy]

I have seen 9" re-man units go for $600 to $900. Why not look into these units?

 

[lwarden]

I had a C80 on my last boat, it was perfectly adequate for general use. As other said, look for an old chart, you may find it difficult to get a new one from Navionics which is compatible. After a while I added a newer Garmin unit (mainly because I wanted a newer sounder) and kept the C80 for radar display and nav backup. It got crowded on the helm but the newer Garmin was a big step up in display and it was about $1,200 IIRC.

 

[Shrew]

Buy a Navionics card for the Raymarine that covers your area. This isn't that complicated.

 

[DWJensen]

If your current but older systems (RADAR, auto pilot, depths, etc.) work fine and you're just thinking about an MFD for navigational interest, why not use a tablet with an app like AquaMaps?

For a nominal subscription fee you'll be able to display current charts and if you have a GPS enabled tablet you'll have tracking just like with a dedicated chart plotter. We use a 12" Android tablet (with GPS) in addition to our current electronics suite, and with my Aquamaps Master subscription I have everything I need right on the tablet. Much cheaper than a new MFD and you can use it for other things on board (and ashore) as well.

 

[Nomad Willy]

In w the new out w the old.

Everybody seems to need the brand new thing. They don’t

 

[Ken C]

Thanks for the responses. I purchased an older Navionics card and will download next time at the boat. I agree it's not that complicated. The problem is a lack of experience makes it difficult to recognize what's complicated and what's not. Now on to the next thing. This fid looks plumb dangerous!

 

[Seevee]

Ken,

The old C 80 is worth nothing and isn't worth putting any money into at all, it's way obsolete and way behind the times.

Heck you can get a NEW Garmin Echomap 7" with transducer for less than $800 which should be more than adequate for what you want. No messing around with hard to find data cards or fixing and old unit that will fail in the future.

I have one on my Dinghy and works perfectly. And can quickly remove it for safety.

I've had 3 RM C80s. I gave one away with the old radar unit (which never worked again) and trashed the other two.

With a bit of searching, you might find a good used one for half the price, unfortunately none on this forum.

 

[Takoradi]

Look at Sitex products. Few bell’s & whistles, economical , dependable and excellent costumer service.

Tak

 

[Ken C]

Got to boat today, loaded my new to me Navionics CF for my area. Spent 30 minutes trying to load something. Eventually zoomed out far enough to see I had a perfectly good map - that covers the Cumberland River all the way up to the dam that separates me from all of you.

I'm sure every other TF member knew that card didn't cover my land locked lake (Lake Cumberland) but I did not Good news is the old C80 will be fine for my purposes (entertainment/education) but it will take some more research on my part to find something I can load up. Maybe a fishing map in a Raymarine friendly format? If you know what I'm looking for please chime in.

PS - I did not impale myself with that fid but my splice is no thing of beauty

 

[lwarden]

Got to boat today, loaded my new to me Navionics CF for my area. Spent 30 minutes trying to load something. Eventually zoomed out far enough to see I had a perfectly good map - that covers the Cumberland River all the way up to the dam that separates me from all of you.

I'm sure every other TF member knew that card didn't cover my land locked lake (Lake Cumberland) but I did not Good news is the old C80 will be fine for my purposes (entertainment/education) but it will take some more research on my part to find something I can load up. Maybe a fishing map in a Raymarine friendly format? If you know what I'm looking for please chime in.

PS - I did not impale myself with that fid but my splice is no thing of beauty

Can't help with the map issue, but maybe look at downloading the Navionics app and see if that shows the lake.
Regarding the fid, I think most of use by pre-spliced lines these days. My fid days are long over.

 

[Sig Machi]

If your current but older systems (RADAR, auto pilot, depths, etc.) work fine and you're just thinking about an MFD for navigational interest, why not use a tablet with an app like AquaMaps?

For a nominal subscription fee you'll be able to display current charts and if you have a GPS enabled tablet you'll have tracking just like with a dedicated chart plotter. We use a 12" Android tablet (with GPS) in addition to our current electronics suite, and with my Aquamaps Master subscription I have everything I need right on the tablet. Much cheaper than a new MFD and you can use it for other things on board (and ashore) as well.

Excellent Idea!

 

[kthoennes]

I have a C80 and while it may be old, it's perfectly adequate. And like the OP, we're trapped above the first dam going upstream on the Missouri River. Our Navionics CF card works fine and it's surpringly accurate. CF card to SD card adapters are easily available too and we've never had problems loading. Radar, AIS, depth sounder, all works. When we bought the boat in Newport RI we motored all the way to Albany, NY and that C80 was reliable all the way. It may be vintage and I can't keep it going forever, and I'm sure the new stuff does all kinds of great things, but I have no desire to start down the road of have to update everything, cables, connectors, transponder, radar, digital everything. It's like pulling a thread on a sweater, one tug and $15,000 you've unraveled and replaced everything. Someday well drop the boat into Lake Superior at Duluth and sail away, but for now I'll stay with the vintage system as long as it works.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yeah me too.

 

[Ken C]

No one is reading this old thread any longer but I thought I should finish it up anyway. Navionics never made a CF card that included my lake and it took me quite a while to figure that out. Searching ebay and other sites for a properly formated/updated CF card that someone had downloaded my cruise area onto proved unworkable. My final solution was a one year subscription, a Navionics update Card, as well as an old mapping CF card. Total cost was about $150. Final result is my lake on my old C80 with properly working radar and GPS. A stated earlier, this is more for education and enjoyment than for any navigation needs, and as such, works great.

 

[Iggy]

I only had i 12" MFD, but I want another one. One for GPS and one for radar. A good 12 MFD is about 2k to $2500.

I bought a good laptop $900 with a 500 nits screen. Brighter than most. $750 for Time Zero and maps.

This give a a 15" screen with very good software. With the use of a computer too.

 

[kthoennes]

I'm surprised you couldn't find a Nav card that included your lake. I'm in the same situation as you, trapped in a relatively small bathtub above a dam, center of the continent. Our lake is the smallest of all the impoundments on the Missouri, just 26 miles long, but I found a Nav card easily. Huh. Well, sounds like both our systems are working and adequate for now.

(As long as we're talking about this, our marina accidentally crunched the radar bowl on the arch last season with their travel lift. The marina offered me a credit on our annual slip fees for the cost of replacement. It was an old Pathfinder, same vintage as the C80. I used the credit to replace it with a 48" open array from the same era that I found on eBay, and I actually was able to sell the array with the broken lid and bent panel to some marine electronics service company in Canada for parts. I did have to re-wire the power supply to that open array since it pulls more than the radome did, but otherwise it was plug and play.
That technology may be ancient but there's a lot still circulating out there.

 

[Takoradi]

I have a C80 and while it may be old, it's perfectly adequate. And like the OP, we're trapped above the first dam going upstream on the Missouri River. Our Navionics CF card works fine and it's surpringly accurate. CF card to SD card adapters are easily available too and we've never had problems loading. Radar, AIS, depth sounder, all works. When we bought the boat in Newport RI we motored all the way to Albany, NY and that C80 was reliable all the way. It may be vintage and I can't keep it going forever, and I'm sure the new stuff does all kinds of great things, but I have no desire to start down the road of have to update everything, cables, connectors, transponder, radar, digital everything. It's like pulling a thread on a sweater, one tug and $15,000 you've unraveled and replaced everything. Someday well drop the boat into Lake Superior at Duluth and sail away, but for now I'll stay with the vintage system as long as it works.

To expand my system to the flybridge, I use a <$100 Samsung tablet that mirrors my Sitex MDT at the helm. Works great, very visible in direct light, and the case I put it in is a rubberized one designed for kids. Nearly bulletproof!