Raymarine Options For Small Boats: Best Picks

If you're looking to enhance your small boat's performance and safety, Raymarine offers a range of innovative marine electronics worth considering. From high-performance sailing instruments to advanced marine radar systems, Raymarine products are designed to elevate your boating experience. Their autopilot systems, for example, offer confident and accurate steering control, while their chartplotters provide exceptional visibility and customisable dashboards. Raymarine's radar technology is also impressive, with features like bird mode, which helps locate schools of fish, and Doppler collision avoidance, making navigation safer and more efficient.

Raymarine's autopilot systems

The Evolution series is a game-changing, self-calibrating autopilot system with packs specifically designed to suit the size and weight of your boat. The Evolution autopilot central processor and 3D heading sensor are at the heart of every Evolution autopilot system. The Evolution AI control algorithms enable the autopilot to perceive its environment and instantly calculate and evolve steering commands to maximise performance. This results in precise and confident course-keeping, regardless of vessel speed or sea conditions.

The Raymarine autopilot systems are suitable for a wide range of boats, including power, sail and fishing boats. The autopilot systems are also designed for different sizes of vessels, from small boats to large vessels. The Evolution series, for example, is suitable for small power boats, mid-size sailing vessels, and large power vessels.

The different types of Raymarine autopilots include the EV-100 wheel pilot, the EV-100 tiller, and the EV-100 power. The EV-100 wheel pilot features a fully enclosed wheel drive for simple installation and superb autopilot performance. The EV-100 tiller is perfect for large tiller-steered yachts, while the EV-100 power is designed for vessels with single outboard engines and hydraulic steering.

In addition to the Evolution series, Raymarine also offers self-contained tiller pilots and autopilot control heads, Actuator Control Units (ACU), and autopilot drive units that can match almost any type of steering system.

Raymarine's radar systems

Raymarine offers a wide range of radar solutions for all types and sizes of boats. Their radar systems are designed to improve your situational awareness and help you navigate safely, day and night. Here is an overview of Raymarine's radar systems:

Radome and Open Array Radar Scanners

Radome or open array scanners network with Raymarine chartplotter displays, providing full radar functionality and enhancing your overall awareness of your surroundings. Radome scanners are known for their compact size and ease of installation, while open array marine radar scanners offer improved performance. Raymarine offers a variety of options within these categories, including:

• Lightweight, solid-state radar—perfect for sailing, cruising, and coastal fishing adventures.
• High-performance magnetron radar—designed for commercial mariners and first responders.
• Trusted magnetron open-array radar—popular among commercial and offshore sport fishing enthusiasts.
• High-performance, solid-state, open-array radar—suited for both recreational and commercial use.
• IMO-compliant solid-state radar—a cost-effective and easy-to-install option for commercial use.

Advanced Radar Features

• Doppler target tracking: Available on Quantum 2 radomes and Cyclone open-array radars, Doppler instantly detects targets in motion and displays them using a unique colour palette. Inbound targets are shown in red, while outbound targets are green, enhancing your awareness in busy areas.
• MARPA target tracking: This collision avoidance feature acquires and tracks targets, calculating their course, speed, closest point of approach (CPA), and time to CPA. Visual and audible alerts warn you of potential dangers.
• AIS integration: By connecting an AIS receiver or transceiver to your chartplotter display, you can see other vessels detected by your Automatic Identification System (AIS) on your radar scope.
• Radar overlay: This feature lets you view the live radar image as an overlay on your navigation chart, helping you confirm the positions of navigation aids, other vessels, obstacles, and landmasses.
• Target true trails display: This function shows the historical path taken by moving targets, making it easier to identify targets in motion and determine their direction of travel.
• Real-time heading updates: Raymarine radars provide uninterrupted radar target imagery when changing course, thanks to real-time heading updates. This eliminates the need to refresh the entire display.

Raymarine's chartplotters

The Axiom chartplotters are equipped with the easy-to-use LightHouse operating system, which acts as a central hub for performance sailing data calculations and remote display control. This system offers high-definition displays and quad-core performance, bringing electronic charts to life with vector and raster charts, 3D maps, satellite overlays, and automatic routing options. The LightHouse Charts provide a superior nautical chart presentation, with rich detail and accurate GPS navigation from official hydrographic sources, ensuring sailors can navigate with confidence and precision.

One of the standout features of Raymarine's chartplotters is their radar capabilities. The radar systems provide day and night visibility, allowing sailors to navigate safely through fog, rain, and limited visibility conditions. With Raymarine's radar, sailors can identify surrounding traffic, hazards, obstacles, and approaching weather systems. The radar technology also assists in locating seabirds above schools of fish, making it an invaluable tool for offshore fishing enthusiasts.

The Axiom 2 Pro is another notable offering from Raymarine, providing an all-in-one navigation system that integrates chartplotter, sonar, radar, and autopilot capabilities. This advanced system enhances sailing performance and decision-making, ensuring sailors can make smarter tactical choices with confidence.

Overall, Raymarine's chartplotters offer a wealth of features that cater to sailors of all experience levels and boat sizes. With over 40 years of sailing innovations, Raymarine has established itself as a trusted brand in the marine electronics industry, providing sailors with the wisdom and technology they need to navigate the open waters safely and efficiently.

Raymarine's sailing electronics

Raymarine sailing electronics are designed to elevate your sailing experience with cutting-edge technology, providing a trusted crew member by your side. With over 40 years of sailing innovations, their range of marine electronics offers something for every sailor, from cruising to club racing and bluewater sailing.

The Axiom chartplotter is a powerful tool, combining electronic charting, precision Smart Wind monitoring, and touchscreen tactical displays. It integrates with Alpha Performance Displays, which offer high-visibility and customisable data to help sailors make smarter, faster decisions. The Axiom 2 Pro is an all-in-one navigation system, featuring chartplotter, sonar, radar, and autopilot capabilities, enhancing sailing performance and providing dynamic sailing graphics.

For those seeking an autopilot system, Raymarine's Evolution series offers self-calibrating, accurate steering control. The Evolution autopilot system is designed for a wide range of boats, with packs tailored to suit different sizes and weights. The Evolution EV sensors are at the heart of the system, providing precise 3D heading information.

Raymarine's radar systems are another key component for sailors. Their marine radar solutions improve situational awareness, helping sailors navigate safely through fog, rain, or any limited visibility situation. The Quantum 2 Doppler radar technology instantly detects moving targets, improving safety in high-traffic situations. Raymarine's radar systems also integrate with their chartplotter displays, providing full radar functionality and allowing sailors to confirm their boat's position with accurate radar ranges.

With a commitment to providing exceptional products, Raymarine sailing electronics offer a comprehensive suite of innovative features, from navigation to safety, enhancing the sailing experience for sailors of all kinds.

Raymarine's wind technology

Raymarine offers a range of wind technology products designed to enhance sailing performance and provide critical data for navigation and decision-making. One of their flagship products in this category is the RSW Wired Smart Wind Transducer, which has won the DAME Design Award for its innovative design and performance.

The RSW Wired Smart Wind Transducer is a professional-level wind sensor that delivers highly accurate, calibrated wind speed and direction data. It is designed to assist sailors in making more intelligent and informed decisions, particularly during races and performance sailing. The transducer is equipped with an integrated 3D motion sensor and Raymarine Smart Wind technology, which compensates for factors such as mast twist, bend, and upwash against the sails. This technology ensures that sailors receive stable and trusted true wind direction data, improving overall sailing performance.

The Raymarine Smart Wind Transducer is known for its precision and ease of use. It is a self-calibrating sensor that provides ultra-precise wind speed and direction measurements. The 3D motion sensor accounts for vessel pitch and roll, enhancing the accuracy of true wind data. This technology eliminates the need for expensive black box processors or cumbersome calibration tables, making it a cost-effective and user-friendly solution for sailors.

In addition to the wired option, Raymarine also offers the Wireless Wind Transmitter (T120). This solar-powered unit is designed for Micronet and SeaTalkng instruments, accurately measuring apparent wind speed and direction. The wireless design allows for easy, no-wires installation, and it is fully waterproof and maintenance-free. The built-in solar panels keep the internal battery pack charged, ensuring that the transmitter is always ready for use.

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