Newb Qs - Electronics, Radio, AIS

[Strykar]

Complete newbie here, just trying to get a sense of how much radio and nava/autopilot would cost.

What're the minimum electronic aids for navigation and communication on long passages?
How much would these cost new and used?

[Adelie]

Depthsounder
GPS
Magnetic compass
Backup gps
Windvane self steering

[Sailmonkey]

Don’t buy used. You won’t know what sort of mess you’re buying.

The minimum really depends on you. Our first long passage on our boat we had a decrepit old VHF and an equally crappy belt drive autopilot. I did install a new depth sounder, but our gps was a glorified handheld mounted at the nav desk. Did just fine.

[CABecker]

I'm filtering through the items I have installed on my boat: YMMV

Standard Horizon VHF w/ AIS receiver say $500

I also had a ram mike at the helm, made communications easier, but also have two handheld VHF for dinghy excursions and general backup. I like to put those in the cockpit on passage, one on channel 9, one on 13, and main on 16.

So the GPS is usually part and parcel of the chartplotter package, and those are based on your budget/preferences. But you can get a GPS puc or two, connect them via bluetooth to a iPad, and that works.

Magnetic compass, $250 to $600
Backup GPS (handheld GARMIN) $120 to $700

I don't have a wind vane. Not even sure how I'd mount one.

I just made a longish passage from Fort Lauderdale to Northern Virginia and I have to tell you I really appreciated the AIS system. I have a transceiver so it both sends and receives, is integrated into the chartplotter, and I absolutely love that device. For more than day sails you might want to examine an autopilot, I have two and appreciated not hand steering.

Of course all these devices increase the load on your electrical system.

All of this stuff is wildly customizable, and all of it can be integrated into a single package, if your budget is amenable to the damage.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Strykar,

it would help to know what kind of boat you have, how and where you use it and what's already available. In case you're inclined to fiddle around on your own with things, this is also relevant.

If you can't provide these informations, the question is rather pointless. Just go to the chandlery of your choice (eg defender.com) and select whatever takes your fancy. That's as good as it gets.

Don't believe me?

For example, you're doing mostly day-sailing on a little 25' in an area you're more or less familiar with on nice afternoons. You need nothing really, nice to have are a depth-sounder, a compass, Navionics on your mobile phone and if you're lazy a cheap raymarine tiler autopilot. (In this order of importance) You might be required by law to carry a hand-held VHF or have one installed.

On the other hand, you do offshore passages to visit Hawaii or Europe on a boat without a generator. Here a wind-vane autopilot is a great thing, AIS is very very useful, you'll want a chart-plotter of some sorts. Depending on what's already installed, go with the brand of the stuff you want to keep using.

On the third hand, if you navigate a lot in coastal areas with a lot of fog, a radar goes from nice to have to very useful. So does the chart-plotter / radar display right in the cockpit.

The fourth hand is you're sailing on a lake in an Optimist. In this case, the best navigation tool is a pack of cigarettes during low wind. the smoke tells you better than any display where the slightest eddies of breeze hide.

On the last hand, you're just about to order your new boat from Bavaria, go with one of the reputable brands, go NMEA-2000 and don't flinch too much at the price-tag.

Ah, forgot we have yet another hand stowed away here: You're restoring an old steel-schooner, are an advocate for free software and like independent systems. In this case you could go with an Autopilot from CPT Autopilot, do the chart-plotter with OpenCPN on a Raspberry Pi, use some random depth-sounder/display you found on craigslist, have an Chinese Class B AIS / Wifi tranceiver and as VHF the Standard Horizon GX2000 (not the GX2200 or GX2400). A wind-vane would be nice in this case too.

All solutions make sense in some context and the price-tag varies wildly.

[Adelie]

I put in windvane on the assumption they were going cruising.
If you are just daysailing and taking the odd weeklong sailing vacation an autopilot would be fine.
Forgot to add
VHF base station with AIS receiver
And a handheld VHF.

[sail sfbay]

Cost depends on the boat, installation complexity and instrument scope and whether you or a contractor will install them. Best answer is to get a quote from your local marine electronics shop for parts and labor. Suggest over budgeting for upgrade OR buy a boat with all navigation equipment already installed. What is your budget?

As already said do not buy used.

My boats have navigation displays with chartplotter, radar, depth and autopilot and vhf with Distress, AIS, GPS and Hailer at each helm or navigation station. I also carry a handheld vhf radio as backup, epirp. For long passages suggest a satellite phone and handheld navigation display.

[sail sfbay]

Just to add, man overboard alert devices and fir long passages a AIS transponder and wind vane.

[Clivevon]

Complete newbie...long passages... Mmmm.... Anyway...
Absolute rock bottom minimum essentials these days:
Good, reliable & tested magnetic compass.
Paper charts for everywhere you might find yourself (note I did not say everywhere you intend to go..).
Knowledge of how to use the compass & charts properly.
Hand held compass for navigation & collision avoidance.
Hand held GPS with lots of spare batteries.
On a sailing boat, a DSC VHF with high mast mounted aerial. On a motor boat, a handheld VHF will do, but you won't be as safe.
If the new cost of any of that is an issue, I suggest you take up golf or something, instead.
After that:
Fixed GPS.
Depends where you are, but AIS is a real stress buster.
Chart plotter. Better still, integrated plotter, AIS & radar.
Epirb - depending where you want to go.
If your phone never dies when you don't want it to, they can be useful as well - Navionics - but I wouldn't trust my life to it.

[thomm225]

Lots of old school advice here.

You can download free charts at OpenCPN and put them on several computers

A USB GPS Puck costs about $15.00. You could get a couple of those.

VHF/GPS/AIS you can get a Standard Horizon GX2200 for about $350 then build your own chart plotter with a Raspberry pi computer bring in the GPS and AIS data from the SH GX2200 VHF with the USB GPS Puck as backup with less priority

Or use your current laptop if you have one for the chart plotter

This will all then be displayed on your monitor or HDTV. (or your laptop)

Depth.

Then a couple $20.00 Suunto hand held compasses.

https://www.rei.com/product/890929/s...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Manateeman]

A second AIS and second radio with extra antenna. If you get hit by lightning and fry everything, or have a fire which cooks everything, including part of you..if you have AIS and a radio squirreled away in a metal box and you have a small dedicated battery ...you can worm your way home or to safety. You can get your position, get the weather, get a doctor on a ship med phone, ask to forward a message, ask for an escort into a safe harbor...the list is long....a lot of commercial boats have a emergency battery on the bridge deck just for this purpose. Communication.
Lots of big boats out there. Ask for help and you shall receive assistance.
Figure out how to communicate when all your normal stuff is toast.
Happy trails to you.
Captain Mark and his “why sail far away from the pizzeria and the beer ?” Manatee crew.