Thinking about going to the Richmond boat show to buy the Raymarine C 80. Anybody have any experince with this unit? Im going to use it for radar, fish finder and gps. Probally just a backup gps unit. Any comments before the purchase would be great since these units arent cheap!

You'll like the unit. Easy to see in daylight, crystal clear graphics... a good unit.

Is the C-80 user /friendly?

In my opinion.... none of them are user friendly. It's a matter of getting used to whatever you have and that takes practice. One thing I have learned recently when I put Furuno radar on my boat along side of Raymarine sounder and plotter, is that the commands are different and take some getting used to. Still, having one single unit for plotter, sounder, and radar takes some of the headache out of the picture. Good luck.

Capt. Tom,

Which Furuno radar did you install and do you like it?

does anybody have any thought on which transducer to get with the
c-80 ?

Get the through hull and be done with it.I have the big Airmar it pops up then it cracked now I silicone it down and hope for the best. I am going to put a through hull on my boat next week.They give a better picture and are located away from all the turbulence that occurs at the transome waterline.

I installed the 1715. My last radar was a Raytheon open array on a 32 Luhrs. My current boat is much smaller (center console) and I wanted to downsize. Can't say how well the 1715 functions... just installed it two weeks ago and haven't taken the boat out yet.... hoping for an early spring. Tom

I agree with Mega Bite. Go with the thru hull... you'll eliminate almost all of the cavitation that appears on the screen.. you won't be sorry you spent the few extra bucks. Besides, it's cheaper to get it right the first time.

Mega Bite,are you going to install the through the hull transducer yourself ?

Cat Attack, one more thing, if you decide to go with the thru hull transducer, be sure to purchase a faring block with the transducer. The faring block is used to compensate for the angle on the bottom of the hull so that the transducer is pointing straight down after it is installed. Cutting the faring block is a little tricky, but not a problem if you have access to a table saw where the blade can be tilted to cut the correct angle. The transducer comes with complete instructions. For a decent price, call 1-800-332-2628 and ask for Neil.

Art jefferys at airtime water sports is going to help me put it on.He has done a bunch of them I have never done one.I understand you put a faring block on both sides of the hull one inside and one outside.

Megabite i have the same problem with the transducer on my boat the electronics guy put two screws in mine to hold it in place but with the seas we fish in I wonder how long that will hold up .
the plumber
scooter

I used the silicone because if too much stress is put on the transdeucer the silicone will rip rather than crack the transD.TI have had to re apply twice sofar.

Thanks for the info.The best prices i have found so far is at "ultimate passage.com"