Upgrading the whole electronics package minus chart plotters

[SkaterRace]

I have a 21.5ft center console that I am trying to outfit in a way to allow to be cruise longer distances with less work so I can make fishing a single day trip not a 2. Currently some trips are so long that I am tired by the time I get to fish.

I boat/fish in the St Lawerence River and in Lake Ontario.

My engine is a 2019 Mercury Verado 225XL. My chart plotters are Simrad Go 9. I have two Mercury S1000 series guages in the center of my screens. I also have a Simrad Halo 20 and a Simrad VHF with AIS. There is also sonar but I am unsure of the model. Needless to say I have a lot of electronics on the boat already. However, I want to add some more to make my life easier on long days.

My goals are to read the fuel level on the screen to get a more accurate fuel level as currently it is horrible and says 50% when I am actually at 80%. Get better fuel burn tracking. Auto pilot to be able to sit back in my seat and not stand (half of why I get tired is standing for 2-3 hours at a time - I am short). Know my steering/engine angle so I don't have to look back all the time.

That all said I am not very sure where to start. I have a few ideas for parts I think will work however before I purchase them during boat show season I want to try to prep as much knowledge ahead of time and also ensure it will all fit, can be ordered, budget for it, etc

Parts I am currently thinking

• Simard NAC 1 - auto pilot
• Mercury Vessel View Link x1 or x2?
• Simrad RF300 - rudder sensor needed?

 

[dingbat]

I have a 21.5ft center console that I am trying to outfit in a way to allow to be cruise longer distances with less work so I can make fishing a single day trip not a 2. Currently some trips are so long that I am tired by the time I get to fish.

I boat/fish in the St Lawerence River and in Lake Ontario.

My engine is a 2019 Mercury Verado 225XL. My chart plotters are Simrad Go 9. I have two Mercury S1000 series guages in the center of my screens. I also have a Simrad Halo 20 and a Simrad VHF with AIS. There is also sonar but I am unsure of the model. Needless to say I have a lot of electronics on the boat already. However, I want to add some more to make my life easier on long days.

My goals are to read the fuel level on the screen to get a more accurate fuel level as currently it is horrible and says 50% when I am actually at 80%.

This is a function of the sending unit, not the display. You need a reed switch type sender

Get better fuel burn tracking.

What do you have currently?
What are your expectations?
I found this functionality fairly useless in the long run.

Auto pilot to be able to sit back in my seat and not stand (half of why I get tired is standing for 2-3 hours at a time - I am short).

I don’t use AP for point to point…dangerous and does not relieve the Captain of watch responsibilities. Have seen two collisions with people on AP without a watch.

If you want to use the unit for trolling plan on spending some coin as the less expensive units typical don’t update/respond fast enough to maintain course in anything other than calm water

Know my steering/engine angle so I don't have to look back all the time.

Not sure what that buys you. The only time I care about rudder position is when backing. At that point, I’m already looking at the back of the boat.

Suicide knobs work great

 

[SkaterRace]

This is a function of the sending unit, not the display. You need a reed switch type sender

What do you have currently?
What are your expectations?
I found this functionality fairly useless in the long run.

I don’t use AP for point to point…dangerous and does not relieve the Captain of watch responsibilities. Have seen two collisions with people on AP without a watch.

If you want to use the unit for trolling plan on spending some coin as the less expensive units typical don’t update/respond fast enough to maintain course in anything other than calm water

Not sure what that buys you. The only time I care about rudder position is when backing. At that point, I’m already looking at the back of the boat.

Suicide knobs work great

Thanks on the reed switch type sender, I will look that up a bit more but a cursory look says that is it.

Currently for fuel tracking all I get is the GPH to 1 decimal place. I unless I am actively looking at it I can't tell. I'd love some way to get that data into a more usable format for figuring out good speeds to not burn a ton of fuel. The gauge screen is so small and has a horrible glare to it outside. Also seems like I can't tell anything when the sun goes down or is not up yet and that is probably half my hours on the water. I'm not sure it is useful long term but more so figuring out short term what works better with different loads of people and fuel. This is probably a lower level of priority than just a better fuel level sensor.

No plans for using AP for going without watch, the idea is currently due to being only 5ft 4inch I am unable to sit on my helm seat and reach the wheel. Where I am, I am constantly going around islands via a channel, or once I get to the lake I am going 20-40 miles in a straight line unless something is in my way. The goal is so I can sit at the helm and ride some of the way rather than standing for hours and not being able to sit until I can get to the fishing grounds. To give my feet/bad knees a break I end up leaving about a half hour early to get there to rest and then leaving I give myself the same.

Just feels like I am standing so much and the discomfort/pain is worth solving. I have zero intention of moving away from the helm and more than I already do. Currently if I want to move away I will only do it if I bring it off plane to a very slow trolling speed - current pushes me too much to be idle so trolling speed ends up being about 0.5 MPH when you factor in the current.


The steering indicator is mainly for when I am docking. I find myself looking back at the engine a lot and it seems like people love to stand there.