Furuno NavNet Touch

My new build has a Furuno NavNet 3D to be installed. Any opinions on whether it would be useful to change to the new Touch unit. I am most interested in user friendliness and speed of use.

I cannot opine on the quality of the touchscreen that Furuno makes. I have a lowly Garmin 740s. I will say when I bought it, it was because of the features...and not the touch screen. In fact, if I was given the choice at the time of purchase, I probably would has e opted out. BUT.......now that I have used the touch screen,I absolutely positively LOVE it. It is lightning quick. If you want to navigate to a spot, you just touch it with a finger, a window pops up...you confirm "navigate to"....and you are on your way to that point. I can preform that task in less than five seconds. There is no way in hell you can chase a cursor around to the right spot and then do it with that kind of efficiency. It is truly amazing. I have not seen the unto stutter once and the actions are immediate. Anyway, like I said, I was not crazy about touch screen and likely the old salts on here probably aren't either. But I love it and would do it again in a minute. My best advice is to get some hands on time with one and see what you think.

I have the NN3D's MFD12 installed. This is built on a now-outdated processing architecture & Furuno is maintaining...but not further developing...the MDF12's & 8's. If you have a choice and $$ don't matter too much, you should go for the TZ14...it really is significantly more feature-rich: faster and provides wifi features. You can combine the older MFDs and the new TZ touch screens in a single network, so you could put the NN3D MFD12 on the flybridge and the TZ14 at the lower helm if you wanted to save a few bucks...but if you are single-station, it would not be smart to go with the older technology at this point.

Much as I like my Furuno gear....if you haven't absolutely committed to Furuno, you really should evaluate the new Garmin products. Search for an article or 2 written by ActiveCaptain's Jeff Seigel over on the ActiveCaptain site (he contributes to this Forum too); he went with Garmin and did a great job of explaining why....& he must be one of the most well-informed and fearlessly independent real-world users around.

Bought a new Raymarine last summer....could have cared less about the touch screen but no after using it...like it a lot.

Bad news is...Raymarine recalled all of them...while not a universal problem they are offering a swap for a n upgraded recon unit. So if Raymarine had issues with a touch screen...probably made by a third party...I'd be worried about the same with any manufacturer....Furuno would take care of the product like Ray as they too have good customer service....so I would wring my hands over your decision.

Nicer more versatile product or simplicity/reliability.

Baker said:

If you want to navigate to a spot, you just touch it with a finger, a window pops up...you confirm "navigate to"....and you are on your way to that point. .

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Don, how about if one is laying out a course with a few dozen waypoints? I've found the laptop based programs to be better for this task plus they are saved, dated and named for use and modification at a later date.

My response to the OP would be go with the NN3 for radar depth etc and get a $1200 laptop based system for your serious chart plotting.

sunchaser said:

Don, how about if one is laying out a course with a few dozen waypoints? I've found the laptop based programs to be better for this task plus they are saved, dated and named for use and modification at a later date.

My response to the OP would be go with the NN3 for radar depth etc and get a $1200 laptop based system for your serious chart plotting.

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I have the original NN3D system with MFD-12, and it's great. I'm not much interested in touch screens, but would agree with Aquabelle, better to get the latest and greatest (assuming cost is bearable) instead of the older stuff.

MaxSea Time Zero (essentially, same as the NN3D engine) will run on a laptop, uses the same charts, and you can do all the course/waypoint/etc. planning on that if you like, import it to the Furuno system, swap data back and forth, etc.

-Chris

tenniscaptain said:

My new build has a Furuno NavNet 3D to be installed. Any opinions on whether it would be useful to change to the new Touch unit. I am most interested in user friendliness and speed of use.

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What's your backup plan? I have a nn3 and everything I've seen so far says stick with it. Via iPad using Trawler sorry I'm in an airport running on no sleep . nn3 with z touch on the Flybridge. Once you convince yourself z touch is the way to go make the switch. Nn3 is reliable.

sunchaser said:

Don, how about if one is laying out a course with a few dozen waypoints? I've found the laptop based programs to be better for this task plus they are saved, dated and named for use and modification at a later date.

My response to the OP would be go with the NN3 for radar depth etc and get a $1200 laptop based system for your serious chart plotting.

Click to expand...

While that is generally not the way I roll, Garmin does have software where you can use an SD card and layout routes via your laptop and then jam it right into the SD card slot and voila, you have your course....if that is what you are asking about...

cafesport said:

What's your backup plan? I have a nn3 and everything I've seen so far says stick with it. Via iPad using Trawler sorry I'm in an airport running on no sleep . nn3 with z touch on the Flybridge. Once you convince yourself z touch is the way to go make the switch. Nn3 is reliable.

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I got news for you....just about EVERYTHING is reliable!!!! The end of the world may be near...but it will not be caused by the failure of your touch screen chart plotter!!!

I like TZTouch a lot. I think you have a golden opportunity coming to do the most important testing/deciding possible - seeing which device your wife/significant other can use at the Miami Boat Show.

I came up with a set of tasks (turn on a route and enable for navigation, use radar/marpa for CPA, and get AIS info about a target, enable/disable autopilot, get tide info for an anchorage in another location, etc). Then we went to the Annapolis Boat Show and I gave my wife the challenge of doing each task without help or assistance. Garmin had the only systems where she handled every task. Last winter after my installation was complete and TZTouch was out, she was able to do everything on the TZT too at the Miami Boat Show.

If you want Furuno, go to the Miami Boat Show and put her in front of NN3D and TZT hardware. See which one she likes. That's the one to get. Your life may literally depend on it.

Baker said:

I got news for you....just about EVERYTHING is reliable!!!

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Except my Raymarine radar which went dark about 40 miles from Port Hardy. Fortunately a great electronics shop there had Furuno gear, the fishermans' favorite, and NN3 was installed.

Or my AP20 which went kaput in a big magnetic anomaly near Wrangell
but fortunately was able to be re-programmed by following the "re-calibration instructions." But I had to wait until smooth water to perform lazy 360s, good luck on that effort!

Or my Xantrex inverter/charger which decided to start back feeding through the 12V system sporadically shutting down instruments. God bless Magnum.

Or my Nobeltec AIS program which started placing targets 90 degrees off to the West and required a reboot and new instructions - likely due to the aforementioned Xantrex issue.

Or my two icemakers which had electrical problems due to factory goof ups.

Or the 3 year old Tundra refrigerator which blew its compressor.

Now onto the mechanical and plumbing stuff, nah better not - too painful.

Some equipment needs an exorcist, and then some whole boats do...

psneeld said:

Some equipment needs an exorcist, and then some whole boats do...

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Good one.

I've a KK42 cruising friend, who like Baker takes boating breakdowns in stride, swears Ketchkan is haunted by Nobeltec gremlins. Only there do the Jeppesen spirits forsake him.

I was referring only to electronics. And I do believe you and we shall except Raymarine from that list. My wife is a dealer for both Raymarine and Furuno. She is happy to sell Furuno because she knows she will never see it again. She cringes when Raymarine goes out the door because she has a sickening feeling that she will see it again....and she usually does. Their out of box failure rate is unusually high. Anyway, blah blah blah. I am sure I am offending everyone with Raymarine. Hell, I have a Pathfinder RL80c on my boat and don't really feel the need to replace it...works fine...but it was made by Raytheon....

Baker said:

I have a Pathfinder RL80c on my boat and don't really feel the need to replace it...works fine...but it was made by Raytheon....

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That is the model Raymarine that failed on my vessel. The problem was the internal connectors were not able to take the PNW moisture and shorted out the circuitry and magnetron. The Port Hardy instrument guys love Raymarine radars, keeps them in business they said.

Raymarine RADARs are just as reliable as FURUNO...I worked for a marine electronics firm and saw the same average numbers returned.

Furuno may be loved for their customer service but the part about moisture and Raymarine radars is bogus. Furuno is great about supporting their products for long periods of time...but in their Factory Training Course for techs that I attended back in 2003-4, they said that would slowly slip as the economy of marine electronics just wasn't supporting that kind of service anymore...so we will see in time...

I have a SL-72 Pathfinder on my almost submarine Shamrock Towboat (meaning the dome take severe spray probably 100 days a year and sits in a humid environment too ...It's 114 years old now and hasn't had repair 1 on it.

Maybe the marine techs in the PNW need to learn better install techniques...

psneeld said:

R
Maybe the marine techs in the PNW need to learn better install techniques...

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Nah, the boat was commissioned in Sausalito, blame it on Ahnuld, he was Guv at the time.

Open array Raymarine moisture issues also arise from the on/off switch leaking on the array base - so say the PNW instrument guys. That is what did mine in. That particular on/off location has been redesigned by the NEW Raymarine.