[C320-list] Instrumentation

[Sean Kaldor]

I'd like to upgrade the instrumentation on my humble '98 C320 and am seeking some advise...


I currently have:
A) Raymarine C80 chartplotter in the salon connected to a Raystar 125 GPS receiver, not connected to anything else.
B) Raymarine ST4000+ autohelm control head at the helm, with the wheel controller and fluxgate compass, also not connected to anything else.

C) Raymarine ST60 Speed and Depth at the helm, with their transducers below, also not connected to anything else.

I'd like to add wind, maybe AIS, get the chartplotter to the helm, and get everything talking to each other.

My questions for anyone out there, based upon your experience with the C320...

1) Does anyone have experience (good/bad) with wireless wind transducers and TackTick (now Raymarine Wireless)

2) Do I need to drop the mast to wire a masthead wind transducer?
3) Do you have thoughts about using one big multi-function display vs. normal individual instruments? Experience good or bad?
     -Is there one multi-function display that can control all those components and give me charts - a single piece solution?

4) Has anyone had success with anything new/innovative, such as iPad based or something other than RayMarine?

If you had to do it all again, what would be your preferred setup?

I prefer simple and reliable, but I'm not sure if that it wireless (less cabling to go wrong), multi-function (fewer components), or stand-alone instruments (tried & true with isolated components).

I'm wishing the prior owner got the deluxe instrument package and I wouldn't have to solve this riddle :)

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 


Sean