# RayMarine C80 Reviews thinking about getting one



## Reel Anexity (Sep 24, 2009)

I am thinking about getting a used C80 with only roughly 100 hours of use. It is coming with 12nm radar, transducer, all cables GPS, ColorPlotter, 12NM Radar, Dual Frequency Sounder (fish finder) (0-2000' depth) and integrated ICOM 504 VHF marine radio with discreet channel/hailer/GPS interface. Also included is a Navionics GOLD GPS chip for North America and a Fish N Chip for inland waterways. And cabling and interace units. 

It will be going on a 31 foot chris craft. I will be doing both bottom fishing along with some trolling as well.

The question is what is this system worth, is it good, and will I be happy with it.

Any reviews pro or con will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


----------



## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

Bla.Bla,Bla.......I hate Raymarine!



Fumbling thru the menus is a PITA.



I bought a Raymarine product one time. NEVER Again.



Oh have you noticed the the local Marine Electronic place [Georges Marine] pushes Raymarine?



Do you wonder why?


----------



## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

are George and Ray the same person? hmm.


----------



## Matt Mcleod (Oct 3, 2007)

Raymarine makes great stuff, you will be very happy with the c80. I have a c70 and love it. Read thru the manual and learn about the machine and you won't have any problems.


----------



## sniper (Oct 3, 2007)

They have a tutorial on their web site you can use to get use to the menues. Practice with it and it will be fine. Sounds like a great set up. No clue of the value, just look up the price the items sell for on different websites and make your judgement on that. Sounds like you will be set with everything you need. Also it is nmea so you can add new stuff or swap out pretty easily.


----------



## LITECATCH (Oct 2, 2007)

Been using the C120 for 3 years now. I would have thrown it off of the boat if it was mine. Too many little problems, well the bottom machine not working is not a small problem! Oh yea the serius sat. takes an act of congress to work. unplug this, unplug that, power up, power down, it took 20 miles of this to get it working! POS buy something else. If you don't trust me ask WayneO, it is on the 31 Cape.


----------



## Captain Jake Adams (Oct 3, 2007)

Not a big fan of Raymarine


----------



## Matt Mcleod (Oct 3, 2007)

When they made the ownershipchange several years ago they put out some junk for a while. Problems just like what Scott mentioned. I was the first to jump their ass and bitch up a storm! But now they don't have problems like they used to. The chart plotter detail is the best on the market period! I have traveled from Texas to Key West to the Carolinas fishing mackerel and redfish tournaments and the chart plotter has been a huge asset. Or you could buy a Garmin, same price as the Raymarine and the charts look like my 4 yr old daughter drew them with a crooked crayon. The bottom machines are fantastic, speed clarity and detail I will put against any other. As a matter of fact I will put the bottom machine on my 21' bay boat against any offshore boat's machine in the area. I have no complaints from the radar either, clear and solid returns. I have experience with mostevery make of electronics on the market today, Navnet, Northstar, Garmin.....ect. Right now (and I stress the right now) Raymarine makes the best complete package, GPS/bottom machine/radar on the market in my opinion.


----------



## LuckyLady (Oct 2, 2007)

I have hada C 120bundle for 3 years and conisder it to be a great unit. My only concern for the future would be whether Raymnarine is going to be in business for potential parts/repairs. They reportedly are in serious financial difficulties and may be sold or liquidated. If it were me, and I was buying new, I would buy a Garmin chartplotter and Furono depthfinder along with whatever else you want. Good Luck!!

I suspect that some of the reported problems are related to installation issues!!


----------



## slipsinker (Apr 28, 2009)

My opinion is Furuno makes the best bottom machine.... I like the Garmin chartplotter and the Furuno radar... Have used RayMarine on some friend`s boats and was not impressed at all... I guess it boils down to what you get comfortable with... Just my .02......


----------



## fisherick (Oct 2, 2007)

I've had a c80 for 3 yrs and like the machine. Oldgps waswasa garmin and I had a furuno bottom machine.....I really like having a 2 in oneraymarine. Only issue has been machine cuts off from time to time after it's been idle.....it starts right back up.....probably dirty power coming to machine and not machine itself.after I got used to operating.....I like it better than my old garmin/furuno setup.


----------



## Extra Point (Jun 1, 2009)

I have had the c80 for three years. I love mine and have used Furuno and Garmin. I would really recommend at least the 48nm radar if possible. We play fish and tourn fishand can't say enough about mine. I have also had great customer service from them.

Good Luck


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I've loved any Raymarine I've ever used with the C120 being my favorite. I agree with Matt on the incredible readings on the depthfinder instead of just cloudy scribble that looks like it was spraypainted on the screen. I also like how user friendly it is. You can jump right on it and figure almost everything out without even picking up the manual.

Just my opinion from a lot of experience with them.


----------



## Reel Anexity (Sep 24, 2009)

Thanks guys great feedback really aprreciate. I think I am going to go with it if we can agree on a price. 

Hope to see yall on the water.


----------



## bellafishing (Oct 1, 2007)

Every boat I have owned in the past had Garmin electronics. My new boat has a Raymarine E120, depth finder, 72mile open-array radar, etc... I would gladly trade this damn Raymarine for the exact same Garmin setup, no question about it! I highly reccomend against the Raymarine. It is not user friendly, the button setup is terrible, the bottom machine is not any more detailed than a Garmin (although I do like the fact that you can freeze the scroll and mark a bottom spot on you fishfinder and have it save it on your map), and the radar (the one piece of equipment I DID like) is not detailed at all no matter how much I tune it ever since I did the software upgrade. This system has been one big pain in my ass!!


----------



## Travis Gill (Oct 6, 2007)

We used Raymarines when I was tuna fishing in Venice and I loved them so we dedcided to put one on our bay boat and I couldnt be happier with it! I think it is very easy to use!


----------



## atlantacapt (Oct 2, 2007)

I use twin c80 units and they work great. You have to get used to the various functions, but that is typical of every machine. I would reccomend raymarine without pause.


----------



## Eastern Tackle (Jul 6, 2009)

They are quirky. I always end up hitting something on my buddies that takes me 15 minutes of beeping to figure out how to get it back again. EVERY TIME.:banghead



But, great automatic features for water less than 100 fathoms, but once you drop off, you need to be able to go manual. Then its back to quirky.



The best feature is to be able to cursor back to a ledge on the sounder and lay a waypoint right on the ledge on the sounder. Then it pops up on the GPS in exact position. Very helpful when you went over a ledge 30 seconds ago and you say, I should have marked that. You cursor back without having to turn around and put a mark right dead on it.


----------



## BWNN (Nov 17, 2009)

Had a Raymarine C80 & 120 on two different boats. Each had the pricy thru-hull transducer so was pretty happy with results on bottom display. One item i didnt like was the "Track" or should i say the way the track appears on screen. Have Garmin on current boat & very happy.Would not go back after working with my Garmin.


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

This thread is a great demonstration of individual tastes and preferences. It also shows that the only way to truly find whats best for you is experience with different models.


----------



## oldflathead (Oct 3, 2007)

In a Dec. 21 press release, reported on www.tradeonlytoday.com talks with Garmin had ceased and Raymarine was talking with another undisclosed potential buyer. The proposed buyout would be a complete loss for stockholders.

It seems to me they are broke. I would think twice before buying any Raymarine gear.:bpts


----------

