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In all of my boats I have had redundant electronics like 2- VHF radios, 2- GPS's, and 2- fish/depth finders. I now have a co-owner in my current boat and I want to install another VHF radio, a fish/depth finder mounted near the transom, and another mapping GPS. My boat partner thinks I'm nuts.
Here is my logic....
2- VHF radios assures I will always have one that works, plus it allows me to monitor two stations at a time.
2- GPS's- having a spare is a great safety thing. One GPS is a color mapping GPS but I have another GPS that has hundreds of wayponts stored in it. Also, one GPS has much better detail and is newer than the other one.
2- Fish/depth finders- I have one on the front dash to monitor when running. I want to mount one near the transom because we regularly drift fish in shallow water and the front unit is hard to see from the back of the boat.
There is plenty of room at the helm to mount everything and if I'm not using the electronics I can simply leave them turned off or not even put them in their mounts.
I have been on lots of other boats and I rarely see any redundant electronics so maybe it is just me.
Which is better...redundant electronics or KISS (keep it simple stupid)?
Redundancy is the only fail safe from disaster. I have two of everything on board exept my loran. This has paid off for me on multiple occasions for example one day I was running in the inlet during a bad storm with almost zero visability and my main chartplotter quit. I was simply able to go to the other one and guide my self properly in. Turns out my chartplotter blew a fuse/breaker. Since I wire all of my electronics on separate fuse/breaker pathways they are all independent of each other so one will not effect the other.
Since that day I have always loved redundancy...
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We kept the old GPS on the boat when we installed a new one. We didn't need the room and figure that's a good thing to back up so we can get home if something went wrong.
I have multiple electronics but do not think of them as redundant. I have 2 vhf's keep then on different channels 1 for English and 1 for Spanish. 2 bottom machines 1 on 50 and 1 on 200. 2 chart plotters 1 on track and 1 on map. having multiple electronics is not all about redundancy.
BTW - in 15 years of traveling outside the USA i have had 1 GPS screen go out. Maintenance is more important than redundancy. there are other reasons to have multiple electronics on a boat.
i think having two vhf radios is a good idea. but, if you plan on buying a new gps, then why not carry the old one just incase. but, you should get to know your compass. i got my boat and my compass must have got damaged because it didnt have any fluid. my brother works for richie and he told his boss and she told him to give me a brand new one. that was a nice thing for them to do. but even if the electronics crap out you can still get home.
I have two nearly identinal GPS units. Both have the same exact GPS and mapping and radar but only one has the depth finder. Only one VHF but I have a handheld as well.
But more importantly.....do you carry spare props and hubs?
I have 2 combo units for redundancy. All waypoints are stored on both. My thought is that I can run one on full screen GPS and one on full screen sonar, but should either one ever fail, the other one can be run on split screen with both functions. I also have two VHF-one hard mounted and one handheld, and a handheld GPS.
As mentioned above- One of your most important back-up systems is the compass & paper charts. The most common failure on a boat is the electrical system. and yes, a spare prop, hub, and nut/washer.
Just about every one of the bigger sporties have two VHF's and maybe even a SSB radio. My boat has 2 VHF's--one is a handheld, two fixed-mount chartplotters--one is used for a bottom machine and radar--and one hand-held GPS.
Many of the folks who I know that have 2 VHF's use each one to monitor a different station.
It never hurts to have redundant systems. Heck, that's why I bought a boat with twin diesels....I don't see any reason this should not apply to your electronics as well.
On both my offshore boats I have two complete and seperate systems (they are even run off of seperate electrical feeds) except radar, weather, ais, autopilot & Flir -
Main systems consists of 2 - 4212's or 1- 5215 + 1- 5212 (depending upon boat), GSD-22 Fishfinder, XM Weather, 4' or 6' Open array radar (different boats), ACR Nauticast AIS and Flir Navigator plus 2 fixed mount VHF's Icom M504 + Icom M604 or M422 (depending upon boat).
For backup: Garmin 540 charplotter (which is hooked into ais too and is the source for the second vhf's gps info); Furuno FCV-620 or 585 (depending upon boat, and is actually the primary fishfinder); GMI-10 with depth/speed/temp nmea 2000 triducer).
I also carry two handheld vhf's & cell phones, 1 sat phone and handheld gps.
On my small boat it is one 3206 chartplotter with GSD-22 fishfinder and single vhf, plus handheld vhf & gps.
Location: Solomons, Maryland / Now just visiting Marathon
Posts: 4,683
Current boat has single everything, except engines!
I have a handheld VHF/GPS, and another GPSR.
Next boat, dual fixed systems AND handheld VHF/GPSR.
A must are current paper charts and Notice to Mariners.
If all else fails, paper chart, whiskey compass, and a watch.
Oh, and learn how to use time/distance!
We had GPS on our Grady (for offshore), and a handheld VHF in the ditch bag...
Nothing redundant on the bay boat, heck I only have the antenna up on the VHF about 5% of the time anyway, it doesn't even have a compass...
If I were chartering an offshore boat, I would have redundant GPS, sounder and VHF.. If for no other reason but to prevent panic or bad press from my fares if something went out on a trip..
The former owner of my boat is an ex carrier pilot. The man is used to & likes gadgets. Everything imaginable was onboard.
From 1996 to 2009 not much works anymore.
Took the 25 mile radar off. Never really needed it. I know where I am at night.
Don't use the speed log. The stupid wheel in the bottom got crudded up with coral in no time each year & I can judge my speed pretty accurately just by looking over the side.
Disabled the autopilot. Never worked right anyway & I am seldom on an unchanged course for more than 15 minutes. Besides I get pleasure from running the boat, why let a machine do it?
Had 2 depth finders. Only one works now but around here you can almost always see at least 10' down into the water easily. The rest is knowing the water depth by colour.
The fixed GPS died but I do keep a 10 year old handheld GPS onboard. Not that I need it. If in trouble I can always give position by taking at least two bearings using landmarks. Our CG station has a dealy accurate RDF system anyway.
The fish finder lies.
The remote spotlight was destroyed in a hurricane. No matter. A battery powered handheld is far easier to used on the rare occasions that one is wanted.
Around here hardly anyone uses the VHF anymore. We call each other on the phone. The VHF is hooked to a sailboat mast top short SS whip. Works fine. I also have my ham VHF aboard. Through a repeater & a VOIP connection I can talk anywhere in the world with that.
Basically give me my engine instruments & the VHF & I am happy & good to go.
1 VHF. I talk on it once a year or so. Not too important to me, but it does work.
1 fishfinder. No room for 2 but I have had it go out on me. Many of the places I fish though I can fish without it.
1 fixed GPS. But I do usually carry a hand held as a back up (My garmin car GPS). I have never had the GPS fail but I figure having the backup could salvage a trip for me.
How many of you have redundant electronics? 
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