Marine electronics of the 2024 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show

We took a look at this year’s Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show to see what is the latest in technology designed for the water. 

Marine electronics specialist Raymarine has earned a reputation for producing reliable marine electronics and their new products were popular amongst showgoers. 

Taking centre stage on its stand were the new Alpha displays, smaller screens optimised for sailing but useful anywhere on the boat that anyone needs information. 

The Alpha range is available as either a 7.0- or 9.0-inch display and can be flush-mounted anywhere on a boat, in either a portrait or landscape format. They offer high visibility even in bright sunlight, and touchscreen capabilities with customisable marine data and graphic displays. 

The Alpha screens are optimised for sailboats, and feature a single data and power cable for a quick and easy install. 

They integrate with Raymarine’s new Axiom Pro 2 chartplotters, an upgraded multifunction chartplotter with  RealVision map sonar system with improved resolution.

The  Raymarine Axiom Pro 2 units come in a 9.0-, 12.0- and 16.0-inch display options, and cover a range of plug-and-play functions chartplotter, radar, sonar, video and autopilot. 

Running the Axopm Pro 2 series is Raymarine’s LightHouse 4.6 software, which introduces new sailing features including graphical wind shifts that allow a skipper to target the optimum wind angle. This feature expands on the wind vane steering mode t added in the previous release.

Raymarine also had some of the technology on display that will eventually form part of the NeuBoat self-driving boat system being developed alongside Korean autonomous boat specialist Avikus. An Australian boat is yet to be fitted with the system.

A range of great new products was on show over at Lowrance’s stand, with the standout feature being the new Eagle series of affordable chartplotters and fishfinders for kayak-based fishing and everyday anglers.

Eagle replaces Lowrance’s Hook Reveal range and comes in 4.0-, 5.0-, 7.0- and 9.0-inch screen sizes. 

Features that set it apart from the previous Hook Reveal range, apart from a new industrial look to the housing, include a newly designed transducer, improved sonar,  and an all-new IPS screen delivering a clearer view from more angles and even with polarised sunglasses. 

Lowrance also had its new HDS Pro on display. It comes in a range of sizes from 9.0-inch through to 16.0-inch, with key features including ActiveImaging HD and ActiveTarget 2, live sonar displays that provide great definition to give the clearest images of fish and structure. 

This feature allows you to more easily identify distinctive fish – for example, you will easily be able to make out a barramundi by the physical features it shows on screen. 

Over at Simrad, plenty of people were lined up to take a look at the new NSX Ultrawide display, a new multifunction touchscreen almost as wide as two screens joined together. 

The unique wide display is more elegant than anything else we’ve seen and comes with the option of 12.0- and 15.0-inch screen sizes.

The Simrad NSX Ultrawide uses a Solarmax IPS display viewable from all angles, even with polarised sunglasses on 

The NSX Ultrawide comes with Simrad’s new Android-based NEON operating system running C-MAP’s Reveal X dynamic mapping system that adds satellite imagery and 3D floor views, making the unit as appealing to divers as it is to anglers.

Simrad recently launched its all-new HALO 2000 and HALO 3000 solid-state radar systems, and both were on display at Sanctuary Cove. 

The 50.0-watt HALO 2000 has a visibility of up to 72 nautical miles, while the 130-watt HALO 3000 is Simrad’s most powerful radar, pushing visibility out to 96 nautical miles. 

Simrad’s staff on the stand We asked the Navico team on Simrad’s stand what the major improvements were in these new models, with their wider coverage, better target protection and overall improved radar performance mentioned as standing out.

Stopping by the Garmin display, we saw the recently launched Garmin GPSMAP 9000 series, the largest sunlight-readable 4K multifunction touchscreen on the market. 

Available in 19.0-, 22.0-, 24.0- and 27.0-inch screen sizes, the GPSMAP 9000 series offers seven times the processing speed of previous generations making it super-fast and responsive, and able to deliver Garmin’s fastest map drawing. 

The extra processing power will significantly benefit sonar, radar and video, and improve the overall user experience. 

Garmin also has expanded its Garmin GPSMAP X3 series by adding a 16.0-inch chartplotter to the range. 

This series is known for providing a fast all-around experience that integrates into existing boater’s marine systems, as well as fitting a wider range of dash configurations. 

If you’re into deep-sea fishing, Garmin has released a new transducer called the Panoptix PS70. The stainless steel transducer is powered by Gamin’s RapidReturn sonar, which produces immediate live sonar that can see 300 metres below the surface, surveying the ocean floor in real time and in great detail. 

A new Quickdraw contours feature also allows boaters to survey wide bands of the sea floor. 

Also on the Garmin stand was the new Quatrix 7 Pro Marine GPS smartwatch, which can connect with a compatible chartplotter and even a Force trolling motor and interact with them, even allowing you to set waypoints for the autopilot.

Battery life is anywhere between 42 hours in GPS mode to 16 days in low power mode and even has a handy LED light to help you see things in the dark.

You can also use the watch to look at data such as wind speed and direction, and water depth.

High-end marine electronics specialist Furuno’s display included the new 22.0- and 24.0-inch Furuno NavNet TZtouchXL multifunction touchscreens, introduced to the range because customers were calling for them. 

The TZT22X and TZT24X are both a breeze to operate and enable you to split the large screen into six different windows allowing users to build a custom display. 

A single swipe on the screen allows you to view or hide navigation data, while a new front mount design allows users to install the unit side by side on board with zero spacing gap for a more polished appearance. 

Furuno also released a new fish finder called the Furuno FCV-800. This new sounder has a stack of inbuilt identification technology to tell the difference between fish and structure. 

The FCV-800 comes with built-in wireless that allows the user to effectively merge the unit with their smartphone. There is a version of the app it uses developed for both iOS and Android users.