It’s hard to imagine that cathode ray
tube (CRT) technology was all the rage
just two decades ago.
SEAMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2017 51Navico
Navico, the manufacturer of the Simrad,
Lowrance and B&G brands, has introduced
SolarMAX HD glass on its backlit, multi-
touch displays, such as the NSS 9 evo3.
Maximizing visual clarity, the high-defi ni-
tion SolarMAX displays have wider viewing
angles, so boat operators can see them
even when they’re not front and center. The
glossy in-plane switching (IPS) screens
have a balance of bright LED backlighting
and advanced antirefl ective coatings that
creates superior color separation and
accuracy. The display can be viewed in
bright sunlight or in low-light environ-
ments, even if the viewer is wearing
polarized sunglasses (although he may
have to tilt his head for a good view).
The screens have a wider operating
temperature range, which delivers greater
reliability in warmer climates, and Navico
added moisture-proof optical layers, so the
screens work when they’re wet or covered
with sea spray.
“The true color representation and the
improved viewing angles provide real user
benefi ts and advancements over our
previous displays,” said Stephen Thomas,
Simrad’s product line director.Raymarine
Not to be outdone, Raymarine launched
its new Axiom displays with fl ush-mounted
matte-fi nish glass that I could see perfectly
while standing at almost 90 degrees to one.
These all-glass, optically bonded
touchscreens deliver exceptional colors and
sharp contrast.
“When we optically bond the display,
we are completely fi lling up the cavity
between the LCD panel and the MFD’s
front glass with optical-grade epoxy,” said
Jim McGowan, marketing manager at
Raymarine. “We eliminate the possibility of
moisture or fogging, and the epoxy also
provides a straighter, cleaner path for the
transmission of light. The matte fi nish is the
anti-glare layer that we add because
sunlight is one of those critical pieces of the
puzzle that we take very seriously.”
Users can dial down the Axiom screens’
sensitivity, so they aren’t affected by the
impact of raindrops but only by the touch
of a human hand. The swipe-to-power
design has no buttons. An angler or anyone
on a fast and bouncy boat who wants
control when the water gets rough and
touchscreens get hard to use will need to
purchase an optional keypad for push-
button control.Garmin
Just a few years ago, Garmin led the
pack with full pinch-to-zoom, drag-and-
drop and swipe-enabled touchscreens, and
the manufacturer continues to bring
intuitive functionality to all sizes of its
GPSMAP line. The large high-defi nition
8600 series screens are also IPS and
sunlight readable and come in 17, 22 and 24
inches. They create an impressive glass
helm look on larger yachts.
Today’s screens respond even to sweaty,
salty or sunscreen-covered fi ngers, and
they support multiple panel layouts (two,
three or four views at a time) that can be
confi gured in a few seconds with drag-and-
drop commands. The clarity and detail of
the cartography, whether it’s C-MAP,
Navionics, BlueChart, Insight Genesis or
LakeVu, are exceptional and make the color
screens of just fi ve years ago look like toys.
Also, the redraw is lightning fast, refreshing
position 10 times per second, so the boat’s
progress on an electronic chart is fl uid and
not herky-jerky. Finally, today’s MFDs have
more svelte profi les, so they can be
mounted in skinnier spaces and adorn
almost any dash.
Seeing is Believing
It’s hard to imagine that cathode ray tube (CRT) tech-
nology was all the rage just two decades ago. Sketchy
black-and-white screens and radar displays with hoods
were the norm. Now, boat owners would no more have
one of those on their boat than they would have a TV
with rabbit ears in their house. High-defi nition touch-
screens as thin as an LED TV have become the windows
to all that happens inside and outside the boat, and the
optics are phenomenal.Simrad NSS9 evo3