Pass by a boat show kiosk containing Raymarine's C and E Series displays and it is easy to mistake the two. Both are daylight-viewable, multi-function units available in 8-inch and 12-inch models. Mounted, they look almost identical.

But under the hood, the capabilities – and the costs – of each line are different in several important ways, leaving many owners scratching their heads when it comes to making choices. Can you get away with the economical C-Series for your boat or should you step up to E-Series, with its enhanced capabilities? I'll explain the features of each, discuss the differences and provide links to the manuals to help you decide.

Like all decisions about boat gear, the verdict will turn on the type of boat you have and how you use it. If you are looking for a single-display system, the C-Series is a rock-solid performer for the price. Many of its core capabilities are exactly the same as its more expensive cousin.

The E-Series adds networking and video monitoring capabilities, as well as the capacity to use premium electronic charts and integrate a computer more easily. If you are looking for a system with multiple displays, the E-Series is probably your winner.

POWER CONSUMPTION AND SIZE

A few years ago, the employees of Raytheon's fledgling marine electronics division bought out their employers and endeavored to create the dominant brand in the recreational market. Through rapid new-product introductions and forceful marketing, Raymarine has largely succeeded. The company's trademark grey products are difficult to ignore if you own a boat between 25 and 45 feet, be it power or sail.

Raymarine

There was plenty of competition from well-respected Furuno in the multi-function display category, which both companies saw as the future of marine electronics. Raymarine almost immediately abandoned its Raytheon-era products and introduced the C-Series, the anchor product in the company's current line-up. Not long after, Raymarine introduced E-Series, an Ethernet-based network system with the ability to link multiple displays and share common peripherals.

C-Series displays are available in three sizes. The C-70 is the smallest with a 6.5-inch, sunlight viewable color TFT LCD screen. If you are to truly use it as a multifunction display, including radar, fish finder and GPS/chart plotter, then the screen is a bit small. There is a lot of information available and screen size is paramount to making sense of it all. But for runabouts and small sailboats, it may offer the right fit and features.

The C-70 draws a miserly 9 watts, but it is worth considering the C-80, which draws 10 watts and offers two more inches of diagonal screen space. The C-80's 8.4-inch LCD display allows the operator to take advantage of split screens and truly puts the "multi" in multi-function.

There is no 6.5-inch display in the E-Series line. The E-80 is the smallest available and uses the same 8.4-inch screen. The E-80 screen has been enhanced to make it brighter in sunlight conditions, which is a noticeable improvement over the C-Series. However, the enhancements double the power consumption to 20 watts.Glen JusticeA Raymarine C-80 (left) and E-80 (Right) side-by-side. Screen enhancements make the E Series a bit brighter.

Both C-Series and E-Series also offer a 12.1-inch display. The C-120 and E-120 appear identical when flush mounted in a dash, but the E-120 screen has been enhanced. Whether you split the display to show various combinations of information or enjoy charts or radar at full screen, the 120s are the biggest and best of Raymarine's multi-function display line. However, there is one big difference. While the C-120 draws a respectable 12 watts, the E-120 consumes a full 30 watts of power.

GPS AND CHART PLOTTER

Borrowed from the computer industry, Raymarine uses the term applications to describe the various features made available by adding sensors or antennas to a C and E Series displays.

Out of the box, neither display will do much. A Raystar-125 GPS antenna and Navionics chart card will make the plotter available, which is probably the primary application for most boaters. The GPS engine is built into the Raystar-125 and feeds position information to the display.

Navionics produces two types of charts. The standard Gold XL9 chart covers vast coastal areas and offers detailed charts and complete navigation information. You would likely need only one or two Gold XL9 charts to cover all your boating areas, unless you plan an extended voyage.

They also make a Platinum series, which adds aerial photographs and underwater 3-D bathymetric information to the detailed coastal charting information available in the Gold charts. Both the C-Series and E-Series can use the Gold XL9 charts, but only the E-Series displays can operate Platinum cards. Otherwise, the actual navigating procedures on both the C and E are virtually identical.

RADAR AND AIS

The quality and clarity of your radar depends on the size, power and height of your radar antenna. Both the displays, C-Series and E-Series, can use any of Raymarine's offerings. There are two sizes of dome-style antennas – 2 KW and 4KW – and two sizes of open arrays, 4KW and 10KW models.Glen JusticeAbove, a Raymarine C-80 uses Navionics gold charts. Below, a Raymarine E-80 uses Navionics Platinum. The Platinum can be overlaid with arial photography, which makes it easier to identify landmarks. Glen Justice

You could conceivably hang a huge 10 KW open-array radar on a C-70 display, but the screen would waste a good radar. Conversely, a sailboat cruising in tropical climes may put a 2 KW dome on an E-120 display and have a sufficient radar on an otherwise powerful display.

Bottom line: the radar capabilities on both C and E Series are identical.

Similarly, Raymarine's offering for AIS (Automatic Identification System) capability will also connect to either series. AIS is a required transmitter on most commercial vessels. Raymarine's AIS250 will not broadcast your information to other boats, but it will receive their signal and position them on your plotter or radar screen along with the vessel's name, course, speed and the intended destination.

Think of it like air traffic control for your boat. As more and more vessels, especially larger pleasure craft and commercial boats, add mandatory AIS transmitters, this feature will become nearly as valuable as radar itself.

FISH FINDER AND WEATHER

Both the C-series and E-Series require a separate "black box" fish finder module. Raymarine has recently introduced the DSM30, a 600-watt digital sounder module operating on 12 volts that may be used with either series. For more power, you can add a DSM300 module, along with a number of 600-watt or 1,000-watt transducer options, and have a commercial quality sounder.

The C-Series and E-Series fish finder applications operate the same and the modules are interchangeable with both displays.

When it comes to graphic weather information, there are some differences. The E-Series displays have had the capability to add a Sirius Weather receiver for some time. The SR100 is a module and antenna combo that displays real time weather charts over your existing navigation chart. For a monthly fee, the Sirius service shows weather patterns and water temperatures, along with a host of optional data.

Raymarine just introduced the SR50, which will offer the same weather data for the C-Series, with the added capability to receive and control satellite radio through your display as well. It does not include the requisite stereo, but it will interface with any unit with an auxiliary input.

All the antennas and cables are included with both modules. It is likely that a software upgrade will allow the E-Series to also receive and operate satellite radio features – not available on the SR100 now – in coming months. These upgrades are generally available for download on Raymarine's web site and loading them into your unit via a memory card is usually a simple pushbutton process.

NETWORKING

The ability to network is one of the primary differences between the two lines. While the C-Series can certainly display a lot of information, it is built to operate as a stand-alone display. The E-Series operates as an Ethernet-based network system, with the ability to provide information from common peripherals and charts to several displays.

Simply said, if you want to have multiple screens on the boat, you go with E-Series. All the displays can share a single GPS antenna, radar antenna, sounder module and other components. You can also have any combination of E-80s and E-120s displaying this information. For example, a well-stocked pilothouse motoryacht may have two E-120s below and two E-80s on the flying bridge. All the displays will look and operate exactly the same. A common Ethernet switch, supplied by Raymarine, becomes the central hub in an E-Series package. An eight-port hub will allow you to network four displays, the weather module and the sounder module. The GPS antenna, radar antenna and AIS information will all be run through the displays first, and then feed into the network.

VIDEO AND COMPUTER INTEGRATION

Unlike the C-Series, the E-Series also has the ability to display four external sources of video. The common video connections on the back of the display and the internal switch will allow you to plug in closed-circuit video cameras to monitor the aft deck or the engine room. You may also choose to run a DVD player or satellite television, and you can switch between them right from the buttons on the front of the display.

The video is not sent over the network, so each display is limited to four sources, but multiple displays should give you more than enough monitoring and entertainment options at the helm.

The E-Series also has the ability to output video to an external monitor or flat-screen TV. With the VGA output plug that is standard on computers and an optional remote control, it is possible to navigate your E-Series display from your saloon or master stateroom.

Because the E-Series is a networkable device, it can also be integrated with Raymarine's Raytech software. If you are a fan of Windows-based navigation, Raytech can be installed on your laptop or desktop computer and share all the peripherals on the network that the E-Series uses, such as radar and GPS.Glen JusticeThe C-80 and the E-80 look almost identical. Which one is this? (It's an E-80)

MAKING A DECISION

For some, a decision can be made on price. The difference between a C-120 and an E-120 is more than $1,000. Others can look to the size of their boat and the type of boating they do most often.

A 25-foot center console with a pair of outboards that is primarily used for fishing probably does not need multiple displays or video capabilities. The captain may want to take advantage of Navionics Platinum charting, but the E-Series may otherwise be overkill. The money is better spent elsewhere. The value of the C-Series and all its available options can't be beat for the single station display with little need for computer integration or cameras.

A 46-foot cabin cruiser, on the other hand, may require multiple displays in the pilothouse and on the flying bridge. The ability to monitor engines, integrate entertainment and conduct more advanced, computer-assisted navigation may better suit the mission on a boat like this. The enhanced features are probably worth the cost of the upgrade.

For those in between, the first thing to ask yourself is whether or not you want more than one display onboard, now or in the future, and if you plan to grow your electronics rig while you own the boat. If you do, then the E-Series is the best bet. The networking capabilities insure that it can be expanded and that each piece of hardware will talk to the other with minimal effort.

Jeff McLaren is the National Sales Manager for Seawide Marine Distribution, a wholesaler distributor based in Southern California that works with all major electronics manufacturers. He has produced a series of instructional DVDs on how to use Raymarine navigation gear.