Panbo has the scuttlebutt, which I’ll quote below.

I’m not sure how to feel about this. As a consumer, I’ve got a boat equipped with lots of Raymarine gear, and I have mixed feelings about some of it.

And on the other hand, I’ve got my eye on some Garmin products, but I don’t have much experience as a Garmin customer. Is Garmin’s customer service is “better” than Raymarine’s? Would such a deal be a “win” for consumers?

 

This is starting to get serious!  While this Reuters article also notes Garmin’s disclaimer that “there was no certainty an offer would be made”, yesterday Garmin had no comment at all.  Personally I have no knowledge of this deal whatsoever, and can tell you that the product people I know at both these companies seem to be full speed ahead.  But I’m starting to monitor the financial news closely.  Somewhat strangely, the most complete and original reporting seems to be coming from a Reuter’s guy in Bangalore, India; his piece yesterday helped me understand why this acquisition might make sense for Garmin:  Foreign distribution and an “OEM footprint” (in case the boatbuilding business ever comes back to life).  But how would the product lines be “rationalized” and what would a big Garmin/Raymarine combination mean to the relatively little recreational marine electronics industry?  Let’s discuss.