Raymarine Axiom 2 7 Chartplotter E70720

The Raymarine Axiom 2 7 chartplotter, part number E70720, is the navigation-focused, base version of Raymarine's most popular 7-inch display. It's sold without a preloaded chart region, so you add the LightHouse charts that fit your waters and keep your money where it counts. If your priority is clean, confident navigation rather than built-in sonar, and you'd rather choose your own chart coverage, this is the model that makes the most sense.

It helps to be clear about what this unit is and isn't. This is the standard Axiom 2, not the RV version, so it doesn't have RealVision 3D sonar built into the display. And it's the base bundle, so it doesn't ship with a regional chart card. If you mainly cruise, run inlets and channels, or want a tidy plotter at a second station, neither of those is a drawback. You're not paying for a sonar engine or chart coverage you won't use. Because the Axiom 2 networks so well, you can still add sonar later through a networked module or another Axiom 2 RV if your needs change.

What you get is a genuinely capable navigator. The display fixes its own position with a fast internal GNSS receiver that tracks GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou satellites and updates ten times per second, so your boat icon stays locked to your real track even through a tight turn or a crowded harbor. You can store up to 10,000 waypoints, 250 routes, and 15 tracks, which covers a full season of anchorages, channels, and the runs you make again and again. Load your preferred LightHouse charts on a microSD card and you're ready to plan and go.

The screen is where you'll feel the quality every time out. It's a 7-inch IPS panel at WSVGA 1024 x 600, rated at 1800 nits, and that brightness is what keeps it readable under a midday sun with polarized glasses on. IPS gives you wide viewing angles, so it still looks right when you're steering from the side of the helm. Raymarine's HydroTough oleophobic coating helps the glass shed spray and resist the greasy fingerprints that come with running a boat all day. Behind the glass, a fast 6-core processor and the LightHouse operating system deliver up to 30 percent quicker chart redraws than the previous generation, so panning and zooming stay smooth.

Connectivity is a real strength. Gigabit RayNet Ethernet ties the Axiom 2 into radar, networked sonar modules, thermal cameras, and additional Axiom 2 displays, so a simple single-screen setup can grow into a full multi-station helm down the road. NMEA 2000 support brings engine data to the screen, so you can watch RPM, fuel burn, and tank levels alongside your chart. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth handle software updates, app integration, and wireless route sharing from a companion planning app. There's a microSD slot for chart regions and backups, plus 64 GB of internal storage for smooth performance.

It's built to live outdoors on a helm. The sealed housing carries IPX6 and IPX7 water ratings, so heavy spray, rain, and washdowns don't faze it. It draws under 10 watts and runs on standard 12-volt DC with an 8 to 16 volt operating range, the same supply as the rest of your electronics. Mounting is flexible, with both trunnion bracket and flush mount options, so it fits a console cutout or a helm pod cleanly. The trunnion footprint is roughly 250 mm wide by 163 mm tall, and the flush cutout is more compact at about 201 by 133 mm.

If you want a bright, fast, well-connected 7-inch chartplotter that's ready to navigate once you've loaded your charts, and you don't need sonar baked into the same screen, the base Axiom 2 7 is a smart, cost-effective choice. You get the same premium display, processor, and networking as the loaded models, just focused on the navigation job and left open for you to pick your own chart coverage. It's an easy fit at a main helm on a cruiser or as a clean second plotter on a larger boat, and it leaves the door open to add sonar and more screens whenever you're ready.