GPS and VHF shot - do I replace or leave it to the next owne

T

tparrent

New member
Just returned from the boat shop where I saw my 22 all waxed and shined and looking pretty. Fixed a few items and it should be good to go EXCEPT the GPS is fried and the VHF has gone insane.

The GPS has power to it but the actual unit seems shot. The VHF is stuck in distress mode and can't be convinced there is no imminent threat.

I will likely sell the boat by the end of the summer (I'd say 70% chance) so I'm wondering if I should put in new units or leave it to the new owner.

I think I could get by in the meantime with an iPad with Navionics and my handheld VHF (my home waters are inland with no one to hear me if I scream anyway).

What think you?
 
What make and model of GPS and VHF? What size lake, (from your "inland" use description), are you on and how much traffic do you have to deal with?

I think those would have huge bearing on the decision if it were me.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Jordan Lake in North Carolina. It's a reservoir of good size but "traffic " is irrelevant.

I'd be replacing the equipment and not sure what I would buy. It would be fairly basic because my boating style is basic. Don't have radar or need for lots of backups.

When I'm not on the lake I plan to do some intracoastal cruising in NC and maybe a bit in the Chesapeake.
 
With the other gear that you have i would move the broken items. This way the new owner can use what they want and not stuck with your choices. Not that your choices are bad ones its just that they are good for what you do and not for what some one less does.

I am a firm believer in gps and vhf BUT. I boated on lakes and rivers for decades before they were invented. Even before lake maps were available. If you know your lake, and it sound like you just going to be boating local this year, I would go with your hand held units.
 
Hi, Tom. Order of importance: boat is sound> engine in good running condition> Steering functional> Trailer ready for the road> bilge pumps functioning> Other equipment working (depth sounder, GPS, VHF).

You can certainly get by with a portable device running Navionics and a hand-held radio (you will need a good VHF on the ICW). Will your experience be better with permanent installs? Probably, especially if the GPS is a combo unit with a depth finder. Will you get your money back when you sell it? Maybe some, but the boat will certainly be more attractive to a potential buyer if it is properly equipped.

My recommendation (and I know I don't have a vote in this): put in the equipment and run the boat. A bunch. You may decide you don't want to sell it. It will be a great cruiser for you and Spike. A safe boat to have a kid on, thanks to the tall(ish) coaming in the cockpit. A booster seat at the dinette and he will have a great view, inside, where you can keep an eye on him.

Hope you have the opportunity to enjoy the boat!

Jim
 
I know that if I were buying a boat with bad electronics would insist on a deep reduction in price.... it's like buying a car with a broken engine... When someone tells me it is in excellent condition, I don't expect broken electronics.

May be cheaper for you to just replace the stuff so the boat can indeed be in excellent condition.

Just my thoughts

Joel
SEA3PO
 
Following extensive research (I read the boxes) and careful selection criteria (what was in stock), I purchased a Garmin echoMap 74DV and a Standard Horizon Eclipse GX1300

I don't believe overthinking things like this has ever helped :)
 
Just completed sale of a boat. Poor quality or non-working GPS and VHF not
as important as non-working engine or failing steering. However, it may be
important, all else working and in good condition, to some buyer.

The buyer has the option, after a survey and/or sea trial, to adjust the offer
he/she made on the boat or ask the defective electronic(s) be fixed or replaced.
Some buyers may decide they want their brand of replacement and so you may
have to haggle a new agreed purchase price.

It all depends on the language of the Purchase and Sales Agreement you both
agree on and sign, after an acceptable purchase offer has been made, to begin
the selling/buying process.

Happy selling.

Aye.
Grandma used to say, "Flexibility is the corner stone of mental health."
 
If you don't need the GPS or VHF for your self, just pull the equipment out and let the new owner decide what they want. (Or you could leave it in, but then the purchaser may want to dicker more on price seeing you have equipment onboard that doesn't work!) And of course price the boat appropriately. When I bought my boat, I ended up replacing the electronics anyway, and did the same thing with my previous boat. Colby
 
You could always try to find an inexpensive replacement on craigslist. Maybe even duplicates of what you have so install would be easy. Older gear is pretty inexpensive, even if you find NOS. Then you could sell a turn-key boat but not have to ask a lot more for having put a bunch of $ into it, nor risk buying a new unit your buyer might not like.
 
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