Hello again, We're getting closer - I think tomorrow maybe the day we make the decision to officially join. We're looking at electronics and trying to decide just how much we need. Our primary use for the boat is going to be trawling in the Columbia river and occasionally enjoying the day out in the Pacific Ocean. Don't think we'll go much further than 5-10 miles out. Most of the time I would assume being in the river our main function we'll pull from is the fish finding. Some suggestions for GPS/Finder and the radio would be great. How much is radar and how necessary is it if you'll only be out in good weather? Of course the wife and I are planning on sleeping on board so there's always a change of fog....Thanks for all the suggestions thus far and I'll be looking forward to seeing everyone on the water soon hopefully.
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GPS Fish Finder Combo Suggestions
- Thread starter bshillam
- Start date
I would suggest that the biggest display you can afford in color is the way to go. I have two 6" plotters (one is a combo fish finder by Lowrance) in the Tom Cat. The C Dory 25 has a 5" color chart plotter and a 5" monochrome fishfinder. I have a portable 6" unit which I take along as a back up.
The Garmin are the easiest to use. Check out the Garmin cartography for the river and see what is best for that and the area near the entrance. You may want the flexabillity to taking the boat to the San Juans and BC area. This may require a separate chip. For example I have hard drives, plus chips for inland lakes, and for Canadian waters.
There are three major cartography companies--Garmin only for their units. Navionics, used in Ray Marine, Furuno, hummingbird, and Lowrance (who also has their own chips--which are basically NOAA charts and are excellent buys), C Map used in Standard Horizon, Furuno, Navman, Northstar, Sitex, Simrad, and interphase. These are current models--some older used different media.
I like the Lowrance chart plotter/fishfinders also. Again 5 to 6" is a good size. If you are going to be using the boat on limited waters, it may be OK to just have one medium screen chart plotter/fish finder--but remember that half a screen is not much room....
Radar, I have it on both of my boats. It is not essential, but if you have it, it may save you. You will have to spend the time using it and becomming used to what you see durng the good visability times. I recommend the 1715 Furuno Radar--7" monochrome screen.
The Garmin are the easiest to use. Check out the Garmin cartography for the river and see what is best for that and the area near the entrance. You may want the flexabillity to taking the boat to the San Juans and BC area. This may require a separate chip. For example I have hard drives, plus chips for inland lakes, and for Canadian waters.
There are three major cartography companies--Garmin only for their units. Navionics, used in Ray Marine, Furuno, hummingbird, and Lowrance (who also has their own chips--which are basically NOAA charts and are excellent buys), C Map used in Standard Horizon, Furuno, Navman, Northstar, Sitex, Simrad, and interphase. These are current models--some older used different media.
I like the Lowrance chart plotter/fishfinders also. Again 5 to 6" is a good size. If you are going to be using the boat on limited waters, it may be OK to just have one medium screen chart plotter/fish finder--but remember that half a screen is not much room....
Radar, I have it on both of my boats. It is not essential, but if you have it, it may save you. You will have to spend the time using it and becomming used to what you see durng the good visability times. I recommend the 1715 Furuno Radar--7" monochrome screen.
I've had both the Lowrance GPS/fishfinder and the Raymarine GPS/fishfinder on the Jenny B. Been an electronics hardware type for about 50 years and though the Jenny B has a Raymarine C80 system with radar and fishfinder now, I would probably go back to the Lowrance if it were practical (or cheap). Had a LCX series but at the time Lowrance didn't offer radar and it was a desired option without mixing brands. Almost got a JRC plotter/radar combo but JRC took that moment in time to go out of the small radar business. :sad
The Lowrance LCX series fishfinders/GPS displays have a couple of features I truly miss. Tracking your course is far superior to the Raymarine and the ability to turn on your fishfinder, record the fishfinder output, pull the storage card when you get back and play it back on your home computer is invaluable. As it plays back, a mouse click gets you the lat/lon of any structure or honey hole you may have passed and not noticed. An added advantage is the LowranceNet is NMEA2000 compatible and Lowrance is/was an early participant in NMEA2000.
Don't take this as a criticism of RayMarine. It just doesn't fit my style of boating as well as the Lowrance did. YMMV. Now Lowrance offers a radar and Simrad is sure to add more value to future offerings. (sigh)
Don
The Lowrance LCX series fishfinders/GPS displays have a couple of features I truly miss. Tracking your course is far superior to the Raymarine and the ability to turn on your fishfinder, record the fishfinder output, pull the storage card when you get back and play it back on your home computer is invaluable. As it plays back, a mouse click gets you the lat/lon of any structure or honey hole you may have passed and not noticed. An added advantage is the LowranceNet is NMEA2000 compatible and Lowrance is/was an early participant in NMEA2000.
Don't take this as a criticism of RayMarine. It just doesn't fit my style of boating as well as the Lowrance did. YMMV. Now Lowrance offers a radar and Simrad is sure to add more value to future offerings. (sigh)
Don
starcrafttom
Active member
Bob covered the basics but I noticed something you said...”How much is radar and how necessary is it if you’ll only be out in good weather? “The times that we have used the radar the most have been days that called for good weather, the day went from nice to ugly in a hurry. I look at the electronics the same as more h.p. and tools. I hope I never need to work on the boat at sea, have to get back on instruments alone , or have to out run weather, or salmon seeking revenge, but if I do I want to have the ability to do so. So far we have done repairs at sea (thank you snap-on), gotten fogged in , rained out and snow blind wind all in the San Juan’s( got to love radar) As far as the revenge seeking salmon go It has not been a problem but I am ready.
I would go with the most you can afford, if the wife says it’s too much drive her into a fog bank some time and see how long it take for her to call raymarine when you get back. I have the Raymarine system and so far it’s the best deal out there for the following reason.
1. Others have better fish finders. I like the lowrance finders a lot, but they do not have a chart plotter with a over laying radar which is a great feature on the Raymarine. If you don't like it you can always use the radar as an independent screen. Again I would rather have the ability available then not have it at all. The Garmans are not a choice for me. I was playing with the new one at west marine and just did not like the fish finder screen. I do like there menu's a lot better than the Raymarine but I have grown use to mine and it works really well.
2. Others have had problems running different makes of radar, gps, chart plotter and auto pilots together. Some don't support each other and are hard to install, I like plug and play. Which is where the industry is going, they just have not arrived yet. So for a complete system with fish finder, radar overlay, gps, chart plotter, radio and auto pilot all by the same maker for under 5 grand Raymarine is the only one I know out there.
Now you may not get all that at once but you will have a ability to if you go with Raymarine. Also of note, I have had problems with several Raymarine items. Raymarine customer service has been outstanding. I shipped two components of my auto pilot to them to be repaired or replaced. Both times I called two days after shipping to make sure they got there. Both time I was connect to the THE tech that was working on MY unit. Not some guy with a trouble shooting book of answers or a phone bank guy with a tracking data base and bad skin. They told me what was wrong and what was being done. I got my items back in two weeks or less.
Now as far as fishing goes. If you are going to fish a lot not screen is big enough to read in detail if its at the helm and you are out back. I may (depends on funds, if I can get funds) install a standalone finder in the back of the boat where I can see it. For that I think I would go with the lowrance in color and the best (see funds) sending puck I could get. Also if you fish alone the auto pilot is a god send. Changed the way I fish and how much I and those with me (my poor wife) enjoy fishing.
Also on note, spend as much as you can on a radio antenna as you can. (I need to spend more on mine) a great radio with a bad ant. is not worth much.
I would go with the most you can afford, if the wife says it’s too much drive her into a fog bank some time and see how long it take for her to call raymarine when you get back. I have the Raymarine system and so far it’s the best deal out there for the following reason.
1. Others have better fish finders. I like the lowrance finders a lot, but they do not have a chart plotter with a over laying radar which is a great feature on the Raymarine. If you don't like it you can always use the radar as an independent screen. Again I would rather have the ability available then not have it at all. The Garmans are not a choice for me. I was playing with the new one at west marine and just did not like the fish finder screen. I do like there menu's a lot better than the Raymarine but I have grown use to mine and it works really well.
2. Others have had problems running different makes of radar, gps, chart plotter and auto pilots together. Some don't support each other and are hard to install, I like plug and play. Which is where the industry is going, they just have not arrived yet. So for a complete system with fish finder, radar overlay, gps, chart plotter, radio and auto pilot all by the same maker for under 5 grand Raymarine is the only one I know out there.
Now you may not get all that at once but you will have a ability to if you go with Raymarine. Also of note, I have had problems with several Raymarine items. Raymarine customer service has been outstanding. I shipped two components of my auto pilot to them to be repaired or replaced. Both times I called two days after shipping to make sure they got there. Both time I was connect to the THE tech that was working on MY unit. Not some guy with a trouble shooting book of answers or a phone bank guy with a tracking data base and bad skin. They told me what was wrong and what was being done. I got my items back in two weeks or less.
Now as far as fishing goes. If you are going to fish a lot not screen is big enough to read in detail if its at the helm and you are out back. I may (depends on funds, if I can get funds) install a standalone finder in the back of the boat where I can see it. For that I think I would go with the lowrance in color and the best (see funds) sending puck I could get. Also if you fish alone the auto pilot is a god send. Changed the way I fish and how much I and those with me (my poor wife) enjoy fishing.
Also on note, spend as much as you can on a radio antenna as you can. (I need to spend more on mine) a great radio with a bad ant. is not worth much.
starcrafttom
Active member
Don we are crossing in the night of postings. Now what this about "recording the fish finder screen for later review" I had not heard of that but would like to hear more.
Tom, several hours of the LCX (and probably other model Lowrance) fishfinder video can be digitally stored on the removable SD card in the equipment. Lowrance then has a little handy software for the PC that allows you to "review" the entire trip on the PC at home and at any point one can basically stop and/or "capture" that screen to a JPG file that also includes position information, depth and water temp (if available) precisely at the PC cursor.
I don't know about you but it's difficult for me to constantly keep an eye on the sonar, especially if we're just bebopping around. Life gets in the way, not to mention other boats, ships, floating debris etc. With the recorder on I can see where we were and what was there, and it's a simple matter to jot down the position and put it in as a waypoint for a fish specific trip later. It's also fun to show others what the bottom looked like where you picked up those nice fat Lings....
AFAIC, even though I have and use the RayMarine suite, I'll have to say that of the two, the Lowrance is far more intuitive to operate. I'd love to try the Garmin or Furuno suites for a few months as well because they're all pretty much on an equal footing now in regard to major features and the differences are mostly in ease of operation. It's hard to compare suites without actually using them all out on the water because not only do they differ, so do we. I don't need sophisticated radar. Especially since it's rarely used here and most of the fancy features are ignored since I'm usually just interested in getting through that damn fog without something sneaking up on me. Most chartplotter maps are good enough to get me around and I've got an old Magellan handheld and paper charts should they fail. Since I love seeing what's under the water more than what's on top, for me the fishfinder/sonar is my all time favorite toy. Guess my submarine days hooked me....
For me, picking a "suite" is like buying a truck. I'd love to have the Dodge Cummins diesel engine with an Allison 6 speed tranny in a Ford truck, but it ain't gonna happen. So I avoided what was historically the least reliable in my life and my Allison hasn't failed me yet. Next time my "suite" will be Lowrance unless someone gives me a Garmin or Furuno suite for a long term evaluation and I find another sonar is best.
I suspect Garmin excels in the GPS plotter arena. They should, if their vehicle GPS's are any indicator.
My personal experience with Furuno's entry level radar left me cold, though their fishfinders have a great reputation, albeit chiefly the very high end market, ie: large sportfishing and commercial fishing boats. A little too much "proprietary" for me in their entry level stuff but again, I can only compare what's been used in the Jenny B. Not gonna intellectualize a process that needs hands on experience.
Don
I don't know about you but it's difficult for me to constantly keep an eye on the sonar, especially if we're just bebopping around. Life gets in the way, not to mention other boats, ships, floating debris etc. With the recorder on I can see where we were and what was there, and it's a simple matter to jot down the position and put it in as a waypoint for a fish specific trip later. It's also fun to show others what the bottom looked like where you picked up those nice fat Lings....
AFAIC, even though I have and use the RayMarine suite, I'll have to say that of the two, the Lowrance is far more intuitive to operate. I'd love to try the Garmin or Furuno suites for a few months as well because they're all pretty much on an equal footing now in regard to major features and the differences are mostly in ease of operation. It's hard to compare suites without actually using them all out on the water because not only do they differ, so do we. I don't need sophisticated radar. Especially since it's rarely used here and most of the fancy features are ignored since I'm usually just interested in getting through that damn fog without something sneaking up on me. Most chartplotter maps are good enough to get me around and I've got an old Magellan handheld and paper charts should they fail. Since I love seeing what's under the water more than what's on top, for me the fishfinder/sonar is my all time favorite toy. Guess my submarine days hooked me....
For me, picking a "suite" is like buying a truck. I'd love to have the Dodge Cummins diesel engine with an Allison 6 speed tranny in a Ford truck, but it ain't gonna happen. So I avoided what was historically the least reliable in my life and my Allison hasn't failed me yet. Next time my "suite" will be Lowrance unless someone gives me a Garmin or Furuno suite for a long term evaluation and I find another sonar is best.
I suspect Garmin excels in the GPS plotter arena. They should, if their vehicle GPS's are any indicator.
My personal experience with Furuno's entry level radar left me cold, though their fishfinders have a great reputation, albeit chiefly the very high end market, ie: large sportfishing and commercial fishing boats. A little too much "proprietary" for me in their entry level stuff but again, I can only compare what's been used in the Jenny B. Not gonna intellectualize a process that needs hands on experience.
Don
Tom,
I'm pretty sure you have to have an LCX series Lowrance to have the "playback" feature. But having used it during the Lowrance training at the Sportsmans show last year it is some pretty neat stuff! To play it back you can download the free "Emulator"for the LCX 112 (or just about any LCX unit) and then load the file. It is very powerful! And is also a great way to figure out all the features on a unit.
I'm pretty sure you have to have an LCX series Lowrance to have the "playback" feature. But having used it during the Lowrance training at the Sportsmans show last year it is some pretty neat stuff! To play it back you can download the free "Emulator"for the LCX 112 (or just about any LCX unit) and then load the file. It is very powerful! And is also a great way to figure out all the features on a unit.
I think I found a good gps/finder.
http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?item=LW12319&id=LW12319&l=NEXTAG
Any other suggestions for models that would price out about the same would be great. My unit and radio budget is about $1000-1200. Later I'm going to be adding radar most likely. I've looked at the Garmins but they seem to really like their units and I've heard of cost somewhere close to $2000.00. Open to ideas and thoughts, thanks everyone!
http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?item=LW12319&id=LW12319&l=NEXTAG
Any other suggestions for models that would price out about the same would be great. My unit and radio budget is about $1000-1200. Later I'm going to be adding radar most likely. I've looked at the Garmins but they seem to really like their units and I've heard of cost somewhere close to $2000.00. Open to ideas and thoughts, thanks everyone!
Nice one. You might check around though because you're gonna pay another $125 or so for a transducer.
PlanetGPS has it for around the same price WITH the 200khz transducer and has a much higher rating at Reseller Ratings than Abe's
Don
PlanetGPS has it for around the same price WITH the 200khz transducer and has a much higher rating at Reseller Ratings than Abe's
Don
Bshilliam, be a little carful ordering for a non marine source. There are the "Boat Fix" and BOE which have excellent reputations in the marine world. The clue here is that there is no GPS antenna or transducer included in this price. I also do digital photography and would never buy from this retailer--too many scams. They are not a regular marine seller--more into "bargins" in photorgraphy--look up the ratings!
mikeporterinmd
New member
Sneaks":3bqlgi1q said:Nice one. You might check around though because you're gonna pay another $125 or so for a transducer.
PlanetGPS has it for around the same price WITH the 200khz transducer and has a much higher rating at Reseller Ratings than Abe's
Don
It's out of stock.
The offering at Abe's is a standard offering for
those that already own the GPS and transducer. The price is OK.
I might buy one if I wanted to upgrade my LMS 337C-DF.
Everyone says Abe's reseller rating is poor, so you probably
want to avoid them since there are so many good places to buy
from on the internet.
Mike