Best GPS for 2660 ? Help me out?

S

stevepeck1

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Joined
Oct 16, 2007
RO Number
28800
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4
I have a 2000 Regal 2660 and no GPS onboard. I have very little time to tinker and want to do this right once. I saw where somebody had a system integrated with auto trim tabs. That was pretty cool.

I presently use a portable GPS which does just fine when I'm just poking around after dark trying to avoid beaches, but I'm interested in seeing what folks here have done for their boats for a solid solution. Does anyone have advice on what GPS and electronics they would buy today for their 2660 given the mounting location requirements? I'd prefer not to block views of gauges, but I'll do whatever y'all recommend.

I am in Charleston SC and cruise local waterways if that makes any difference.

Thanks,
-Steve
 
Not necessarily ideal, but I have the Navman 5500i (now owned by Northstar) connected to my Icom VHS and RayMarine 5000 Autopilot. The Navman has twin fuel transducers connected to the built-in fuel management system. All works very well.

I have NO IDEA what could, or would, be connected to the Bennett tabs. (I DO, however, have the ATC, which I highly recommend)

Dash.jpg
 
Dear Stevepeck1

I own a Regal 2001-2660 with twin engines, I mounted my 330C Lowrance GPS unit right below the engine controls. Here is a picture of my dash (sorry but I do not have a better picture, this is all I have on my computer that shows my dash) You can see the engine controls in the lower right corner of the picture, the Lowrance GPS unit fit below there perfectly. It is a 5" color combo unit with map chip/GPS/fishfinder,etc. I do have to take my eyes off of the water and glance down to see the GPS screen but it is no big deal, it keeps my dash clear. If I remember correctly, I may have had to move the remote control for the spotlight ( but I may have moved it for the ATC install)

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Most of the new GPS units are capable of connecting to a NEMA network. It you use other NEMA units, you can see things on your GPS screen such as fuel flow, water temp, trim tab position, etc.

I totally agree with sugilbert about the ATC unit. It rocks.

If you decide to mount an ipod unit the best place is shown in my picture.
 
Neal, Is that a new Bennett ATC control pad under your Bennett toggles, or is that a radio remote? (Can't see it)
 
sugilbert

That's the CD/radio remote control. I installed it the first year I got the boat before the ipod and ATC install job. I got so tired of jumping down into the galley every time I wanted to change the CD track or volume. The remote works great. After I installed the ipod I do not need the remote as much but it is still handy to have a times. The MUTE button is large on the remote so when The Admiral starts yelling at me to "turn down the music" I can find the MUTE faster on the remote than on the ipod.
 
Here are some pictures of my Lowrance LMS337CDF on my Regal 2660. I didn't want to obscure the gauges either.

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Hi Jon

That's the exact spot I used on my boat. I even remember these pictures from the old Regal Owners site. I stole/copied Jon's boat when I installed my GPS.
 
I had a hard time deciding what to do about the transducer for this system. It comes with a transom mount, but that will not work well with our stepped hull on plane.

I found a cheap AirMar P79 in-hull transducer on eBay for this season. It was intended for Raytheon systems but has the same frequency support and similar enough circuit diagram per the Airmar techs. Grafted onto a Lowrance plug it works well. I attached it with silicon caulk to the hull under the fridge.

It hasn't lost bottom yet, but probably does lose a bit of detail shooting through the hull. For fishing at trolling speeds I may add the transom mount transducer this winter too and switch between the two.

I do have my LMS337CDF connected to fuel flow sensors. On a trip from Muskegon to Leland this summer it was invaluable for finding my mpg sweet spot. It was also very nice to fill up and say I needed exactly x gallons of fuel at the marinas.

I've seen NMEA2000 trim tab sensors. They will show the position of the tabs on the Lowrance NMEA2000 units like mine. They don't allow you to control the tabs from the GPS unit though or integrate with the ATC.
 
jsykes

Seeing your twin volvo-penta controls, I was wondering if you have any problem with one or both being stiff. Especially when your working them (just going in & out of forward and reverse)to dock. Seems like they should be a lot smoother.
Is there a way to adjust them?

Bill
 
Bill,

Yes - I do think they are too stiff. Last winter I actually disconnected all of my cables at the engine/outdrive and then at the hand controls to isolate the cause. I added an accusync synchronizer so I was messing with the cables anyway.

Most of the stiffness in my system seems to be within the outdrive shift mechanism. I have about 140hrs on my drives so I put it down to relatively new drives - I didn't really want to open up the upper unit shift mechanism. The controls could be smoother too. My previous single drive volvo control was much better.

My cables were fine - disconnected at both ends they slide very easily. There is a friction adjustment under the neutral start button of the engine controls. I have it set to the minimum and they are still tight enough to not slip.

I toyed with the idea of electronic (KE4) controls for a while after seeing them on a 2660 in a yachtworld photo. Eventually I realised how many other boat toys I could buy with one KE4 system.

Neal - How are your twin volvo controls?
 
On my 2465, I had the in dash depth sounder and one on my chart plotter. The frequencies clashed and caused the dash unit to become pretty much useless. Something to consider if you have that setup.
 
You'll notice the toggle on my dash under the digital depth finder. I had the exact same problem, and installed the toggle to prevent "electronic confusion"

Dash.jpg
 
My twin Volvo controls are stiff at times. It seems like the controls take turns with the port being stiff one day and the starboard being stiff another day.

I dropped both outdrives to install new bellows and gimbles 2 months ago and the mechanic and I played with the controls for hours. No success. The only time it really bothers me is when docking...of course that's the only time you use them very much. Yeah I would love electronic controls or joysticks but there is only so much money.
 
Happy New Year:
1.Transducer: I would like to replace my existing transducer (2003, Regal 3060) but don't know where it is, how to get to it, if the old one can be removed and replaced with a different unit. Anyone ever replace the existing in-hull transducer on a 3060 or similar boat?

2. Throttles: Mine are also very stiff. I am just shy of 200 hours on the 5.0 Volvos (it had 100 hours on the engines when I got it) and they operate just as stiff as when I first got it. I'm too am watching for a workable solution/improvement.

Thanks,
Doug
Old Hickory Lake
Nashville, TN
"Somewhere In Time"
 
folieadeux does that mute button mute the stereo or the Admiral? If it mutes the admiral I am really interested in finding one. BTW nice installation.
 
Finaucane

My orginal wiring for the mute button ran directly to the Admiral but that was very short lived. I did not upsize the wiring to handle the voltage from the Admiral so everything blew. Second try operates the mute on the stereo and now the Admiral is happy (mostly).
 
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