Need Chartplotter-GPS/Depth Suggestions

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dwarren

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Hopping into an older, very well maintained 37 Silverton. Her electronics look like they just came out of the box but they're 30 years old. I want to put in GPS/Depth/Chartplotter.

1. Assuming I can't use the existing transducer so would look to install a hull mount (like inside bilge glued to hull).
2. Don't need anything fancy, just something to reference when I wander into the unknown. I'm pretty good otherwise so don't need radar or side sonar or any other heavy artillery.

Anyone have any experience here?
 
I have not had good luck with numbers only sounders. In shallow especially stirred up by wakes water they lose ability. The scrolling bottom display of fish finders maintains some bottom info even when the signal is too weak to display numbers.
I would use a separate FF connected to the plotter for numbers dis[lay if you want but displaying its own scrolled bottom profile.
I had a garmin plotter and thought it was great. Chart cost and availability need to be investigated because it can get expensive.

Inside the hull mount doesn't work on cored hulls.
 
I think the GARMIN stuff offers good value, performance, service, and support. How much you spend reminds me of the scene in Smokey and the Bandit where Big Enos is giving Bandit the money for a fast car. Bandit looks at the money and says "Faster than that." Then after more money "Faster than that" till he's got enough for that Black TransAm.

GPS Plotters and Plotter/Sounders are the same way. They work about the same but the screen size drives the price up. I have a long-obsolete (like myself...) GPSMap 495 with a "Five-Inch Screen." It's a combo with Sounder, and when you split the screen to see both, it's not too bad till you add fields to the GPS Chart. Stuff like Speed, Lat/Lon, so on and so on.

Every once in awhile West Marine runs some killer deals. Study what's available, so you know what the unit they're promoting actually Is and Does. And IF IF IF it comes with the Transducer. $50 to $100 even more is the norm for transducers.

Watch out for discontinued GARMIN Plotter/Sounders. The deeply discounted ones probably will NOT have the CHIRP feature on the sounder component. The Chirp technology can return a surprisingly good image of items at depth. Saw a cast net that actually looked like a hoop on the screen. If you don't care about that, then there might be savings, but I think the new models are all Chirp.

I haven't seen Chirp images of "objects" on the bottom, but I'm pretty sure if you were looking for a sunken dink, probably even its motor, if your search took you over it, you'd shout "There It Is!" Rod and Reel, not so sure.
 
Thanks. I'll most likely just go with a GPS/Plotter without sound/transducer and use the old depth guage thats with the boat. Don't feel like doing major work yet.....too much other stuff to go over with a new(old) boat.
 
I ve always liked garmin for their intuitive interface, unlike Ray

We have a Simrad 5" touchscreen in the new tender, pretty nice. Interfaces with the outboard to show a digital dash as well as the stereo. A bit to complicated as you can only display so much on a 5" screen

I like a number only independent sounder. Been using them for years. Does the job
 
I'm using a Furuno GP-1870F GPS Plotter/Sounder.
In my previous boat, a 1999 Formula, I had a Furuno GP-1650 with an Air Mar transducer. That transducer is compatible today with my new Furuno.
If you know the model number of your transducer, you may want to investigate that route. I love the 1870F. Super bright screen. You can view even while wearing polarized sunglasses.Got mine from the GPS Store in North Carolina.
 
I had Garmin components on my old boat and loved it. Very easy to use, add accessories to, and their customer service answers the phone and is helpful.
My new to me boat has Raymarine electronics and while the stuff looks pretty good, I've been trying to get them on the phone off and o now for the better part of two months.
One of the issues with the Raymarine VHF is that it needs to go back to them to clear the old owners MMSI number out of it. Most of the electronics is only 2 years old so it makes sense to stick with it even though I think I like Garmin a little better.
I think a lot of Raymarine stuff although NMEA 2000 compatible doesn't always play nice with things from others manufacturers. At least that's one of the criticisms I've been hearing about them. That might impact your ability to expand later.
If I were faced with 30 year old electronics I would probably start with a nice Garmin Chartplotter and spend the extra money to get one with a built in sounder so that I could add an appropriate transducer at a later date. I'd probably get a new Garmin VHF that could be synched with the GPS through a NMEA 2000 network. Those two pieces of equipment will serve you well and set you up nicely for future expansion. I had the depth and fuel flow sensors all connected in to the NMEA 2000 network on my old boat and it was nice to be able to see all that info on one screen.
 
Yeah, the more I look the more sense it makes to get a good sounder mix and just add the txducer later and use the current depth guage now. REally isn't too many decent "chartplotter only" models that are decent price.
 
Your choices in the Garmin line will cost you about $100 or so more to get a chartplotter that has build in sonar. I would go that route so if down the road you want/need better sonar/fishfinding you will have it.

Many good priced units available for $1200-1400 that you can add radar to as well.

I am a big Garmin fan, I have a new Raymarine Hybrid Touch that came on my center console and I really like the Garmin better. Both do the same thing but the Garmin to me is easier, faster and has a few features like being able to enlarge the depth numbers on the chart so you can read them easier, magenta line to follow on your plotted course, things like that that the Ray unit doesn't have. Plus the build in Garmin charts are free and excellent.
 
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