Help Me With My GPS Selection!

D

douglee25

Well-Known Member
Jan 13, 2008
4,758
Dallas, TX
Boat Info
Cruisers 3575
Engines
Twin 7.4l
I've been searching for a new GPS/Chartplotter combo for a little while and I need some help selecting one. If anyone has any experience with these models please feel free to comment.

1. Standard Horizon CP180i
2. Lowrance 5300CiGPS
3. Garmin GPSMAP 540 (or 545 for better resolution)

My boating area is mainly the Delaware River from Trenton to the C&D Canal and then finally down the Chesapeake. It appears as though all units come with base maps preloaded in them. Will it be necessary to purchase separate cards to make them more useful? Will I be able to get depth markings with the base maps or are the separate cards the only way to obtain that information?

Thanks again.

Doug
 
I have the Garmin 545s I bought from Jim here. I also bought the G2 Vision card for the North Puget Sound and BC waters. That card is really great rendering much higher detail.
The Stock maps work fine, but the card allows for Auto Guidance plotting. You just put your cursor over where you want to go, press go to and it plots your course. Very cool. The higher detail also offers other views that are no available with out it. "Mariner's Eye" view is interesting as it shows your boat in 3D on the screen navigating like a video game.

The resolution of the 545s over the 540s is not the only difference. The screen is brighter too. I looked at both long and hard, but thought if I bought the 540 I'd be disappointed. I'm glad I bought the 545s.

Best of luck
 
Doug

What boat do you have? The only reason I ask is if you have Smartcraft you can also interface a Northstar or Navman Chartplotter to Smartcraft as well. This gives you not only GPS and Mapping information but the capability to display multiple Smartcraft functions at once and see all your engine faults recorded by Smartcraft. In addition you will also have real time fuel burn rates as well.

Dave
 
Dave S said:
Doug

What boat do you have? The only reason I ask is if you have Smartcraft you can also interface a Northstar or Navman Chartplotter to Smartcraft as well. This gives you not only GPS and Mapping information but the capability to display multiple Smartcraft functions at once and see all your engine faults recorded by Smartcraft. In addition you will also have real time fuel burn rates as well.

Dave
Click to expand...

Nope, no Smartcraft on my Larson, although that is a nice feature of the Northstar units.

Doug
 
I have the standard Horizon, works good. Holds 2 cards C-card NT+??? I think that's what they are called. lots of info on the cards.

But I agree with Dave, If you have smartcraft, then the northstar or navman should be considered too.

Opps never mind, I see you just posted you don't have smartcraft
 
Get the cards, you buy them by region and they cost about $150ish. they have things like more detailed bottom, marina info like services, wreck locations, fishing spots, anchorage spots, tides, fairways and moorings. lots and lots of useful info.
 
I have the Lowrance unit with the additional card for our area. The picture is great, it works flawlessly and I am still finding nw things that it will do. I my cars though, I bought Garmin.
 
Im going to be doing the same thing Doug....I think my wife for xmas will be getting me a unit...and ordering it from here from Jim.
Are you going to be making the purchase soon? Ill need to start a thread at some point. Most important to me is being able to use the Winnipisaukee cards from this joint: http://www.bizer.com/

Im tagging along here, if you dont mind for info others give for now.
 
A Larson, eh? What kind of Larson. . .big or small? Cruiser or a go-fast? Don't be ashamed. . . . put it in your sig.

I have a 545s. Frankly.. . .for the amount of money these things cost, the resolution of the 540 is .. . cheesy. Remember you might save $100 or $200 now. . but you will look at the stupid screen every time you use the boat.

As for the G2 cards for the Garmin. . I don't have it. Seems like a bit of a rip for me, but I would love to hear more fromTodd regarding the merits of the G2. Without the G2, you basically have the NOAA charts. Good enough for me.

Also, with the Garmin, I can download trip data to Garmin's Mapsource software. Don't know if you can get MapSource with just the chartplotter, as I have other Garmin GPS units. But downloading data is really cool.

Can't comment on the other GPS's, as I don't know anything about them.
 
I have a Garmin 545s with the G2 Vision card. LOVE IT!!!

here is a link to the G2 vision.
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2vision/g2vision.jsp

I have used all the feature indetified here except the fishing maps so far and it is worth the money.

the 3D mariner view is an awesome way to avoid the shallows in very tight water ways or as in Gulf you may have water around you a mile in each direction but all of it is less than you draft except the cannal. this feature has kept me from grounding out serveral times. the standard charts just can't visually show this as well.

the satellite imagery and arial refernce are great cuase you can overlay from 10% to 100% the navigation charts on a google type map and see approuchs to channels or dockage from a brids eye view. very usefull in getting you bearing.

and last but not least the auto giduance works great. I used it when I went on a 120 Mile trip to Tween Water. just punch in you're draft and preferences and then tell it where you want to go and it will find the best path based on what you told it.
 
Last edited:
comsnark said:
....................I would love to hear more fromTodd regarding the merits of the G2.
Click to expand...
I really think you have to see it to appreciate it.
The detail and function are expanded when you have the card in.
I see they've update the cards since I bought the one I have and they've combined the info on one card now whic used to be 2. I can't seem to buy the 2 card, so I may try to sell the one I have and buy the expanded card.

In certain areas where there is varied underwater topography the "Mariner's Eye" is very handy. In our area, depths can range from 400+ feet to a reef in a matter of yards
marinersEyeViewxl.jpg


tphinney said:
I have a Garmin 545s with the G2 Vision card. LOVE IT!!!

here is a link to the G2 vision.
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2vision/g2vision.jsp

I have used all the feature indetified here except the fishing maps so far and it is worth the money.

the 3D mariner view is an awesome way to avoid the shallows in very tight water ways or as in Gulf you may have water around you a mile in each direction but all of it is less than you draft except the cannal. this feature has kept me from grounding out serveral times. the standard charts just can't visually show this as well.

the satellite imagery and arial refernce are great cuase you can overlay from 10% to 100% the navigation charts on a google type map and see approuchs to channels or dockage from a brids eye view. very usefull in getting you bearing.

and last but not least the auto giduance works great. I used it when I went on a 120 Mile trip to Tween Water. just punch in you're draft and preferences and then tell it where you want to go and it will find the best path based on what you told it.
Click to expand...

in addition to what Tphinney states I'll say that having the marina info and "who to call" if in an unfamiliar area is a real comfort.
 
base'd on the picture it looks like you got the class D VHF installed to give the location of other vessels transmitting. I still need to do that, may be for Xmass present on the Daddy list.
 
Buy a Garmin, with card works awesome. I purchased one last year with water/land works very, very well you will spend a little, but if you have a boat you can afford one.
 
tphinney said:
base'd on the picture it looks like you got the class D VHF installed to give the location of other vessels transmitting. I still need to do that, may be for Xmass present on the Daddy list.
Click to expand...
Definitley get one. It's really nice to see your friends as an Icon on the screen and the ability to "Navigate to" them if they have their system wired properly.

Very cool.

BY the Way, that's Garmin's Screen shot.
 
comsnark said:
A Larson, eh? What kind of Larson. . .big or small? Cruiser or a go-fast? Don't be ashamed. . . . put it in your sig.

I have a 545s. Frankly.. . .for the amount of money these things cost, the resolution of the 540 is .. . cheesy. Remember you might save $100 or $200 now. . but you will look at the stupid screen every time you use the boat.
Click to expand...

I have a Larson Cabrio cruiser. I'm not ashamed at all. In fact, it was in my signature but it ruffles too many feathers on this board so I took it out to avoid more drama. You bring up a good point on price. A couple more now isn't a big deal in the long run.

tphinney said:
I have a Garmin 545s with the G2 Vision card. LOVE IT!!!

here is a link to the G2 vision.
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2vision/g2vision.jsp

I have used all the feature indetified here except the fishing maps so far and it is worth the money.

the 3D mariner view is an awesome way to avoid the shallows in very tight water ways or as in Gulf you may have water around you a mile in each direction but all of it is less than you draft except the cannal. this feature has kept me from grounding out serveral times. the standard charts just can't visually show this as well.

the satellite imagery and arial refernce are great cuase you can overlay from 10% to 100% the navigation charts on a google type map and see approuchs to channels or dockage from a brids eye view. very usefull in getting you bearing.

and last but not least the auto giduance works great. I used it when I went on a 120 Mile trip to Tween Water. just punch in you're draft and preferences and then tell it where you want to go and it will find the best path based on what you told it.
Click to expand...

I was researching this and that appears to be a very nice feature with the Garmin. I'm impressed with the auto guidance. Very nice.

r_moss said:
Check this one out from Hummingbird. It's on my wishlist for Xmas

http://humminbird.factoryoutletstor...nt-Transducer-Internal-Hotmaps-406970-1V.html
Click to expand...

A little out of my price range but it looks like a nice unit.

Nehalennia said:
Definitley get one. It's really nice to see your friends as an Icon on the screen and the ability to "Navigate to" them if they have their system wired properly.

Very cool.

BY the Way, that's Garmin's Screen shot.
Click to expand...

Again, a very nice feature of the Garmin.


Thanks again for everyone's input. I'm leaning towards the Garmin at this point. Is anyone aware of heavy discounts or savings at the AC boat show in the winter?

Doug
 
douglee25 said:
Thanks again for everyone's input. I'm leaning towards the Garmin at this point. Is anyone aware of heavy discounts or savings at the AC boat show in the winter?

Doug
Click to expand...

Doug,
Have you checked with Jim here at BOE? It is nice to be able to support those that support us.:thumbsup:
 
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