Help!- GPS/Charplotter/Fishfinder

S

Starboard 6

New Member
Feb 6, 2010
41
Virginia Beach, VA
Boat Info
280 Sundancer, 2007
Engines
5.0 Mercruisers, Bravo III drives, 5.0 Gen
Could anyone recommend a good unit that is pretty much all in one? I am sure most are made that way today, but I have little experience buying marine electronics.

I am not sure if skimping in this area would be a regret or if it is easy to overspend uneccessarily. I will mostly be cruising and doing the usual family watersport activities with fishing being my passion. Unfortunately, fishing will only be realistic once or twice a month; based on the kids being little still.

I will be mostly in the Chesapeake Bay out of Virginia Beach with some trips out into the Atlantic. I am in a 280DA w/ 5.0's, BIIIs, and 5.0 genny. We also will weekend in varoius CB locales and take the intercoastal waterway down to Sunset Beach NC; to my parents place.

Any advise welcomed. Any thoughts on what is reasonable for installation would be a great help!:smt100
 
Check Garmins, they are relatively inexpensive, and are very user friendly. They also seem to put more info than some of the very expensive models. They also have some GPS/ Chartplotters with the antenna built in. Easy install
 
Ditto on the Garmin. I bought a combo unit I think it was a 440S (4" Color Chart/Sounder) for my 185 sport and I absolutely love it. simple interface, all in 1 unit. plus, it comes standard with 1 of 2 charts, either the coastal or inland waterways. No need to buy additional charts. They make a newer model and also have larger screens but for my needs, it wasnt necessary.

good luck.
 
I agree on the Garmin - I've used them and they are easy to use and have a lot of features but can be pricey. I ended up going with a Lowrance 7200c which I got a great deal on from Jim at BOE - has a 7" screen which I really wanted. It came with the preloaded US map which was extremely basic - but I added the Navionics card for my area for more detail.
 
Re: Help!- GPS/Chartplotter/Fishfinder

That's very helpful. Does anyone have insight on Raymarine and Lowrance?
 
I have a Lowrance 2600 HD in my 280 and love it came preloaded with charts ,the fish finder works great.easy to use and can be upgraded to radar at a later date.
 
I also have larger 10" screen for my Raymarine on the big boat and that is a different animal. They are very expensive and have amazing screen clarity but the features are similar to that of the Garmin. The user interface is differnt but still intuitive. Unless you
get the most basic model I believe they can be expanded and are very high end.

I guess the question remains "how much do you want to spend" and "how much room do you have"? If you answer these, alot of other choices will made for you.....
 
Thanks MarkD. This may be a "newbie" question, but doesn't just saying that I am putting it on the 280 give everyone the space available and such? I know that price can be all over, but I was trying to keep it as low as possible, but getting the proper equipment. ($1000-2000?)
 
You might want to consider the Raymarine A series. It is a gps and chartplotter and can has a fishfinder option. The unit comes loaded with coastal charts, and I would expect the Chesapeake but you better check. The screen is very good quality. I purchased it to add as a system deciated to AIS to supplement my other electronics. A a stand alone unit it would be just fine.
 
Starboard 6 said:
Could anyone recommend a good unit that is pretty much all in one? I am sure most are made that way today, but I have little experience buying marine electronics.

I am not sure if skimping in this area would be a regret or if it is easy to overspend uneccessarily. I will mostly be cruising and doing the usual family watersport activities with fishing being my passion. Unfortunately, fishing will only be realistic once or twice a month; based on the kids being little still.

I will be mostly in the Chesapeake Bay out of Virginia Beach with some trips out into the Atlantic. I am in a 280DA w/ 5.0's, BIIIs, and 5.0 genny. We also will weekend in varoius CB locales and take the intercoastal waterway down to Sunset Beach NC; to my parents place.

Any advise welcomed. Any thoughts on what is reasonable for installation would be a great help!:smt100
Click to expand...

Garmins are great. You can find a model for every need and budget, and Jim here at Boe has great prices and stands behind his sales.

If you want to save a few dollars, I have a used Garmin 198C that I am selling because I am upgrading to support radar. It works and looks like new. You can learn more about it at:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=168&pID=320

PM me if you want more details.

Scott
 
Bought my Garmin 440 from Jim here of BOE. Walked me through which one would be best for my boat, was incredibly helpful, and it came in a couple of days. Id highly recommend you use BOE here.

Gary?:smt001
 
If you purchase as Northstar GPS/Fishfinder you can connect the Smart Craft to it.
 
Does anyone know about this unit? I am trying to stay between $1000-2000. What size is "too big" for the 280DA? Some of the 10" screens look pretty big. The Garmins look nice, but I did not see any with fishfinders. Sorry I am kind of all over the pace here. This is getting confusing.


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RAYMARINE INC. A70D 6.4" Chartplotter/Fishfinder
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Does the sounder mean fishfinder? Are the 550 and 657 Radar ready? What is the price range? How do I get in tou0ch with Jim?
 
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