Need new GPS/Chartplotter

[src]

My Garmin 740s died at the end of the season and I haven't been able to repair it, so I need to find a replacement. While I would love to do a full electronics upgrade and replace the Raytheon RL70/radar and Furuno FCV600L fish finder as well, the boat dollar fund is running short.

My inclination is to either cheap out and go with the Garmin 741xs to match what I had or step up to the 7600 series. My budget is going to limit me to about $2K for this upgrade. My goal is to leave myself positioned to replace the remaining outdated equipment as funds become available. Ideally, I'd just have to replace the radome and transducer in order to match the current capabilities, although further expandability would be nice.

I have yet to find a good comparison of the available options from the different brands, so I was hoping for some advice. I know that most people are going to have their favorite brand, so I'm hoping for some objective feedback about the best performance I can get for the funds available. Thanks!

 

[hottoddie]

Why not return it to Garmin for an exchange for fairly short $$. They send you a reman with a 1 year warranty. Then upgrade later when funds allow.

 

[rondds]

src...what happened to your 740s? How long was it in service? Only asking b/c I just installed one last winter
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.ph...splay-with-Engine-Data-to-the-helm?highlight=

The 741 is a really nice unit with bluetooth capability. Will it fit in the same installation hole? Were you satisfied with the size of the 740 screen? Do you have space for the larger display, along with the display you currently use for radar viewing? If you go with the 741, can you, later, add a 2nd 741 when you replace the radome (7" might be too small for split screen viewing, but that's a matter of preference).

I'm a big fan of Garmin so I would stay with them.

 

[sdleo26]

I have had mine 4 years, still works great, would be interested to know as well. They have many firmware upgrades; make you stay current

 

[CSR_Admin]

We have another sale from Mar 9 to 13th. Call us then for the best price, and call us anytime for advice. I think a 741xs is a logical solution for you. Only reason to go with a new 7600 series is if you want a bigger screen or want to use your iPad as a 2nd display since they have wifi.

 

[src]

I had the 740 a bit over 2 years, so it's out of warranty. The failure is that when power is applied, I (sometimes) get a very brief flicker out of the screen and power LEDs, then nothing. Being a tinkerer, I opened it up looking for loose connections and bad solder joints around the main connections, but everything seems to be in good order physically. I considered trying to get Garmin to fix it (before opening it, obviously - they have an interesting tamper detection method, BTW), but I have always had bad luck with reman/refurb electronics, and rather than spending upwards of half the cost of a new unit on a repaired one, I decided I'd rather move on.

It was bracket mounted - there's no panel space for it currently (until the Ray/Furuno units are removed). I would prefer to have a larger screen for future use (once I replace the others), and it would be moved to the panel at that time, but for now the replacement will also be bracket mounted.

I really wish I had another grand or so to put into it, so I could move up to a 10-12" screen in preparation for the future, but if I tried to get that one past the admiral I'd be walking the plank. I liked the Garmin a lot (and still like the 546s I have in the little boat), but I didn't want to limit myself to the brand arbitrarily, especially since I don't currently have any branded accessories that I will be keeping through the later upgrades. I could probably tide myself over by getting a second cable for the 546 and moving it between boats, but who would pass up the chance for a new gadget?

Thanks for the head's up on the next sale, BTW. The timing couldn't be much better.

 

[rondds]

Jim...how's WiFi work with GPS? Or did you mean bluetooth? The 741 is bluetooth capable as well. Do you know if the 741 would fit in the same rough opening as the 740 (for my information)?