Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

[rhillman75]

I have a 1996 Sylvan 196 that I bought recently and it only came with a round electrincal gage that tells your "depth'. I am looking to buy a marine GPS that is not to "big" that I can suction mount to the drivers side of the open bow part windshield that can accommodate some "basic fishing detail, basic depth detail, possibly MPH, and I think thats about it. I just do not like to know that I am relying on a guage that changes rather "quickly" which I do not really think is 80 percent accurate all the time. I don't think I need to put a TON of money in to a basic system, but I do not have any real good advice except for the marina and we all know how they like to make money.

Please reply with any brands or model numbers you would suggest.

 

[AgentJ]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

i have a garmin 441S, its a chart plotter and sounder. works great in lakes and in and off shore.

 

[jcupo6]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

I have a garmin 440s and love it. It really depends on how much you want to spend. There are auto/marine units that you would be able to use in the car and boat... http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GPSMAP-Waterproof-Marine-Chartplotter/dp/B001HLBBTU.

 

[rhillman75]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

I have an automotive aftermarket electronic business that stocks protable units. I currently have an NDrive 4.3, but I do not think it is doubled as a marine GPS unit. My absolute main concern is "depth". With that said... I do not want to spend alot of $$$ just for a back up device to show depth. Are there any "cheap" models that I can manually (portable) pull out of the boat when done boating and return with it when ready to go back out. I don't really fish a whole lot, I am just using using this for tubing and skiing. The lasttime I relied on my stock depth finder... it went from 8 feet to 2 feet in a matter of seconds and cost me a new skeggard and a re-condition of my 4 blade prop. The depth finder did work, however I had zero time to react!

 

[snowman48047]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

If you went from 8 feet to 2 feet in a matter of seconds, you won't be any better off with a $200 or even a $3000 unit for depth. You got screwed because you didn't know WHERE the lake got shallow. It sounds like you need to know the depth contours of the lake your on instead. IMO you need a unit that has good lake charts on it.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

I agree, the transducer is on the back of the boat so by the time any finder picks up a change like that itis too late, you are going to get it and they don't make a forward looking finder.

And what you want isn't cheap,a finder/sounder, even basic,can run $400+++ alot of them have maps loaded but then again who know where or when they took the measurements so it is a rough guide, if it says a spot is 4', it may be 6' or 2' so oyu need to use your judgement but at least you can get an idea of what the lake looks like.

I have gone to Google maps and looked at a satalite pic of a lake I went, you can really pick out the depth changes.

I have a Garmin 178c color plotter sounder and love it to death, it is a previous generation, I think the new one are 478 or something close and it will run you in the $400ish range.

 

[GMIslander]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

Charts all loaded, seems like a good buy to me. http://www.gpscity.ca/lowrance-elite-5-gold-fishfinder-and-gps-chartplotter.html
If you are in very shoal water you cannot or should not depend on electronics to guide you. Someone in the bow spotting for you is a good idea. Speed should be determined by water depth, less depth less speed. But we have lots of depth here so what would I know.

 

[AgentJ]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

Again with my Garmin 441S or the 440s, you can buy the us inland lakes cd and it is awesome! Give depth contours and aids to navigation. However with that said, do not go by chart plotter alone. it just an aide, as water depth fluxuates with the season, amount of rain or lack of. if you are unfamiliar with the water, go slow, real slow. if you are out tubing, if the chart plotter puts you in 30 feet of water, but your sounder says 20 feet, error on the side of caution and expect 15 feet..lol the 441S are a bit pricey.. However it is fully functional and i plan on only buying one and hopefully it will at least 10 years. im prone to buying Garmin products, im in the army and the last one i bought was 12 years ago and it still works great except for the internal battery is dead... what do you expect for a 12 year old GPS. so it won?t save my data in the internal memory. i use it as my back up if i get lost in the dark in unknown waters. it was a tossup between that and the hummingbird 185. the humming bird was a whole lot cheaper, but for the features i opted to spend a little more so i can get more information. if you are not going in the ocean, i would get the hummingbird. i have had good luck with those too, its just now that i have a bigger boat and plan on going in and off shore, it?s nice to have all the bells and whistles. Good luck!!

 

[sschefer]

Re: Just looking for advice on a marine GPS system...

You can spend anywhere from a couple of hundred buck to thousands and still hit a rock. Your current onboard sonar is probably as accurate as your going to get unless you go with a thru hull transducer and mount it up forward. Still, you have to be realistic and understand that at anything over an idle a sudden change in depth is nearly impossible to react to.

Chart plotters with bottom contour maps are good and can help to make you aware of possible problem areas beneath your keel. The problem that I found is that there aren't that many good bottom contour maps available and unless you're on a constant level lake or the ocean they can become obsolete in the course of a season.

I like the navigation systems that map your current position via GPS and give you a visual of your track. With this, at speed, I can stay in deep water and get close to my final destination without worry.

Personally, I like the Lowrance HDS systems. They are a little pricy but you get a lot in a small package that can be dash mounted. The quick connects make it easy to remove and stow when you're away from the boat. The learning curve is a little steep for all the functions but after a while you find you only make minor changes while underway.