RedDog382

Didn't think my dash re-design looked too bad ...

formula1

RedDog, that is a very nice setup!

cuda

It looks beautiful...........other than that big square monstosity. They always remind me of a big hairy mole on an otherwise beautiful woman.

Rippem

Your right cuda. I think the small screen handheld that's next to impossible to actually read and use while under way in rough water look better and mounted on some hideous bracket that required screw holes in the dash or deck look much better than this.

axapowell

I have to agree....size does matter! I can see all my gauges just fine!

Dave

cuda

How often do you need to read a gps in rough water? It ain't like we're running miles offshore. As long as it has a speed recall, I'm good to go. Sometime I have Debbie read me the speeds at different rpm.

selpel

But if you like to explore different places you cannot go wrong with the in dash Garmin!

RedDog382

Actually use GPS frequently up in the Great Lakes. Know my usual waters, but it is nice to have particularly at night to stay in the channels and avoid channel markers/other hazards. Also very nice to have in unfamiliar waters.

Storms will also roll in quickly and visibility can drop to 100-200 feet in a matter of minutes.

The water in the Western Basin of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair is very shallow. There are several places where the water is 2 ft deep 6 miles out. Water is murky from run-off from farm fields, so we can never judge the water depth. All available with GPS technology.

axapowell

The Thousand Islands can be dangerous as well. MANY unmarked shoals and shallow spots. We have our regular running area too, but we do travel a lot on the St. Lawrence River and head out to Lake Ontario occasionally. There are parts of the lake that get real shallow without any markers. Beats pulling out a chart on the lake in 3-6 footers and try to read. The Raymarine unit works well.

Last year we went on a week long 600+ mile trip, and it was great to have this navigational aid!

Dave

formula1

Yeah, the Gulf of Mexico and it's tributaries are the same way! You gotta know the markers and where you are going with a GPS. I was halfway across the Caloosahatchee River and the depth meter is reading 2.5'! Insane!