GPS Suggestions
 

I am looking for some suggestions on what GPS to acquire.
I will be installing it into a 292 Formula SR1
I typically cruise at 35 and 45 MPH.
I cant see crap, because I am older than dirt, so I need a good size screen.
Simple is good , I don't want anything that I have to play with too much !
And I think the price range would be from 400. to 600 dollars !

Thank You in advance for your replies !

I am going with a garmin 740s when I redo my dash in a couple of months. It will be about 1000.00 but it has a 7" screen, super easy to use and the best mapping, chartplotter I have seen. They have a 5 series as well but I want the bigger screen. It will be flush mounted. You can add XM weather and radar if you desire.

Tough to get a big screen for that price Big Boy. While I am very happy with my Garmin, the print and icons are rather small. For your price range you may want to consider the Raymarine A50 series. It has larger icons, is touch screen, and appears to be a versitle unit in a smaller package (5.7 inch screen size).

http://www.raymarine.com/view/?id=4954

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Dan

If you're looking for a new one $600 bucks is going to be hard to do, I installed a Garmin 546s on my dash, had to remove the speedo and redo the dash, but it works great and turned out great, I use the GPS for my speed now.
$400 for the dash and $800 for the GPS

I have had a Garmin 740 on my boat for 2 seasons and just put a Garmin 640 on my PWC. If/when I need a new GPS, it will be a Garmin! VERY happy with them.

I got one on these for 99 bucks off ebay.[ATTACH=CONFIG]504740[/ATTACH] I just have the throttle man read it.. Or if I am alone for the high speed test. I can read it after the run. My boat grips until it slips . then it lets go, so I can tell if it is going faster by feel and the tach

I'm partial to my Livorsi GPS Monster Gauge!! You not only get MPH but you also get RPM per side, Water Temp. and she Calculates Prop slip at the given RPM.......

..............and the Huge Digital read out is not only accurate but it can be easily seen by all riders.... and some boats close behind U:cool:

More information
 

I finally got off my butt and went to see the gps systems in person at West Marine, Boy are there a lot of choices. In my mind too many.
I have not acquired one yet but the Garmin 740S looks pretty damn good. There was something mentioned in one of the reviews that I was reading, that commented that if your compass is to close to the gps it may disorient it ?? Then I was reading additionally and they said you had to acquire a transducer in addition to the gps. They recommended the puck style, but reading about it there was a comment that said it is good up to a 22 degree dead rise, I am at 24 degrees. Before I spend a grand I want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row. Oh well its 5 oclock BEER TIME !
Thank you guys for the in put I appreciate it.

My 353 has 24 deg deadrise and I have the transducer glued down in the bilge and it wokrs great, where you going to install the GPS.

At the moment I have not decided, I have no room in the dashboard, and if I mount it on top of the dash it will totally block my view of the compass. So for now I am between a rock and a hard place. I also have the issue to address, if I do mount it in front of the compass will either instrument be discombobulated due to magnetism ??
Thanks for your input
Brian

I choose the 740 also. I mounted it in the dash and it is very close to the compass. No issues.

I would post a picture but for some reason the option to do so is not working.

Dan

Old thread but thought I would bring it back up.

So I am looking for a chart plotter and have limited space, these two should fit in my space. The garmin is a lot more then the Simrad, wondering if garmin is worth the extra.

Also has anyone used through hull (shooting through not through mount) transducers? My depth sounder works pretty good till about 30 didn't know if the ones they make for these work.

last of course,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, where is the best deal to purchase one?

Simrad:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/simrad...ucer--17204454

garmin:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/garmin...tely--14014237

I went with a Lowrance Elite 5M, less than $400. Mounted it 6-8 inches from compass on my Formula no issues. Not a fish finder, just a GPS ( that's what the M represents). Good luck.

I haven't used the Simrad but I did have a Lowrance on my Donzi when I got it this Spring. I couldn't get rid of that thing fast enough. Awful awful awful.

I think there's a reason almost everyone is running the large screen Garmins. They work damn well, easy to see and easy to use.

I have a 740 and love it.

Hey Wildman. I did my undergrad work at FIT. I love Merritt Island. You're living in a special place.

I just pulled my engine last winter for general maintenance and while I was there I installed a shoot thru transducer. The good news is that there is no hole in the boat. The bad news is that about all you get is depth data. The through hull mounted transducers really give you a lot of information including bottom contours and water temperature.

I purchased a NMEA 2000 transducer and the data ports into the Garmin 740s by that route. I also kept the original Lowrance depth finder since it was working fine. The lowrance is faster to respond than the Garmin (most likely due to relatively slow data transmission rates over the NMEA 2000 network). Not a big deal but noticeable. The Garmin transducer and Lowrance are mounted very close together. I get interference on the Lowrance but not the Garmin when both are active. I have since seen other boats whose depth gauges work just fine even with a more forward mounted transducer so if I had to do it over again I would separate them more. As long as the water under the transducer is not aerated you will get good results. I get good depth information up to the maximum speed of the boat which is about 60mph.

Also, no compass issues with this location of the chartplotter, just a few inches below the compass.

Good luck.

Dan

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I guess if I had it to do over again I would look closely at Raymarine products. The Garmin is nice except for very small text. My big issue though is a touchscreen is difficult to use in bumpy water. That is not Garmin specific though. An actual button is some much easier to push when the world is moving around under you.

I just purchased a 547xs & the p79 transducer. I really wanted a 700 series but dont have the real estate for it & all my gauges.

I should have been more specific. I am using the P79 transducer also.

Some good info there, I have a step hull so the transducer is mounted forward of that. It's why the depth only works till 30 after that the hull is out of the water.

If all you get is depth may not even be a reason to buy the transducer, save some money that way. I didn't think about the touch screen issue in bumper water, that may be a issue here.

Thanks

I had a garmin 740 in my boat less than two years. Now it constantly goes into Panning mode or MOB. Garmin wants $300 just to look at it. I feel like I wasted $700.

I have been using a Garmin 547 for about a month. Very happy with it. Accurate and very intuitive. Thought about a 700 series but not enough room and not sure how easy a touch screen would be to use in a bouncing boat.

Padraig

One thing that is important to look at is the refresh rate of the GPS. On my Garmin 640 you would have it when you turn it would lag. On my Garmin 740 as you turn the GPS updates very quickly so you always have an accurate representation of your heading.

My Lowrance I had briefly was very slow to update.

Having a fast refresh is important when you are navigating tricky routes at high speed.

That is something I have considered and both the garmin 741 series and the simrad GO7 has the same refresh rate.

And they are faster then your older 740, that was one of the "upgrades". I am starting to think both are nice units and would work. I now am going to research the audio interface a little.

Not the primary function but my secondary use for it.

Thanks guys.