Typically I boat on at Lake Tahoe but will also be taking her out in the San Francisco Delta which is a much larger body of water and definitely want all the safety and communication gear working right.

Has a Horizon Omni Standard in there now. The LCD looks to be wiped out. Can't really see anything on it when I turn it on. Is there a fix for this or a recommendation on a replacement to fit in the same spot. Open to options.

Also boat came with Garmin Echomap 50S Chart plotter. Any thoughts on this. Good enough or needs upgrade or modification?

I don't know much about this yet. Been focused on the boat restoration.

Picture of what I have now.

I boat on Lake Huron which is also a large body of water and I highly recommend having a radio and GPS that support NMEA2000 and DSC. I have registered my radio with the USCG and input my MMSI number and connected my GPS to my radio. In an emergency all I have to do is hit one button and a call is placed with all my info and location. If you plan on boating at night or could possibly be caught in SF fog then I also recommend AIS so you can track boats around you and they can see you. It's not that much more and a whole lot of peace of mind. You can do radio and GPS for under $1000. I have a Standard Horizon 2000 and Garmin 546S and it was super easy to connect them. I don't have AIS but I am strictly a fair weather boater.

We are fair weather boaters especially with a bow rider.conditions in the San Francisco Bay and lake Tahoe change rapidly.

Thanks for the explanation. I'll do more research and talk to the boaters around here when i actually have a chance.

If you are boating in an area where you can lose sight of land, than getting a radio with DSC and linking it to your GPS is a must. I think all fixed mount Garmins support NMEA2000 and a Standard Horizon 2000 is about $200. Registering your boat and getting an MMSI number is free.