Help buying a compact GPS/Chartplotter unit

[BaySailerBill]

I could use a little help from the experts choosing my first GPS/Chartplotter unit.I own a 1973 Oday-23 and do my sailing within Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island). My wife and I are months away from retirement and are looking to upgrade to a larger boat to enjoy some cruising getaways. Because I've sailed the bay I never had a need to buy a GPS, but things change and now I'm in the market.I like older boats and have rebuild several over the years (see enclosed photo of the fleet). I currently own a 1972 Classic Century and the Oday. I would like something small that I can move from boat to boat. Naturally, money is always an issue and I'de like to get the most bang for my bucks.I bow to your combined wisdom and ask if anyone has any suggestions for this broken dowm old bay sailer?Thanks for your help!

 

[richk]

laptop with Seaclear II

I recommend a cheap laptop with Seaclear II.1. Seaclear's free (http://www.sping.com/)2. charts for Seaclear are free (http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/download.htm)3. replace laptop when it breaks

 

[Ed Schenck]

Really like my Garmin 172.

Check out the Garmins at the Related Link below. My 172 is not made any longer but they are still available and at a better price: http://www.unitedsale.com/product_info.php?products_id=14395 . It has been flawless and is clearly visible at the helm in all light. Having the depth and tide information right in front of me was invaluable.Friends are buying later models that cost more because the charts are included. Charts for Garmins are proprietary and very costly. For my trip from Lake Erie down the east coast each region was $169. I needed four regions and that did not include the Erie Canal. I bought two chips, a 64 meg and a 128 meg. One is simply backup for the other. Plenty of memory to load all the charts I needed. The chips and sometimes the units can be found on E-Bay reasonably priced.Oh, and I love the Century. I grew up on a small PA lake skiing behind a 1956 Century Seamaid.

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Garmin

BSB- I think that you will find that a Garmin 440 will be perfect for you. Color, pre-loaded charts, built in antenna. Purchase a second mounting kit which includes the mount and power cord. Easy to move boat to boat. Rob

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I'd wait

If you are going to buy a new (to you) boat, it will likely come equiped with a chartplotter which today seems ubiquitous on boats. The market changes so quickly that the next generation will be available by the time you get into the new boat and you may regret buying one now for that reason as well.Having said that, I always liked Rich Stidger's taste in boats and apparently now too in chartplotters. I also bought a G 492 last year and am very pleased with the screen contrast which is visible in bright light and the size of the display.

 

[jfssail]

Garmin 172c,276c,GPSMap76

Bill, The past few months I have gone thru searching various Garmin products for a cockpit mounted mapping GPS for my Catalina 36. You first have to ask your-self how much you want to spend and do you have room to mount the GPS without expensive changes to the pedestal.I currently have an adequate 15 year old Autohelm Navcenter at the Nav station and a handheld Garmin GPSMap76that I have at the helm. You can purchase the GPSMap76 for as little as $200 plus the cost of the maps to be loaded.I wanted to spend less than $500 for a helm mounted model and found many available on e-bay available for less. I learned that the Garmin172c has an excellent screen that can easily be viewed in the sun. The Datacard cartridges for it can be purchased on e-bay for $25-$50, depending on the date of the card. The 172C has a 4.5" dia screen, 320x320 pixels.The 276C is also an excellent plotter with a smaller screen, 3.8" dia, 480x320 pixels. This model also takes the same Garmin datacards. This model is portable, has a Li battery and can be purchased used for $500 or $600 new.I purchased a new 172C for about $380 and have used datacards, dated 2005 for Lakes Erie and Huron for about $40 each.Jack F Stewart1993 C36 #1233 "Windancer"Port Clinton, OH

 

[Allan]

Standard Horizon 180

Is what I've installed on my boat and it is connected to my Simrad wp30 auto pilot and works just fine.

 

[sailaway78]

Garmin for me

One of the Garmin units, with the charts built in is hard to beat. You can get on on ebay for around 500 bucks. You will in the long run spend more money buying chips for different areas if you plan on doing much traveling. I am currently using a 498C, with built in antenna and depth. I have been on boats with Raymarine plotters, and for me they are not nearly as user friendly. Thats the only other brand I am familiar with. But the biggest advantage by far, is the built in charts.

 

[Capt. Kermie]

Consider screen size

I originally started with the Garmin GPSMAP 76CS handheld for portability. For the most part it serves well enough but I never did like the tiny screen size. Now I too have found myself shopping for my next unit and combination chartplotter/depth sounder appears to be the way to go. One of the most influencing factors to me is screen size, the minimum being 7" diagonal, I want enough screen to see the big picture plus the ability to split screen between chart and depth sounder. The Garmin 545s is the smallest I will go but I saw a better Lowrance model at the boat show that has me interested as well.(similar cost and size but slightly bigger screen)It is still another year before I spring for it but one thing I have learned, electronics become outdated rapidly, my 76cs is very old technology today and I have only had it a few years. Wait untill you actually get the boat then decide what you want.

 

[Brian D]

I echo barometer

I purchased a Dell Latitude off ebay - $302I have an old Garmin GPS12 - about $200I have Seaclear II - freeI have all west coast and Hawaii charts - freeFor a little over $500 or so you are set. Yeah, a "real" marine grade system would be nice but it is going to be expensive. Why spend way more when there is an alternative solution available.The choice is yours. And this is my 2¢ worth. Good luck.

 

[sailaway78]

For the same 500 bucks

Brian,For the same 500 bucks you can have a color Garmin 498, with ALL the US charts, including Hawaii and Alaska. Built in antenna. Plus a really good depth finder, all in one single and simple unit that is made to be used and left outside. Sounds like a much better bargain to me.

 

[Brian D]

Nice N Easy...

Can you play music or a DVD on your Garmin 498? And if the charts change, how much to update? I just paid Garmin $75 to update my Mapsource software and it had no changes to my area. Talk about feeling ripped off!I see the PC as a multi-tasking tool. Yes, it operates my navigation on my boat, but that is not all it does.

 

[richk]

buy in and recurring costs

1. garmin gps 12 $47.01 bid on ebay2. How much does it cost you to modify a commercial chart when navaids or the bottom changes? The charts originate at NOAA. RNC charts are updated free by NOAA. 3. Ref my previous post this topic.

 

[sailaway78]

Kind of anal

Brian, I hear you. I am just kind of anal about systems on a boat. Too old for this new fangled stuff. I have a am/fm/CD player. I have a laptop with all the charts in it. I have a chartplotter, hand held GPS, and charts aboard. None of them is connected to any other one. I keep having this nightmare about tying one system to another, and one of the bunch failing and killing everything. Have actually seen this happen, and it wasn't pretty. And I don't like the chances of a laptop in an outside salt water environment. The chartplotters are made to be mounted and used outside in the sun, rain, snow or whatever. Laptops aren't.

 

[Rick D]

Laptop and Seaclear Third Endorsement

I don't disagree that a laptop is an inside piece of equipment. However, after getting a $2800 Raymarine unit six years ago that is essentially obsolete now, I won't get caught again. If you must have a chartplotter, my recommendation is to get the cheapest you can with updateable charts and then go laptop. I had a laptop (zero dollars), downloaded Seaclear (zero dollars), got a GPS bud on e-bay ($35), downloaded charts (zero dollars), hooked it all up and had a wonderful display for the total expense of $35 plus shipping. I then added a Smart Radio AIS receiver for $189 plus shipping and a 9db rubber ducky antenna and serial cable converter to it all and now have something really useful. The AIS is very useful in the area where I sail which has a lot of commercial traffic. Having said all that, the laptop is still the backup, but it is rapidly becoming the primary navigation source. Rick D.

 

[Taylor]

consider screen size and resolution, chart chips and don't forget obsolescence

I happen to have a Lowrance which had the best resolution and screen size (10" 600x800) for the money at the time I bought it, but looking a few years later, Garmin seems to have leapfrogged Lowrance in size/resolution. But the key is that whatever you buy today will seem laughable in a few years, this market is changing really fast, so don't up buy too much. Also - for my Whaler I had a little Lowrance that I never bought a navionic chip for, and with just the default background map on the water these are not too much use. The cost of chips is way down, make sure you get a chip for whatever you buy unless the built in maps have marine details.

 

[Brian D]

Understand, Nice...

I agree. Just trying to provide an alternative to high cost. I think we all want the best for BaySailerBill. Remember, we all have opinions and we present them to the questioner. They have the unfortunate process of trying to sort all this out.