The New Garmin 741 Is Finally Shipping.....

[Maine Sail]

After months of promises and missed deadlines Garmin finally shipped the first batch of their new 7" plotters.. I got my first one a little over a week ago and am just getting around to mounting and installing it.

I have been quite impressed thus far with it. I have all three wires that will be connected to this plotter, N2K, Power/NEMA 0183 and Radar all run in a single leg of a 1" pedestal guard with room to spare. Course like anything the radar and N2k ends need to be cut off and field replacements need to be installed at additional cost.

For size comparisons this is a 1" Edson pedestal guard.

Sorry for the poor pics using the point & shoot...

Nice simple & clean screen:

Very thin profile:

Multiple options including a CHIRP sounder. Unfortunately no Garmin Marine Network:cussing Connected are Radar, Power/NEMA 0183 & N2K:

The wire organizer slots in the mount base are kind of cool:

 

[Jim Seamans]

Nice and as usual, installation neat as can be. wish my installs looked like this...

 

[FastOlson]

Nice looking install indeed!
I have been doing some 'net searches for installation info for this model and Garmin's site points to a sort of combined manual with other instruments presumably in the same family.
I was hoping that they have changed the compass-interferring part of the case, but so far it looks like they have not done so.
Until they show that they have, Caution!

I found one small Garmin chart of "compass safe" info, but even though it came up via a search on this exact model, the chart does not (yet) mention it by #.

"Caveat Emptor"

Loren

 

[Bob S]

Nice install, I could never make that bend where the conduit meets the pedestal guard with my Ø1/2 Raymarine cable!. I had to use both sides which means 2 holes in the deck.
I split the radar cable and spliced it using a dry box and terminal strips. 13 wires.
BTW nice cutting job on the pedestal.

 

[Maine Sail]

Nice looking install indeed!
I have been doing some 'net searches for installation info for this model and Garmin's site points to a sort of combined manual with other instruments presumably in the same family.
I was hoping that they have changed the compass-interferring part of the case, but so far it looks like they have not done so.
Until they show that they have, Caution!

I found one small chart of "compass safe" info, but even though it came up via a search on this exact model, the chart does not (yet) mention it by #.

"Caveat Emptor"

Loren

Unfortunately nearly every manufacturer is moving to magnetic chart doors, not just Garmin. Even without magnetic doors the compass safe distance needs to be confirmed on the boat, with a competent compass adjuster, and EVERY compass should be professionally swung and a deviation card made after an electronics installation. You simply can not rely on the manual for an accurate compass safe distance.

The compass adjuster is coming out in two weeks for this install. Boat was on the hard when I took these photos yesterday.

Garmin 741 Mounted:

And removed (the yellow is hard to see but it is off less than 2 degrees)

This amount of error is easily corrected for when using a professional compass adjuster. Mine charges me $150.00 but I don't know what the "retail" rate would be. BTW The E7D Raymarine created about 3-4 degrees in this same mount scenario using the same Ritchie compass, but the Garmin 741 only 2 degrees....

I fully agree that magnetic doors are simply stupid, stupid, stupid but the industry could care less. Apparently they know that 98%+ (based on the hundreds of boats I work on and the fact that about 2% have had the compass professionally swung, usually at my insistence) of the boats out there are already running around with no deviation card and no compass adjustments.

The old axiom that when all electronics go out, eg: lightning, that you'll have the compass is fallacy, as I found out a few years ago. Our compass was thrown so out of what by lightning that we had to have it swung again.. Within a few days after the strike it was out by more than 11 - 18 degrees depending upon the cardinals or inter-cardinals....

Some plotters are worse than others and the position of it in proximity to the compass also matters. Directly above seems to cause less issues than off to one side or the other.

The bottom line for me is to pick the plotter you want and then hire a compass adjuster. They should ALL be professionally swung magnet door or not. Sadly when I ask most owners for the deviation card none is ever to be found.. This can get extremely frustrating when they ask me to calibrate the AP fluxgate to the magnetic compass.......:cussing: