Thinking of getting a GPS..which to buy

[davidmhull]

Good morning. I was thinking of buying a digital depth meter for my present sailboat. I never really worried about not having one before because I had a swing keel on previous boat and used it as a depth gauge. I keep an eye on the charts and if I touch I would just pull up the swing keel and turn around. I now have a fixed keel and that option is out. I am considering getting a "fish finder" that will give me depth and also GPS navigation. I have never gotten lost in the Chesapeake bay but I am thinking it would be nice to have at certain times. I am not concerned with a bunch of fancy fish finding capabilities nor do I need a color display. If I go with a GPS I would like to get one with a built in antennae if possible. I would also not want to get a hand held unit but rather something I could mount on a swing out bracket as I have seen others do. I also don't want to spend a lot of money since this is not a must have item for me. I am also a bit confused about what options you need to get to make it usable as far as charts. Is there any unit that you know of that has enough capabilities to tell you where you are and where your destination is for about $300 or so? Thanks.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Your question is like asking your friends "What car should I buy, I only go out for groceries once a week, drive to my boat, but may go to visit my brother in Colorado during the winter?"

The basics are answered here:

http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Selecting-a-GPS-Receiver

Without a budget, other than $300 won't get you a fixed mount (unless maybe a Hummingbird), it's hard to answer.

You have to do a lot more homework and research, narrow down your search and then get more specific with questions about particular models.

Happy hunting, good luck.

 

[Bad Obsession]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garmin-GPSM...370?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a4ec2872

You should be able to find a deal on a Garmin 441s. I have that unit for my Compac 23 and had one on my Catalina 30. It is a simple unit to use and it works good for the Chesapeake Bay. It has an internal antenna.

For that price you may have to settle for a used GPS. Keep your eye out on ebay.

 

[Ted]

Thinking of getting a GPS...which to buy

Take a look at some of the used ones available. You'll get a lot more bang for your $300 budget. Try to get the largest screen size that you can because it's difficult to navigate in adverse conditions (usually when you need it the most) looking at a small screen. Don't discount an independent antenna. They're not difficult to install and some can be deck mounted so you hardly notice them.

 

[Skipper]

Good morning. I was thinking of buying a digital depth meter for my present sailboat. I never really worried about not having one before because I had a swing keel on previous boat and used it as a depth gauge. I keep an eye on the charts and if I touch I would just pull up the swing keel and turn around. I now have a fixed keel and that option is out. I am considering getting a "fish finder" that will give me depth and also GPS navigation. I have never gotten lost in the Chesapeake bay but I am thinking it would be nice to have at certain times. I am not concerned with a bunch of fancy fish finding capabilities nor do I need a color display. If I go with a GPS I would like to get one with a built in antennae if possible. I would also not want to get a hand held unit but rather something I could mount on a swing out bracket as I have seen others do. I also don't want to spend a lot of money since this is not a must have item for me. I am also a bit confused about what options you need to get to make it usable as far as charts. Is there any unit that you know of that has enough capabilities to tell you where you are and where your destination is for about $300 or so? Thanks.

You've just described the new garmin 44dv. A fully featured chartplotter, for $300. And it has a sounder which is over-featured for your use, and intended for transom mount, but you'll get your depth plus a huge amount more. You'd have to rig something for sailboat install. Or leave it off and use chart depth. The unit comes with the charts.

 

[Joe]

If you want to stay in budget... don't rule out a basic gps/sounder unit. Since you sail in familiar waters, and probably have a paper chart for your region... all you really need is to plug in various waypoints that you decide for yourself. The navigational aids, bouys, markers etc. will be on the basic gps... just not a detailed map... which is hard to read from more than a few feet anyway.

You'll find the gps invaluable... it'll tell you where your destination is, your speed, your vmg if you're not sailing directly to the waypoint, estimated time of arrival... and a myriad of other stuff. If you have paper charts you can easily compare against the gps basic display.

When mounted on a bracket, and set to large numerical display, your basic info... speed, course, depth, can be easily seen from anywhere on the boat..... I use it all the time that way. If I set the device to navigate to a waypoint (harbor entrance, for example)... I can sit back at the tiller and know I'm headed directly for my destination... day, night or fog. I don't need a chart for that.

So... no matter what the extent of your sailing and boating... at the very least you should have a gps and a depth meter... it's basic safety equipment, imho.

 

[Gunni]

You've just described the new garmin 44dv. A fully featured chartplotter, for $300. And it has a sounder which is over-featured for your use, and intended for transom mount, but you'll get your depth plus a huge amount more. You'd have to rig something for sailboat install. Or leave it off and use chart depth. The unit comes with the charts.

Or it's big brother the 54DV. These look to be amazingly feature packed mini-chartplotters, and I have always liked Garmin's BlueChart digital charts. My backup GPS units are all Garmin, even as the fixed installation is Simrad / Navionics. But for the price, Garmin continues to provide incredible value. Micro SD data card and it even links up to an AIS transponder. Small chartplotters are how Garmin got started in the Marine GPS business, they know it well.

 

[davidmhull]

This is all great information guys. Exactly what I was looking for. Do any of you see any advantage at all to a color display? I have been looking at a couple that retail for about $200 in black and white and a little over $300 in color. They have some features I'm not familiar with (down scan etc. ) but as I said.... I don't care to see where the fish are. I need GPS with the proper maps for the Chesapeake bay and depth. The units with the built in antennae just seem like they would be more convenient. One of the units I was looking at is this:
Lowrance-Mark-4-CHIRP-GPS-Fishfinder-83-200-455-800kHz-HDI-Transducer for $229 (new on ebay). The color model of that is $299. These are definitely in my price range but I'm not sure of the capabilities. I would prefer a through the hull transponder but these do not offer that feature. I can live with a transom mount. There seem to be quite a few options in my price range. Too many really since I would probably buy one online sight unseen. Thanks so much for your replies. I will look at that model Gunni. Joe the problem with the Chesapeake bay is although it is familiar to me it keeps changing. Where there was 10 feet of water last year there is three this year. Absolutely time to get a depth gauge but GPS as I said would be nice. I sail at night a lot (steady winds and cooler). There are a lot of lights on the bay and it can get confusing at night. I have good charts but that doesn't do you a lot of good if you don't have a clue where you are. Picking up a buoy at night in a squall will create quite a pucker factor. Thanks again.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I would strongly advise of looking for a good used or reconditioned unit with a warranty. Garmin makes great stuff.

Color helps when it comes to seeing the charts etc. Don't buy something so cheap that you will regret the purchase later. You will end up re-buying quickly and dumping the old unit for next to nothing.

 

[davidmhull]

I just looked at the Garmin 44DV and it looks pretty sweet. They stock them at the local Bass Pro store and I'm going Monday to look at one. Thanks again.

 

[Bad Obsession]

It is a good idea to get your hands on the unit. See how it works for you and how easy it is for you to use.

Once you do that go on-line and check around. Often you can find a pretty good buy on a unit. There are a lot of places to look around and if you google the name of the unit a lot of options will pop up!

 

[Davidasailor26]

If you want to be able to have charts and not just numerical readouts then I think color is the way to go. It's possible to get so much more information through the colors vs monochrome. Many people (including ourselves) have had good luck mounting a transom mount transducer inside the hull bedded in silicone, wax, or similar (check the archives for various techniques).

 

[Bill Roosa]

IMHO charts are a real PITA, for the budget limited you get very small screens and have to do lots of zooming to get the whole picture. I have a Raymarine 300 and if just gives lat/long. I find a post-it "sign here" arrow perfect for indicating location on my waterproof paper charts.
I guess my argument is you HAVE to have the paper charts anyway so why suffer with additional electronic charts on a small screen? The electronic charts are also hard to put on the table and discuss "next stop, route etc." type stuff with the crew.
FWIW

 

[Ken Cross]

Another 441S fan

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garmin-GPSM...370?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a4ec2872

You should be able to find a deal on a Garmin 441s. I have that unit for my Compac 23 and had one on my Catalina 30. It is a simple unit to use and it works good for the Chesapeake Bay. It has an internal antenna.

For that price you may have to settle for a used GPS. Keep your eye out on ebay.

I agree and I miss the one we had on our last boat.

Ken

 

[Ward H]

I'm also in the market for a 4" or 5" screen GPS Chart Plotter/Fish Finder where the FF is for depth only. Most if not all transom mount transducers can be mounted inside the hull.

That 44DV is pretty sweet for $300 and the 54DV just as nice, just cost a bit more. I found the Garmins to be very easy to use compared to others. I just walked up to one on display and was able to easily use it compared to the others.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

I used to have one of the smaller (3.5") Lowrance color units. It was cheap, came with good quality charts, and a sonar transducer. IMHO, color is important because you can immediately see a red nun or a green can. Note that the transom transducer CAN be used inside the hull - if you hull is solid glass. For your small, simple boat, you are on the right track in looking for a cheap plotter with sonar. The sonar is really great for 'seeing' the bottom when you are trying to anchor. I like Lowrance and Garmin and I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Good luck,
Barry

 

[davidmhull]

Again, thanks to all who responded. I am going to go look at the Garmin 44DV on Monday and see what it "feels" like.

 

[Eddie7045]

I've always done well with Garmin

.

 

[rgranger]

On a 22' sailboat... a hand held is probably all you need. You have a swing keel so you don't need to worry as much as other sailors do about thin water. I've sailed all over the NC coast and the Chesapeake bay with booklet charts and a hand held for reassurance. I got mine (a Magellan ) on eBay for $25 three years ago and it still works fine.

 

[davidmhull]

Thanks for the reply rgranger. I do not have a swing keel and that is my main concern. My previous 40 footer had a swing keel and that was my depth finder. On my present boat which is a fixed keel if I run aground then it's pucker time. Thanks again.