Marco C.

getting my boat wired and need new elec. what should i get? would like one unit i think ploter,fishfinder gps everything you need for the water first boat so any info is apperciated?thanks

Scup

Have to know what sized boat, what you are planing to do, and what price range. Without knowing the above, I can suggest a pretty good low end system by Raymarine Model A65. Warning, the A65 comes as a system or as just the display. You would want the complete system which goes for around $1700.00 but is heavily discounted just about everywhere. In addition, Raymarine is running a rebate on this unit for $350. The bottom line is you should get the system for under $1000. It comes with a basic chip to give you the coastal charts, and a very good fishfinder. The GPS antenna and sonar transducer are also supplied. You get quite a bit of electronics for the money from a reputable manufacturer. The down side is if the display head goes down, you are out of business so be sure you have an inexpensive hand held GPS on board as a backup (I would make this recommendation to any boater no matter what permanent mount GPS he/she has.) The A65 cannot ever be mated to a radar, so if your intentions are at some future date add a radar, it would have to be a stand alone radar or forget about A65. Lastly, the A65 is not as user friendly as say a similar Garmin unit, but it is not that bad. A couple of hours of practice should have you using it like an expert. I sell these units at West Marine and have had no complaints coming back from customers. Keep in mind, that should you find some internet concern that heavily discounts this product, I would still bring the printout in to my local West Marine dealer to give him/her a chance to do right by you. I never liked the idea of buying expensive electronics through the web since if something goes amiss, there is no one you can go to resolve your problem quickly and/or easily.

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"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go" by William Feather

Lucky Lou

all in one units seem like a good idea if you dont have the room for separate units . but i like having seperate units just in case something goes out .if your combo gps,sounder goes you are left with nothing but your paper chart and your compass.also unless you buy a huge screen splitting the screen to show both can get crammed.ive had great luck with my small garmin chartplotter and lowrance fishfinder both are color and reliable. i also found room on my console for a stand alone radar unit. unless i have a complete electrical failure, i should never be witout some sort of navigational help.i have everythig on seperate breakers and double prtected with in line fuses.you will probably spend a fortune and drive yourself nuts deciding what to get, but always remember,your electronics are for safety first,fishing second and you can never be too safe on the water! good luck!

Philly Doug

Marco, I have a Raymarine on my boat that has worked very well for me. However, Reel Crazy has a Humminbird unit on his boat that has a side scan feature that is very, very impressive. Give Pat a call and take a look at their website. I plan to keep my Raymarine but I want to get that Humminbird on the boat as my sonar/fishfinder. Right now I have a small, separate sonar and I have found having separate screens for GPS and Sonar is very nice and very convenient when drift fishing. Good luck.

PG

I beleive in separate units.
Fishfinder: I would only go with Furuno. If you can swing it the 620 with a matched transducer is awsome.

Garmin for chart plotters. Pick one that you like there all great.

Be creative in finding space on your console. Remember you can always mount them an brackets which means one on top of the other.

PG

ReelCrazySportfishing

Marco

Give me a call, you have many great choices.

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www.ReelCrazySportfishing.com
Connecticut Charter Fishing
www.fishermansparadisect.com

Scup

Marco,

After reading some of the comments of our form members (all of the comments so far are true) and listening to you as this being a first boat, a few general pointers not mentioned should be brought to light. You original intent of buying a single do-it-all unit does have it good points; the negative aspect of having a single unit versus many discrete units has been well covered. Let's talk $$$$. The single most expensive component in an electronic package is usually its display. By going to a single do-it-all display the manufacturer does not have to supply separate displays for each function, hence, there is a large cost savings. You can get more bang for your buck with a do-it-all. This holds true for all the major players like Garmin, Raymarine, etc. As mentioned, should the do-it-all unit go down, you would be left with nothing. Baloney! You can purchase a very decent hand held Garmin GPS for about $150 that could allow a mariner to circumnavigate the globe. Should you have a complete electrical failure, the hand held Garmin just might be the only thing left on your boat that would still be working with its two AA batteries. Ask yourself when you make a purchase, should you get an extended service contract for your electronics. Since these contracts are based on a percentage of what is paid, the total price of an extended contract for several discrete units could send you to the poor house. The much lower cost of a single do-it-all unit now brings the extended protection contract into the world of reality. I am not going to get into the subject as to whether of not you should extend your protection but the following is very true: There is not a piece of electronics out there that cannot fail. Many manufacturers will have a fix cost of repair for their units, for which you may or may not be happy with. However, that is the way it is. The frequency of failure for a multipurpose unit is only slightly more, if that, than for a single purpose unit. If you have three brand new single purpose units you will very likely one them go down before the new multipurpose will fail. The more things you have, the more things can go wrong.
Next, consider how you are going to use what you purchase. Every mariner will tell you for "safety sake" have as much electronics as possible on board to help you out. Horse shit! I was Sea Trial Director for US Navy and had a near miss between a surface ship and submarine because I was fed too much information to digest. Just how good do you think you are? I had a helmsman, two radar men, a whole sonar gang, Officer-in-Charge (OIC), and a continuously updated plotting board to allow me to see what was happening all around me. Most will not admit it, but when they display Radar, Chart Plotter, Sonar, and Weather all at the same time, it becomes very easy to become overwhelmed by a glut of information. You are just one person, not a team, and you must never forget your main function of keeping a proper helm and lookout. When in a fog, you need your radar and GPS. When visibility is fine then your GPS should suffice. Looking for a tog rock pile after your GPS guided you near it, then you need your fishfinder. Just how long would it take you to observe a weather report before you would not need it further? The point I am trying to make is there are very few weekend mariners that can adsorb all the safety information now thrown at them. It has become a mental overload situation and one tends to forget the most important aspects of safety in of keeping a good helm and lookout. A single multipurpose unit (or several single function units) can easily confuse a person with data. However, all of the needed functions are there in a multipurpose unit, you can bring them up, or remove what is not wanted or needed for the particular situation at hand. It might take some practice such that you can select or remove items without even thinking, but it is mandatory that you hone your skills to this level. I believe this is the main reason why multipurpose units have not had greater popularity. Mariners will never admit that do not want to be distracted trying to call something up that they have not taken trouble of practicing till it became second nature to them.

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"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go" by William Feather

Marco C.

thanks guys for all the info i really app.