Can We Talk About Chartplotters A Little?

[Carl C]

I'm not real sure how the darn things work or exactly what they do. I'd like to plan some longer cruises on the Great Lakes this summer that would take me out of sight of land. As an example: Say I want to cross Lake Michigan at it's narrowest point between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowac, Wisconsin (about 60 statute miles). Will a chartplotter show the whole picture with both shores and show my position as a blip crossing the lake? Would I then be able to zoom in as I approach land? I'd like to find a smallish one for about $500 and am looking at the Garmin 172. Will this model do what I want as described above? They also offer internal or external antennas. Will an internal antenna be OK? Here's a pic of the Lake Michigan crossing marked w/a toothpic. Most of my cruising will actually be on Lakes Huron and Erie. Of course I'll also have my printed charts, handheld gps, handheld vhf, cell phone and compass on board.

[glashole]

Carl

that is exactly how they work and that crossing would be no big deal
you can also zoom right into marinas and towns etc

I cannot answer the specific questions with regards to models but I am sure someone here would have more info

good luck

Shea

[BigGrizzly]

I personally like LOWRANCE. I have theit 5 invh 5300c on my criterion and some IFinders and just got a XOC cross over that is auto and marine. I also have a Iway 500 which is the predecessors of the Iway 600 for my car. With the 5 inch screen gps you can add sensors like fuel flow that can be read by the GPS unit. this is waqy cool.

[Carl C]

I found the Lowrance 5300 in my Boater's World catalog for $500 so that would be a contender.

So far the ones in my price and size range are:

Lowrance 5300 $500
Garmin 172 $480
Garmin 392 $500

Any input on these models or other suggestions?

[BigGrizzly]

That is the up graded version of mine. Get the one with the internal antenna- it is more compact.

[synack]

I had a Garmin 182C with external antenna on my 22ZX. It was nice but you gotta worry about mounting it right. Plus, I was always paranoid about getting it ripped off if I was docked anywhere so it became a pain to keep taking it off the boat all the time.

I just got a Garmin Colorado 400i handheld. It's very portable and has a ton of features. Much easier to stow when you're away.

[Carl C]

I had a Garmin 182C with external antenna on my 22ZX. It was nice but you gotta worry about mounting it right. Plus, I was always paranoid about getting it ripped off if I was docked anywhere so it became a pain to keep taking it off the boat all the time.

I just got a Garmin Colorado 400i handheld. It's very portable and has a ton of features. Much easier to stow when you're away. I have a handheld but want something that can give me a bigger picture and show a larger area. The first excursion that I have planned that will take me briefly out of sight of land is a 22 statute mile cruise from Oscoda to Port Austin on Lake Huron. I'd like to be able to zoom out and show the whole picture like the one I attached here, where I marked the ports w/red arrows. I don't know where or how I'll mount it yet but I'll think of something. I've already concluded that an internal antenna will be fine in my little open boat. I'm going to wait till the spring sale fliers come out and see if one on my list goes on sale. I'd still like more recommendations and feedback about these little marvels. On a side note, BoatU.S. offered me unlimited freshwater towing coverage for the year for only $12! One less thing to worry about.

[synack]

The Garmin 172 has long been discontinued. Unless it's heavily discounted, you may want to look into a current GPS chartplotter as they are moch faster and responsive. Definitely check out the new Garmins with the new BlueChart G2 Vision mapping. It's VERY cool. G2 availability starts with the Garmin 420. Definitely go with the internal antenna. Also, if you need a custom mount, RAM Mounts are excellent.

http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/g2vision/g2vision.jsp

http://www.ram-mount.com/ramgps.htm

[Carl C]

I don't want a handheld. I already have one for back-up. Now I am leaning toward the Garmin 392. Here is a pic of how it would fit where I'd like to mount it. Here both I and my passengers could watch it. This will also give me a viewable gps speedo. I would prefer a more elongated model and one that is white so it would match the boat and not get hot. I'll keep an eye out for the spring fliers and catalogs for something new but I am definately getting one within a couple months. Synack, thanks for the links. In the mount link there is a silver oblong plotter that looks cool. Anyone know what it is? It goes by real quick. Never mind, I found it. There is a silver Garmin and TomTom that would match my gauge bezels but they are probably old models. Randy (Ranman) thanks for the help in the PM. I will take everything into consideration before buying one.

[Ranman]

Carl,

On my Donzi (and the Formula) my Garmin 276 with integrated antenna works just fine. There's no need to wire in an external antenna. Like I said before, I find that planning the route is most beneficial. Yes, built in cartography is nice, but not necessary and IMO not practical on the small screen units.

[Carl C]

I've done a lot of googling in search of a white chartplotter and it seems they do not exist. What color are most boats predominately? White! What color does not get hot in the sun? Yup, white. Why, then, are they all black with a few silver ones??:confused: Maybe I can take one apart and paint it. A black one will look like crap on my dash.

[yeller]

Maybe I can take one apart and paint it. A black one will look like crap on my dash. I agree. If you can paint it, that'd be the way to go. Chartplotters aren't the prettiest devices to begin with, so to have a black box on your dash wouldn't look the best.

[Team Jefe]

Carl, not sure if my expereince will halp, but it may give you some thinking point.

Black or shades there of are the thing...it may not look great, but they all generally look the same so nobody is expecting anything else on the dash.

I have a 12" plotter on the Revenge...Yes, way bigger than you need, but it is an intregral part of how I fish and I am out of land site all the time.

Lots of guys around here use the Garmin 182...and there is a version of that with intregral antena. Internal antena is the best option for you and just as reliable as external...maybe more so.

I do like the chart-plotting versions becasue you can develop trakes and routes and really know how far you have travelled, etc. Lots of extra perks, plus teh chips always have marina info, obstructions, ports, etc.

The best "chip" tech I have seen in Garmin Blue-Charts and C-MAP NT...The C-Map is more versiatle and used on many brands of plotter so it may be cheaper and easier to get...not completley sure of that though. I do know that when I upgraded my Plotter last year, I could use the same C-Map chip I already had...really nice selling point since the things are not cheap $100-$150 each.

[zelatore]

On bigger boats, I too use C-mapNT platinum cartagraphy - it's very nice. I run a Raymarine E120 on my Carver and install almost entirely Raymarine gear on boats at the office.

On my 22 I currently have a small Garmin mounted in the stb. corner of the windshield where it's easy to see. It's a 525 I believe, and it fits pretty well. I had to make a small aluminum bracket to extend it out away from the the windshield frame a bit, but nothing much.

While I don't find the Garmin interface as easy to use as the Raymarine stuff, I suspect it's more me than it. Most people seem to like the Garmin controls fine; I'm just used to the other stuff (sort of a PC vs Mac thing I guess).

I won't use Garmin on big boats as I want a fully intergrated system and they are either new in that market (radar, big screens) or don't have offereings (autopilot, VHF). But they own the small boat chartplotter market - they were really the first and last thing I looked at for the 22.

[Carl C]

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna wait for the spring catalogs and ads and try to find one for under $500. If it's black and it comes apart easy I'll paint it white though! I will post the outcome.:propeller:

[Carl C]

I just got the new Overton's catalog and the Garmin 430 seems to be a good contender for my needs. It has a lot of newer features including satellite imagery. It's $550 at Overton's but may go on sale elsewhere this spring. Any opinions on this model?

[MOP]

I agree. If you can paint it, that'd be the way to go. Chartplotters aren't the prettiest devices to begin with, so to have a black box on your dash wouldn't look the best.

Krylon makes a paint for out door plastic furniture, I have used it and it is very tough. A little careful masking and you can color choice it.

[Carl C]

Krylon makes a paint for out door plastic furniture, I have used it and it is very tough. A little careful masking and you can color choice it. The new Garmins are much better looking in silver and gray. I probably wouldn't paint it. It's the solid black ones I'm not crazy about.

[Cuda]

A compass and chart. A compass never goes dead on you.

[Carl C]

A compass and chart. A compass never goes dead on you. They will always be on board for back-up but I want a chartplotter for the times I'm out of sight of shore which is a little scary. If I can follow my position on a screen I'll feel better. I went to garmin's web site and there are now some cool smaller units only 3.2 inches high that will fit behind my aluminum air dam, which isn't very tall and is pictured elsewhere in this thread. Anyway, models 376C, 278, 378 and 478 all look cool and with a custom mount could fit on top of my dash. I may have to break out more money and forget about $500. Nothing is easy anymore! http://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148

[MOP]

To Qoute carl C: They will always be on board for back-up but I want a chartplotter for the times I'm out of sight of shore which is a little scary.
I must admit you "Inlander" guys make me giggle, out of sight of land! We salt guys are very accustomed to being 80-90 miles out to get to the ledge, I was going 20-30 miles out when I was a teen. Would have gone farther but 3 6gal tanks had me in check on my 13 foot PennYan. One of these days I will post some pics of me and my buds 1200 out miles in hurricane Clause now that is way out of sight!

[Carl C]

To Qoute carl C: They will always be on board for back-up but I want a chartplotter for the times I'm out of sight of shore which is a little scary.
I must admit you "Inlander" guys make me giggle, out of sight of land! We salt guys are very accustomed to being 80-90 miles out to get to the ledge, I was going 20-30 miles out when I was a teen. Would have gone farther but 3 6gal tanks had me in check on my 13 foot PennYan. One of these days I will post some pics of me and my buds 1200 out miles in hurricane Clause now that is way out of sight! That's really something and you ol' salts really have some balls venturing into the ocean on small craft. At least if I break down on Lake Huron I won't die of thirst or be eaten by a shark!:eek!: And worse case scenario, if my radio breaks and no one sees my flares and I don't have cell service I suppose the longest I'd be adrift would be a couple of days. No sir, no ocean boating for me:nilly:add the crazy stingrays to the mix and it clinches it.......I still need a CP though and maybe I'll get up the balls to cross Lake Michigan in my 22.:smash:

[Sweet little 16]

One of these days I will post some pics of me and my buds 1200 out miles in hurricane Clause now that is way out of sight!


I read about that trip in the old testament wow I bet it was a real mess with all those animals ;p :rlol:

[tangent70]

I currrently have the garmin 172C and a 276C for backup (my version of handheld) for my formula. I've found that http://www.vitelectronics.com (http://www.vitelectronics.com/) normally offers very competitive prices. Just click on the model you want and click the buy it now button. They also sell other brands of GPS

[boxy]

I read about that trip in the old testament wow I bet it was a real mess with all those animals ;p :rlol:

:thewave:

[DonziJon]

Here's some food for thought when considering a chart plotter for a Donzi Classic. I've had a Magellan Nav 6000 for a number of years. It's a true chart plotter. (Ain't no Tom Tom)It's about the size of those things that the UPS guys carry when making/recording deliveries. (Not made anymore)

I really LIKED the Magellan. It was a true chartplotter in a Semi Hand Held size. You would NOT put this thing in your pocket. Too big. When I left the boat unattended, my wife carried it in her purse. :eek!: It uses C-Map cartridges (Chips). Prices for the cartridges start at $150. and go up from there. Typically about $250. EACH. The ONE I use for Marine Navigation covers the 1000 Islands. (Ie. "The River", not the lake).

I also had a "Roads" chip for New England. ($100.) I LOST the chip a couple of years ago on a trip up to the 1000 Islands. NO Problem. C-Map is located on Cape Cod so I just took a little trip out to the Cape to get a new one. Guess what? They don't make "That" chip anymore.....BUT.. "We have a NEW one that covers a lot more stuff". Oh Goody. I'll take it.. even though it was $150. I'm sorry sir, I don't think that chip will run in your 3 year old Magellan 6000 because...even though the chip slides right in, the memory in your unit will not be big enough. The lady was correct. She let me put the new chip in my unit (I had brought it with me) and my unit recognized it and the display said...Insufficient Memory, Not Compatible. SO: My unit was obsolete.

The next thing is, on a Donzi Classic at say 35 MPH, squinting at the symbols on the little chart was impossible. You had to come off plane..essentially STOP the boat to read it. A paper chart doesn't have that problem. The chart plotter IS NICE, but it ain't no chart which you can update for about $20. every couple of years.

BTW, you can hand a paper chart over to a passenger to keep track of your progress. Your chart plotter might be bolted down up on the dash where the passenger might BASH their teeth when you hit a wave while they try to read the little chart while you drive.

WOW: Aren't I just full of good news? :hangum: I only post this stuff from experience, not to throw a wet towel on an otherwise cool idea. Don't put the GPS under or behind the aluminum wind screen with a "built in" antenna because under some orientations ..the GPS will not be able to SEE the satalites. :bonk: This is where a wired external antenna comes in. John

[Cuda]

I couldn't count the number of times I was out of sight of land in my 18 foot fishboat. One motor, one battery, and no radio. Later in the years, I carried a handheld gps, to help me find reefs, drop offs, ledges and such, but would never navigate by it. Although it hasn't happened to me, all a gps is, is a radio reciever, which can and do break down. Very little can go wrong with a compass. I've been caught in a fogbank, where I was very happy I had a good compass on board, believe it or not, I also had a ship's bell on board, to keep from being run over by other boats.

I have never been out of sight of land with a Donzi, and I don't really see the need for a chartpotter, but if you're going to have one, it's best to keep a compass on board too, like Carl.

[MOP]

Joe all I had when I was thirteen was a compass, life jacket and bait, no matter how far out just headed west until i saw the beach then south to the inlet and home. Back then an AM marine tube radio was the size of a suit case, no one ever heard of Loran much less GPS.

[VetteLT193]

Over the years I've used Magellan, Northstar, Garmin, Ray marine, B & G, and a couple odd balls.

It's been a few years and technology has gotten a lot better, but from my experience:

-Magellan was always the work horse. Always worked, didn't have all the features but reliability was awesome. I understand the new units have better usability so they may be the best buy...

-Northstar, I could never figure out why they commanded such a high price. Reliability was so-so, user interface always sucked.

-Garmin are easy to use middle ground units. Can't beat the price and usability (interface) with a baseball bat.

-Ray's products were great, but you better break out your wallet

-The rest were terrible. Had one plotter with C-Maps and it didn't work half the time. As soon as it got rough it was time for the hand held Magellan to take over

[Cuda]

Joe all I had when I was thirteen was a compass, life jacket and bait, no matter how far out just headed west until i saw the beach then south to the inlet and home. Back then an AM marine tube radio was the size of a suit case, no one ever heard of Loran much less GPS.
There was an AM marine radio on the first boat I bought. One old fisherman said even if it worked, I might be talking to somebody in Texas.:garfield:
You're right, they were BIG!

[Carl C]

I'm still thinking about this one. Maybe I'll just learn to use my charts and handheld gps better. I don't really want to drill holes in my dash or have to worry about it getting stolen.:confused::confused::confused::confused::co nfused:

[Marvair]

This was the closest old thread I could find to ask if anyone get a good idea how to fit something on or in the dash of a 22c. I know there have been a few new products since this was first discussed. I am interested in mounting options, so if there are any good ideas please respond.

Thanks,

Marvin

[Carl C]

Not many options on a 22. Here is where mine ended up:
http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx275/CARLC222/Picture020.jpg

[katanna]

Skip the gps and get an ipad. I down loaded the navionics app for us and canada on my iphone and used it to navigate a 46 foot sailboat back from mackinaw island to detrioit. I will use the app on my Ipad next year for the mack race. I believe the cost was about 30 for the app. and it does everything a gps will do and more.

[Ghost]

The ipad idea is cool. Though I'm skeptical that it will do well at everything the dedicated hardware will, it might do all you need for pennies on the dollar.

FWIW, the 7 inch Raymarines (http://www.raymarine.com/view/?id=3021) might be the easiest "real-sized" models to fit into the actual stock dashboard of a Classic, if you wanted to do that. I think the cutout is less than 6 inches high. (That said, I don't think I've ever seen anyone mount any chartplotter in the dash proper, save for one highly custom 22C dash that includes the extra height up to the fairing.)

[Marvair]

Carl, that is one of my ideas of a location also. What is the model GPS? The bail mount is what I'm looking for. There are also garmin portable options but they have poor visibility in sunlight.


Thanks,

Marvin.

[Carl C]

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It's a Lowrance 5300. The brightness was one reason I bought it after checking them out at Bass Pro Shops. It's probably already outdated.

[katanna]

Ok Carl, I just found your winter project. Your boat is too clean to have that gps mounted there. How about a couple of gauge housings on the top of the dash for the speedo and tach, and flush mount the gps in their place? I have gas in my chain saw if you need it.

[Carl C]

Before the money tree died I was kicking around the idea of redoing my dash with 3 flat panel displays; Chartplotter, Smartcraft and a monitor for computer, DVD etc.

Not now. Business is down 70% :(

The GPS really doesn't look too bad there and it needs to be where you can watch it when navigating channels, we have lots of spooky channels on St. Clair and the rivers. That was really the only place I could put it. It does come off easily.

[katanna]

I do the majority of my boating on St. Clair. If we don't get some ice real soon to stop it from evaporating its going to be real spooky next year.

[Carl C]

It's already spooky. This guy missed the Middle Channel by just a little!
http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx275/CARLC222/Picture003.jpg

[katanna]

Makes you wonder about people. Beautiful day, you can clearly see the color difference in the water, not to mention the gps antenna and radar. Really?
I had a customer run aground on the firecracker. He was pretty embarrased. He used bananas to plug the stuffing boxes cause the shafts were pulled completely out. While on his flybridge calling for assistance a boat ran up ran next to him close enough were they could talk to each other.

[Redink]

Carl C, Do you like where you mounted your GPS? Screen bright enough?

[Carl C]

Carl C, Do you like where you mounted your GPS? Screen bright enough?

Wow,this thread is a blast from the past! Yes, I'm very happy with it mounted there. It's bright enough to see in bright sunlight and has 3 brightness settings.