How much GPS capability do I really need? Also, looking for recommendations.

[Jgorm]

I use us topos on my phone. I downloaded lake powell satellite images and it was great using it to navigate and zoom in on coves. Cost 15 bucks i think and I've been using it for many years. I bought the cheap garmin for my body and it worked great. I track my path up river so i can avoid sandbars when I'm coming home into the sun and can't read the river. It was cheaper than a depth finder and speedometer that needed replacement.

 

[2kwik4u]

@Babin Farms I have not made a final decision yet......Kinda have a plan though. I've been reading with the thread, and keeping up with the suggestions. I'm really torn on where to go, and what to do. If budget wasn't a thing I probably would've already made a decision and moved forward. Sadly, like most of us, I don't have a money tree out back to harvest

It looks like the best option is a permanent mount. I like the high vis/high brightness and the always on portion of that. I'm not trying to hold a phone, or worry about waterproofness, or other issues. It's powered from the boat, and there are no cable or other shenanigans to deal with. Nice clean, permanent installation. I would probably go ahead and get a depth sounder with this option as well. Something thru-hull so I don't have to worry about bonking it off the transom, or making a new hole in the transom to seal (God knows my boat leaks enough without my help). The big take away from this thread is that there isn't ONE solution that everyone uses. It's not like 4 guys use Navionics and 275 of you run Garmin Model # br549. It seems to be a pretty good spread of phone/tablet and rigid mount, and then once into the rigid mounts it's a good split between Raymarine, Garmin, Simrad or Lowrance.

What is most LIKELY going to happen is a Navionics subscription, and some test trips on a local/known lake. It's cheap. $15/yr is NOTHING in our boating budget for the year, and it has some excellent reviews. Obviously some downsides along the way in terms of screen brightness, mounting, cabling, things like that. It's just NOT as robust of a solution as a hard mount. But man it's cheap, and easy to get started. I already have a RAM mount system for the phone that I use in the boat. It works well and holds the phone just fine. Brightness is an issue, maybe. I need to test and see. I suspect this is very location/brightness/sunglasses/device dependent. Each person will have a slightly different experience in that regard.

A few things I have found in my research that I should share.

Here is a VERY bright tablet that the DJI Drone guys are using to pilot quadcopters in direct sunlight. It has excellent reviews everywhere I look. It's as expensive as a regular chartplotter, to probably NOT the way I'm going to go, but it's an interesting thought to semi-permanently mount this tablet, use it for navigation, and possibly also a media head unit, and still have a portable chartplotter to take on friends boats. I have a laptop with a UHD screen that is 500nits. This thing is listed at 1,200nits. I can't imagine it's not bright enough to see in full sunlight.
High Brightness Ruggedized Tablet

Here's a ruggedized phone. Same premise as the tablet. Big battery, submersible, bright screen. Little less expensive, but still sneaking up on standard mounted GPS.
Ruggedized Smartphone with giant battery

If I was to run a tablet/phone as a long term solution I think you guys are correct in that I want a depth sounder at some level. I also would REALLY like to have water temp. arguably water temp is a more often used detail than depth. I found this Faria gage that comes with a transducer/sounder for not a lot of money. They have a white faced versions to match the stock gages. It's $185 so.....again the static mount chartplotter with transducer isn't much more, and is starting to show it's value when compared with the other solutions.
Faria Depth/Water Temp Gage

Anywho......I think in the short term. I'm going to get a Navionics subscription, and see how it does on the phone at the helm. It's an inexpensive test, and will tell me pretty quickly if it's more of a pain than it's worth. If that doesn't work I like this Garmin Echomap Plus 43cv. Seems about right for me for now, however I'm sure that will change once I use Navionics a few times and develop some opinions on screen size and mounting location.

I appreciate all the input, keep it coming. I'll be sure to post back once I get on the boat and get some testing done.

 

[Julian]

If that doesn't work I like this Garmin Echomap Plus 43cv. Seems about right for me for now, however I'm sure that will change once I use Navionics a few times and develop some opinions on screen size and mounting location.

GPS chartplotters are much like the boats you put them in....everyone always wants one a little bigger. I was going to get an Echomap 74SV then saw a deal on EBAY for a 94SV and bought that....it is as big as one would want to go in our boats for a freefloating install.....7" would actually be fine. Touch screen is a MAJOR/MASSIVE improvement over trying to use button to do everything. Much like in my cars...I won't buy another vehicle that doesn't have a touchscreen system (a good one). My 2018 Q7 doesn't have one, and when I first got it I (and others) would try and touch the screen....its what we expect nowadays!

I think you Navionics approach first will be a good way to go. Then talk to friends who have different devices, play with them and then jump in.

 

[Yamahaul]

I have a small garmin echomap 44cv. It has a small footprint and has both fish and gps. I didnt want something taking up the whole dash. does a great job. it was last years model and it does all i need it to do. i wanted simple and its exactly that.

 

[WestMIJet]

The Navionics app is something like $14 per year and a good start to get your feet wet. You can get a nice RAM mount to hold your phone. It will work without cell signal, you can download maps in advance while at home. I quickly moved to a Simard GO7 but kept my Navionics subscription because they sync and the phone is a good backup. You can use the Simrad like many other devices without the transducer as just a chartplotter if you don't want to deal with mounting the transducer.

 

[tabbibus]

GPS chartplotters are much like the boats you put them in....everyone always wants one a little bigger.

OMG. This is the best comparison of GPS size that I've ever seen. So true. So true.

 

[Betik]

I wrote an "essay" about his on one of the Bimini threads, but I will try to summarize.

If you can maintain good visual contact with land ( included a surprise storm) then I would say ipad with otterbox and charts is fine. Worse case scenario is you get lost and make an adventure out of it. Worse case scenario you beach the boat and everyone is safe.

Going off shore ( say 10 or 20 miles) then it is a whole different ballgame. I don't care what Tim Cook says, Ipad is not up to the task. Here is why.

Ipads get hot. Using GPS and maps and keeping the screen on makes them run hotter. Now you also have that unit inside an otterbox to make it watertight and at the same time you make it hotter. Since your have ipad on all the time it drains battery and since it is hotter than your livingroom it drains your battery faster. Now since the battery is draining faster than you were hopping for you will need to charge while boating. Charging makes the ipad get even hotter. It is almost investable that you are out in south all day with Ipad running and not get a black screen by early afternoon. And all that is under the assumption that you keep in the shade. God forbit the sun gets a hold of it for 30 minutes to 1 hour and your navigation is gone.

One more thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure that Ipad is secure. Like really secure.

In regard to size although I am satisfied with my size, as @Julian said if you can go bigger you should. When the water get rough having a lager screen makes all the difference in the world. Trying to maintain course on open water and climbing 2 feet waves is a very difficult task on a small screen.

I would also agree on the touchscreen, the only caveat is that you need to learn how to lock and unlock the screen. If you get a wave overboard and on to the GPS unit it is likely to change your stuff on the screen. A very unpleasant surprise to have bathed on salt water and when you open your eyes your GPS is showing charts for New England when in reality you are supposed to be east of Florida.

 

[Julian]

A very unpleasant surprise to have bathed on salt water and when you open your eyes your GPS is showing charts for New England when in reality you are supposed to be east of Florida.

My Garmin has gotten wet and I didn't notice any change....I wonder if salt water makes a difference?

 

[Elliott]

My Garmin has gotten wet and I didn't notice any change....I wonder if salt water makes a difference?

It should not - mine has been splashed with salt water (bad angle on a wake or wave with wind blowing just right/wrong) a few times, and I hose off/wash the console every outing. Waterproof should be waterproof, regardless of salt content. I have a touch screen, and the force of water was never enough to register on the Garmin.

 

[tabbibus]

Water can definitely press things on an iphone. I shower with my phone when on call. LOL. I assume same would be true in the lake/ocean. Maybe same with an ipad.

 

[Dean P]

My Garmin has gotten wet and I didn't notice any change....I wonder if salt water makes a difference?

I would be concerned about the contact pins where the unit connects in the mount. Probably good idea to clean/spray with silicone once and awhile.

 

[Julian]

I would be concerned about the contact pins where the unit connects in the mount. Probably good idea to clean/spray with silicone once and awhile.

On my Garmin that is a waterproof plug....but that salt gets into everything somehow! But this is a great point....if you plan to use a phone....be prepared to have your cables disintegrate and your USB ports functional. I've killed a few cords during the bimini trip....they get eaten by the salt fast!

 

[2kwik4u]

On my Garmin that is a waterproof plug....but that salt gets into everything somehow! But this is a great point....if you plan to use a phone....be prepared to have your cables disintegrate and your USB ports functional. I've killed a few cords during the bimini trip....they get eaten by the salt fast!

Wonder if that is why my phone charging port died on our trip to Jamaica last year. Was in an open air resort for 7 days about 100 ft from the ocean.

 

[Betik]

My Garmin has gotten wet and I didn't notice any change....I wonder if salt water makes a difference?

maybe the salt maybe the quantify of water. That particular wave put 6 inches of water the cockpit and it come over my head.

there is a possibility that during that watershed moment I could have done some spasmotic hand movement, but I doubt it.

 

[drewkaree]

Make sure to watch some videos and read up on how to set up Navionics. You mentioned depth. Navionics can be set up to show a topo map, although it won't show "stuff" that is on the bottom, although if you're at speed, you will likely not get that info in time to avoid stuff no matter what you're using. I added Navionics to an old 7" tablet I had before I ever got our boat, just to play around with it. Not plug-n-play intuitive, but not the most difficult thing to figure out either, and there have been a number of nice updates, so at this point, you're going to have a really nice experience with it - IF you put in some time to learn how to dial it in for your use and purposes. My 7" tablet was on its way to an early grave, so I upgraded to a 10" Samsung Tab Galaxy A, and it was perfectly fine for the last 2 years, no overheating issues while using it (and it's in a Unicorn Beetle case, kinda like an Otterbox case). My wife just reminded me that it DID overheat once at the sandbar when we were there for several hours, but after unplugging it and putting it in the shade, it was fine in a few minutes. Maybe get a white case or PlastiDip the thing to a lighter color.

I use Straight Talk for my phone service. My tablets have no data plan whastoever for them, I use my phone as a hotspot and run SOME data through it as needed (upgrading maps, downloading maps, and that's for when I forget to do all of that prior to leaving the dock - it's really not that much at all, prolly a few hundred megs of data used per YEAR). GPS works perfectly fine for ANY phone, regardless of data or connectivity. My iPhone for work has 4 HUGE areas where it will not connect for anything, yet the GPS still works flawlessly. Side note on that, I also always have my personal phone, an Android, and only have connectivity issues in one of those areas, and it's nowhere near as bad as the iPhone. The tablet has been the same experience - waaaaaaaaayyyyy upriver, there's a 15-minute section where nothing gets a connection, yet the GPS works fine.

As for a permanent mount, I have the Ram Mount, I think I've posted my tablet mount around here somewhere too, and there's no issues with it whatsoever. It's a matter of personal preference, but in my opinion, a permanent mount is NOT needed in this day and age, with all the mounts out there. Ram will cost you, as you already are aware of, but it'll work just fine. I picked up a non-Ram mount for the stabilizer bar right next to the pass-through to the front of the boat, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I'm hoping it will work just as good, but I've still got the Ram as my fall-back if it doesn't. I know there's less cockpit room in your 19', but it's not THAT much less, mebbe a few inches at most, I think you'll find the Ram mount will be a better and more adjustable option for your needs.

I know that Navionics has options for pulling in info from other stuff (depth gauge, perhaps? I can't remember right now, but I'll see if I can track this info down), so maybe you could get the transducer and use it with a tablet/phone and not have 2 different gauges to mount and pay attention to.

Last thing that came to mind reading some responses here - if you have a 3D printer (or know someone who can print you stuf), or if you're the least bit handy with woodworking tools, you can fashion a hood to go over your item to help with any glare that you might find to be an issue. Cardboard to make a template for your needs, then flesh it out to the finished product.

I went round and round on this subject as well, and I was wondering how the heck to decide on something that wasn't too much for what I wanted to do, making it a waste of money for extra features I'd never use, or something that would require paying a big chunk of change for updates every year or so, or just how to mount some of the stuff that I would have liked. I started with Navionics, and it's served me well enough that I haven't considered anything else. I now have a 10" screen with info that has gotten noticed from more than a few guys wondering what I was running and how much it cost me. My total cost is ridiculously cheap compared to a dedicated unit, but that fits my needs. Nothing wrong with spending the money for something that you feel will fit your needs. My 10" tablet cost me either $150 or $200 from Costco, can't remember, but I know I bought it on sale. I bought the triple suction cup ram mount after returning the single-mount. The single held the 7" tablet just fine, but it wouldn't stand up to the weight of the 10" tablet over time, so I went with the triple - $62 from Amazon at the time.

I suggest you download Navionics and play around with it - see if you can find the "pull the info from this thingamabob right into this app" thing I was talking about, and download a map of your lake to test it out, and again, watch a video and read up on the app to get the best use out of it. There's a lot in that nicely priced app that might serve you well for a few years.

 

[Dietzen34]

I have been using a Simrad GO5 for two seasons now and love it. I made a custom dash panel for it to fit between the gauges. No way I would go on unknown water without a dedicated unit. Having the gps trails to follow on the way back at night are also a huge benefit.

 

[2kwik4u]

I have been using a Simrad GO5 for two seasons now and love it. I made a custom dash panel for it to fit between the gauges. No way I would go on unknown water without a dedicated unit. Having the gps trails to follow on the way back at night are also a huge benefit.

View attachment 140216

Have any details or build thread on that dash panel. That install looks super smooth.

 

[Dietzen34]

Have any details or build thread on that dash panel. That install looks super smooth.

No build thread but can try to dig up some other pictures and dxf files for the dash panel next week if you're interested. It's just 1/4" starboard material cut out on a cnc. I'm sure you could cut by hand if careful. A small amount of the fiberglass back panel had to be cut out for it all to fit. I tapped into power that was already labeled gps in a factory harness.

Updates for this year will be replacing the head unit with a Fusion nema2k unit. Then I can finally control the radio from the driver side via the Simrad GO5.

 

[2kwik4u]

No build thread but can try to dig up some other pictures and dxf files for the dash panel next week if you're interested. It's just 1/4" starboard material cut out on a cnc. I'm sure you could cut by hand if careful. A small amount of the fiberglass back panel had to be cut out for it all to fit. I tapped into power that was already labeled gps in a factory harness.

Updates for this year will be replacing the head unit with a Fusion nema2k unit. Then I can finally control the radio from the driver side via the Simrad GO5.

If you have a DXF I have access to CNC equipment......This is me wondering what that would look like in anodized aluminum?!?

Boy my "test with a phone and Navionics" plan sure is getting expensive fast!

 

[Dietzen34]

If you have a DXF I have access to CNC equipment......This is me wondering what that would look like in anodized aluminum?!?

Boy my "test with a phone and Navionics" plan sure is getting expensive fast!

It's a slippery slope lol. I'll try and get the dxf Monday.