Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

[FredGarvin]

My recently purchased boat came with a Humminbird depth/fish finder but I want to get a GPS, probably a Garmin. My question is....do I need a marine GPS specifically or is there some sort of portable multi-purpose GPS that I can use in both my boat and take it in my car, etc as well? I'd like to be able to have a mount in the boat that I can plug any such device in to for power and ease of use purposes.

If this is a dumb question, feel free to let me know....

 

[JZammetti]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

I just bought a Garmin GPSMap 640 from Boatersworld for around $928. The 640 is a big screen and has a mount for car and seperate mount for boat. I have not used it on my boat but have used it it the Jeep. The marine side is preloaded with a charts, and according to the manual it does depth and tide predictions... Sorry I don't have more information on the marine side.

Good luck and hope you find one to meet your needs.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

I use a portable Garmin on the boat with Garmin topo maps loaded in. Works great. I could also use my vehicle unit (Nuvi) with the same maps loaded in, but the portable works fine.

 

[QC]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

I have had a Garmin land and sea 176C for 5 years until it was stolen about a month ago. Same unit for the car and boat. Designed for it. I am hunting for a replacement and your lowest cost double deal (non-handlheld) is the 276C and the upper end one is the 378. Same screen size and mounts as my 176, but the newer two are brighter. You can find a refurbed 276C for around $350 on eBay, but you don't get the various mounts and cords that make it work in both the boat and car . . . and probably no software. You can spend around $800 for an all up 378, preloaded with Lakes and Highway stuff.

Moving this thread to electronics.

 

[emilime75]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

Not a dumb question at all. Garmin makes marine maps available for most of their auto GPS units, like the Nuvis. You will have to purchase those maps seperately though and last time I checked they weren't cheap. Some Garmin handhelds have marine capabilities and are waterproof, but they aren't very practical in the car. This is a subject I've been researching myself, as I'd like to get something I can easily take from the car to the boat. I've come across the fact that Magellan makes marine maps for their auto GPS units as well, and they are much more affordable. I personally feel that Garmin makes a better GPS, but Magellan might be worth a look. Or, you can do like JZammetti states in the post previous to mine, something like a Garmin GPSMap 640 will do both very well, comes preloaded with both marine and street maps and is a good unit...but very pricy IMO. Your best bet is to do as much Googling as possible, find some GPS units that have the features you are looking for and are in your price range, then see if there are marine charts available for it and how much extra they will cost. I'm still looking for the ideal unit but I'm thinking I might end up with a Magellan Crossover or maybe something like a 2200T.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

I just bought a Nuvi 500. It retails for $300. It comes with street maps and topo maps preloaded. I will probably buy the inland lakes map for $100. It doesn't have a very big screen but for car use that is actually preferred since I don't want it to block my field of vision. It is waterproof and the suction cup mount makes is versitale and easy to move from the car to the boat.

From my research it was the cheapest multi use unit that Garmin sells. So far I am satisfied with the purchase and will report on the charts once I buy the Inland lakes.

 

[MajBach]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

My recently purchased boat came with a Humminbird depth/fish finder but I want to get a GPS, probably a Garmin. My question is....do I need a marine GPS specifically or is there some sort of portable multi-purpose GPS that I can use in both my boat and take it in my car, etc as well? I'd like to be able to have a mount in the boat that I can plug any such device in to for power and ease of use purposes.

If this is a dumb question, feel free to let me know....

I have been using my Garmin 76 CSx for all application for years. If I am boating, I load my bluecharts into it. Hiking or geocaching I use the topos. For driving I use the Metroguides. It works good and has the advantage of being very portable, versatile and allowing to retain all waypoints and tracks and easily upload the to a laptop.

HOWEVER...

I bought this unit when the dedicated driving GPS's for you car were in their infancy and dual display units (fishfinder/GPS) for boating were pricey.

I now am in the market for a decent marine unit, i.e. chartplotter because after years of using my handheld for boating, I am realizing there is no accounting for screen size.

The same goes for the auto nav units. For the price, you get so much bang for the buck and a large screen size. My 76 CSx screen is average but oh so small compared to the dedicated application type units. I only hope/wish that I can use my existing maps on DVD for my handheld without having to buy the SD cards.

 

[JB]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

I started using my GPS in both applications with a Garmin GPSMAP 12. Then I used my Garmin GPSMAP 162 in both.

For the last 5 or 6 years I have been using a Garmin 276C with the auto nav kit and software in all three applications (car, boat and portable).

I am sure the newer Garmins have nicer features at higher prices but my 276C suits me just fine.

 

[dchris]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

Aside from water proof and charts designed to navigate water, the only possible advantage to a land vs. water GPS would be the antenna. When you are on the large flat surface of a body of water, there are many signal reflections that reduce accuracy. A GPS designed for water will have an antenna with reduced gain for signals low to the horizon. After that, it is just software and map bells and whistles.

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: Possibly a dumb question about GPS/Garmins

I've found that sport track maps topo unit does not include such items as bouy numbers, where as the same unit in a marine version will include these and more navigational items by default.