Depth sounder/chart plotter

[Tin Boat]

I am in the market for a GPS/fishfinder for my 18' CC. What's the best one out there? Thank you.

[fishin-fanatic]

I do not think you can beat Garmin for a GPS. If you want a combo (GPS/FF) unit, you should get a least a 5 or 6 inch screen. Color screens are very nice, too.

I have a Garmin 172C (GPS only) on my 196 bay reef and I really like it. You can add the "black box" to this unit and have a combo GPS/FF. I do not think it is the best GPS/FF made, but it is very adequate for a boat under 20 feet.

[madgreekvw]

I just got an Eagle (made by Lowrance) SeaCharter 642 DF iGPS in July, and I could not be happier with it. It has a dual frequency transducer with temp, a water speed sensor, a 5" color screen with 256 colors that has incredible resolution, Chartplotting GPS with WAAS. The chart cards are only about $70 versus $125 for most other units. I just got my card and it is well worth it. There are a ton of other features that I am just getting used to. The Fish Finder is amazingly clear with the high res screen.

I got it from BOE since so many on this site recommended them, and they were all correct, they have excellent prices and even better service. I paid about $570 for my unit and another $75 for the chart card. The SAME EXACT unit with the lowrance name on it goes for about $200 more.

Here is my unit the Eagle site, they have a few other cheaper models if you dont want the dual frequency or higher resolution screen.

Here is a link for the 642 or you can search the site for other units.
http://www.eaglegps.com/Products/Com...rter642CDF.htm

[bbrown1264]

I've got a Garmin 498 with internal antenna on my 19' boat. It's great. The interface is really easy to use. It comes preloaded with the coastal charts for the whole US. And the charts are right on the money around Tampa Florida.

The fish finder seems to work fine for me. I don't do much deep water fishing however. It do have an issue with the fish finder not working after you take it really shallow. I understand it has something to do with it being set to auto range and if you pick a fixed depth range it fixes it. I haven't had a chance to try this out yet. I also think there might be a fix in a newer version of the firmware but I haven't tired that route yet either.

[twotems]

madgreekvw - 9/20/2006 2:40 AM I just got an Eagle (made by Lowrance) SeaCharter 642 DF iGPS in July, and I could not be happier with it. It has a dual frequency transducer with temp, a water speed sensor, a 5" color screen with 256 colors that has incredible resolution, Chartplotting GPS with WAAS. The chart cards are only about $70 versus $125 for most other units. I just got my card and it is well worth it. There are a ton of other features that I am just getting used to. The Fish Finder is amazingly clear with the high res screen. I got it from BOE since so many on this site recommended them, and they were all correct, they have excellent prices and even better service. I paid about $570 for my unit and another $75 for the chart card. The SAME EXACT unit with the lowrance name on it goes for about $200 more. Here is my unit the Eagle site, they have a few other cheaper models if you dont want the dual frequency or higher resolution screen. Here is a link for the 642 or you can search the site for other units. http://www.eaglegps.com/Products/Com...rter642CDF.htm

That's some great info. I didn't know Eagle were made by Lowrance and that unit looks indentical to the 337 Lowrance. My buddy just bought the 337 from BOE and he'll be kicking himself when I tell him the price difference. I have avoided Eagles since my first one went kaput for no reason. But that looks like a good unit. I have the Humminbird 762c and it's aslo very good value for the money.

[Tin Boat]

Thanks very much to all of you for your input. What is BOE?

[welder]

furuno..............GP7000F

[twotems]

BOE = Byownerelectronics. They are vendors on this board. Just go to the vendor forums.