Best gps for 17 foot boat on the Ches Bay

[johnfish]

Hi All,

I am having a tough time deciding on a GPS for a 17 foot boat for use on the lower Chesepeake and possibly around the inside area of Oregon Inlet. I looked at the gps sounder combos and the handhelds. The handhelds are almost as expensive when adding charts. But I already have a sounder and dont want to spend the extra if I dont have to. As far as handhelds I have narrowed it down to 2... The Garmin 76cx or the Lowrance H2O c plus.

I know Garmin is king but the screen on the H2O is so much nicer and easier to read (checked out both at boaters world). Also I located the H20 plus with memory card and map creator software for 299. The 76cx is over 350.

Should I buy the H2O or just go for something like the garmin 498. I can get the 498 (which has all the charts installed) for almost the same price as a 76cx with 1 unlocked chart. Is it me or does the whole concept of buying chart unlocks for 100 bux a pop seem like a huge rip off? But I like the idea of a handheld that I can use in the car and maybe for geocaching.

I am soooo confused. Can anyone out there give me some guidance?

Thanks!!!

John

[yellowho]

Damn, I thought I was the only one who banged my forehead till it became flat, and all the mental consternation that goes into it, research, etc....then when I finally make a decision the unit is obsolete.....hahahaah Don't bang to hard you'll get a headache.
Good luck......My 2 cents...I am trading in my Lowrance and getting a Garmin.
Have fun.
Matt

[themadgaffler]

i wouldnt get the lowrance. id get the biggest screen i could afford.

[Lazy_Iguana]

I have a Garmin hand held. It works great - just not on the boat. Let me qualify that a little, it works on the boat UNLESS I am underway. Underway the screen is too hard to see as the boat bounces along. Loading a chart on the hand held is sort of counterproductive because you can not see the screen underway. Also the screen is so small that it gets cluttered with too much information easily.

If you will only use the GPS when not moving (or moving very slowly), or plan to use it in a canoe or while hiking, the hand helds are awesome. Best thing since sliced cheese. Maybe even better.

But if you plan to use the thing while underway and want to see the screen, just get a plotter. Forget the hand held units. Unless of course your budget demands a hand held. In which case I think the Garmin E-Trex series are great. I have the E-Trex Legend (not color screen). 8 mb for map data (that is a lot of map data),waterproof, and it floats.

[twentynine]

Garmin GPS Map76c

Easy to operate, I don't have a problem seeing the screen. Underway or at rest.

[mrobertson]

Johnfish - i have a mako 17 that i use on the bay all the time. Never been to OI with it but going in september. Anyway, i have the Garmin GPS Map76. I've never seen a color one so i can't comment on the difference. I don't have a problem seeing the screen either. If you get it set to the correct zoom then it's not bad at all. I use the Furuno LS6100 as my FF. It's a pretty big unit.

There's no room on top of my console for cup holders or anything else. I think just for that reason i might go with a combo unit. Other than that my Garmin is a nice unit and i like it just fine.

[johnfish]

I really appreciate all the advice. I love LazyIguanas advice. It sounds just like what I am going through!!! The constant if i do this or I want to do that. Now you know why i am pounding my head against the wall!. I did come across a refurbed 276c that seems to be the best of all worlds. a little larger screen but portable and a better resolution than the 76cx. It is 353 and I could add one unlock for the chesapeake and be all set for 450. Just not sure about the reciver that is only a 12 channel. So I may go with the H2Oc

John

[cuemaker]

I've used and still do a 176c and it works just fine... one problem is the color faded on the 176c. The 276c is much better and brighter. I use my 176 as a loran receiver and my M84 Northstar for my main gps. I wouldn't hesitate to get a 276c...

[johnfish]

I appreciate all the advice. I decided to take a chance and get the Lowrance h2oc. I just could not justify more money right now. I found the plus version for 295 at a reputable dealer. (BOE) There were better prices out there but every one of the online dealers had terrible feedback. Many of them are grey market dealers and the products come with no US warrenty. So always be careful where you buy and research the seller! In all honest I also made my choice based on what I think is an arrogant attitude by Garmin. I believe that their products are excellent but I think they make you pay through the nose for them.

Hopefully this will work out well for me. I had an eagle FF for many years (10 plus) and never had a problem with it. Hopefully I will have the same success with this product.

Thanks again.

John

[FASTFJR]

I have a Garmin 178C on my Montauk. Pretty nice little unit. I bought the map cart that covers NJ to NC and all of the bays. I also carry an H20 for backup

[Butch Davis]

On my 16 footer I have a Lowrance LCX-111CHD and it is fantastic. The screen is large enough so that you can't lose your position in rough conditions and the sounder is clear from the rear of the boat from any angle. The mapping software is high class and very accurate. I believe Lowrance has replaced the 111 with the 113 but am not sure. Lowrance.com has any info you may need.

You don't mention a VHF. But if you have a DSC VHF it can be connected to the Lowrance GPS and if you get in serious trouble on the water you can simply push a button and your VHF will send continuous distress calls while providing your position so any one monitoring can respond. A very worthwile feature, IMO.

[eagle4]

I have a 17 Pro-Line, I installed a Garmin 545s in the dash. This unit does all the same things that Garmins big unit do,it has all the bells and whistels you'll ever need. I fish the river and the ocean. eagle4