EDIT: After some more shopping I have narrowed my choices down to the Raymarine Dragonfly($560) or Garmin echoMAP 50dv($540). I got some time to use the Dragonfly in store and really like it. Any opinions/reviews on these?
Carolina Skiff J14, 25 Merc
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Lorance 7 hds. Great bang for your buck
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I have a Garmin 546s and really like it. The topographic charts are preloaded which is super nice but they can be pretty off up here in AK which is annoying. Perhaps they used old data when making the charts but it shows structure on the topographic “Fishing Chart” (which is super handy…) that simply does not exist. I have no experience with the accuracy of charts for the lowcountry area but would imagine they’re a lot more accurate in the shallower, highly traveled waters. I don’t have any complaints about the hardware other than the screen being only 5". I would have gone with the 7" but I wanted buttons, not touch screen.
I replaced an older Lowrance with a HDS-5 earlier this year and really like it so far. I really wanted the HDS-7, but couldn’t justify it since I want to move to a new boat soon. The preloaded maps are as nice as the maps I paid $150 for on my old unit. I am also able to load routes and waypoints from my old unit via SD card.
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I’m reviving this one. Any more opinions on the Garmin vs Raymarine? I have my choices narrowed down to those exact two units, Dragonfly or 50dv. Bmarvil, have you bought one yet?
I actually got the HDS 5 instead. I already have experience with Lowrance products so that was part of my decision. I actually got to try out a Dragonfly on the water and was not impressed. Controls were awkward and very difficult to set up in my opinion. It may be fine for a newbie to marine electronics but for those of us who have experience and know how to operate a depth finder and how to set it up it is just plain awkward. Also no support for NMEA 0183 or 2000. The choice was between the 50dv and the HDS 5. Both are very good units and I would say almost equal. Just went with the Lowrance due to familiarity.
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Carolina Skiff J14, 25 Merc & Hydra-Sports 1800cc, 150 Johnson
I think you did the right thing! I’ve had Garman but had better luck with my many Lowrances.
Oh okay, see I have the most prior experince with Garmin. After playing with a Dragonfly I’m a little undecided on the dial and joystick. If I go dragonfly that leaves me buying the Standard Horizon VHF with the built in GPS antenna at around $180-200. I also have a tablet that I’ve been considering getting a mount for and running as a plotter with the navionics app. If I follow through with that it would be nice to be running Navionics across the board, so dragonfly has the plus there. If I go 50dv then I can go cheaper on the VHF and wire it to garmin for DSC. Good thing is I have a completely clean slate to work with. DSC is the extent of the networking I have planned. Elite 5 and 7 haven’t been completely ruled out but Lowrance is wayyy down on my list. Furuno 1670, Raymarine a68, Humminbird 859 and 688 are all above the Lowrance for me.
andyb,i have the standard horizon GX1700 vhf in my boat. i see that your familiar w/it. it already has gps installed, along w/dsc features. once registered, it will transmit your location in emergency situations. my point is, the last time (only time) i hooked a vhf to a gps it was a real PITA. unless things have changed, there was no wire color standard and it was hit and miss. the wires were so thin, i had trouble connecting. hope this info helps. also, i fished recently w/a guy who had a tablet mounted on console and it was really neat that the info he could get. this was about three weeks ago when it was still pretty hot, and a couple times during the day, he had to take it down to let it cool off. he did not have any kind of top to ward off heat, but still an helpful tool to have. good luck