Electronics recommendation

[Slipstream]

I may pull the trigger on a new 23se. (Gulp.) I'm wondering what I need to budget for electronics and some specific recommendations. The boat does not have a t-top, and I'll be using it for fishing and family recreation around the MA/RI area. Mostly in shore with a few trips to the Vineyard and Nantucket. I don't want to get too crazy, but a good set up for safety and fishing.

Thanks

 

[Claymar]

Unfortunatly, every time one sees a question like this in a boating forum of any sort you will get a variety of answers mostly based on each individuals experiance and personal bias. Like loyal Ford and Chevy owners. This could be an interesting topic.

As to basics, GPS, VHF and depth finder I see as bare minimum. Offshore I would add radar and chartplotter. I fish offshore in So. Cal. so I have it all. I used to see radar as an expensive option until the first time I used it to get me in in pea soup fog, now I see it as basic.

Price is going to be across the board. I personally feel that the name brands are all pretty much equal and become a matter of personal taste in the ease of use and type of features. I've owned Garmin, Cobra, Raymarine and Interphase equipment and all served me well. I presently have all Raymarine on my 2120 around a C-80 multifunction unit. You'll also get inumerable opinions on the multifunction vs. stand alone units as well. I happen to like the multifunction in that it saves helm space, but thats just me.

If I were you I would hit the local West Marine or its equal and play with the demo units. Push buttons turn knobs and in general put them through the paces as far as the demo will let you.

Great choice on a boat, sure wont go wrong there. Good luck

 

[CapeCodFrank]

I purchased a 2510 XLD from Edwards Boatyard in East Falmouth last spring, and the cost of the electronics was around $6k... not including installation. I got the RayMarine C120 with 2kw radar, GPS, and DSM300 sounder. They used the Airmar thru-hull transducers.. one for depth and a second for speed / temp. I only have one season under my belt but I have been delighted with this setup. I haven't had to rely on radar yet, but with the fog that comes up quickly around the Cape, I thought it worth the money. I was fishing near Lucas shoal last Sept and decided to return to Buzzards Bay via Robinsons hole instead of Woods Hole. As I headed back down towards Woods Hole on the Buzzards Bay side, the fog around Woods Hole was very thick. Had I stuck with my plan of returning via Woods Hole, I would really have needed that radar.

I recommend Edwards very highly. They did a great job with the installation of the electronics and are very easy to deal with. Let me know if I can give you any more info.

 

[DaleH]

VHF:
IMHO you can pick up a very good quality Standard-Horizon with DCS send/receive capability for $140 or so. Not don't skimp on the antenna. The best I have found in testing I did of over 30 boats so far, is the Shakesepeare Galaxy 5225XT, cost $100 to $125.

GPS:
Though it has a somewhat smaller screen, Brokenleg Dave has a Northstar (used to be Navman) color GPS chartplotter on sale for ~$270. For an extra $70 or so you can buy the fuel transducer anc get real-time miler-per-gallon fuel flow figures.

Depth:
I'd say $300 would get you into a decent fishfinder for that use, maybe even into a color unit.

Total:
$140 VHF
$125 Antenna
$275 GPS
$300 Fishfinder

So I'd figure ~ $850 or less.

Bonus Info on that GPS Model:
To me this is a BEST BUY , at least to get into a GPS chartplotter or to inexpensively upgrade to a machine with color! See link here.

Awesome units IMHO (I run 2 of the next higher up in performance [and screen size] Navman/Northstar GPS models) but I just bought one of these for use on the skiff I'm fixing up for fishing in the river. I think these units are unbeatable when you add in the fuel computer transducer option, which adds an extra $80 to the purchase price.

FWIW I have bought all of my electronics from 'Broken Leg Dave' and have been 110% satisfied, getting them shipped to me in 2-3 days. I've also been lucky in getting used C-Map chips from eBay for $15 to $25 each. Adding to that, with the C-Map Planner program for home use (also bought from Dave) ... I can run the same GPS chip and plot out waypoints, routes, and distances on my home PC.

These Northstar (used to be Navman) units have GREAT ergonomics, are simple and VERY intuitive to use, have been bullet-proof in reliablility (bounced one off a deck too ! ), plus I find they re-draw the screen 3x times faster than any Garmin unit I've ever seen used.

 

[Megabyte]

I agree with Claymar that marine electronics can be a personal preference.
That said... at a minimum I would recommend a good GPS/chartplotter, a sounder/fishfinder, and a quality VHF radio with matching quality antenna.

Whether you go with a combo unit (combining chartplotter and sounder, for instance), will depend on how you intend to use your boat, how much room you have at your helm, and how much you want to spend.

I went with seperate units on my boat because I had the room to do so, and because I wanted the maximum screen sizes for both my chartplotter and my fish finder.

Placement was also a factor for me. I wear progressive lense glasses, so I wanted all of my critical information where I could see it through the proper portion of my glasses. In addition, the plotter and sounder are positioned where I can see them from the cockpit driving station. The sounder is particularly critical in this respect, especially when drift fishing.

The VHF is mounted directly under the binnicle, with the microphone easilly within reach while in the driving position.

Now comes the 'personal preference part'...
This is what you see in the photo above:

GPS/chartplotter - Garmin 2010c with Bluechart and Bathy chips
Sounder - Furuno FCV600L with an Airmar 'tilted element' thru-hull transducer
VHF - Icom 502 connected to an 8' Digital VHF antenna and an Icom 'Command Mic' in the cockpit at the rear driving station
Backup VHF - Uniden 'Voyager' handheld (stays in the charger and on Ch 16)

All electronics sourced from Jim Maier at BOE Marine in Annapolis.
http://www.byownerelectronics.com/store/home.php
866-735-5926 (toll free)

 

[Outta Here]

Fortunate for you, you're looking @ a Parker which, among other features has a real electronics cabinet to put your stuff in. :wink: As Mega said, go to Jim @ BOE, best price, best service.

I would go with a Furuno GP-35, Furuno 600L, Airmar tilted element 'ducer, Shakesphere 5225 XT Galaxie, Shakesphere SS-HD antenna mt (for windshield grab rail), cheapo SS rail mount for GPS, Standard or ICOM radio, large Poly-Planer remote VHF speaker.

Furuno is not normally sold thru retail "shopping-center" outlets. BOE is great, for a price comparison, try Consumer Marine Electronics or The GPS Store.

As for mounting, look at pic below. You can actually mount the GPS in front of 600L and save space. The units "match" and looks nice. Since you'll be without T-Top (and radio box), mount radio inside lower cabinet...the one at knee level. You want to keep radio and mike as far as possible from the compass. This is assuming you have a need for a compass, and I do. The remote speaker does wonders for the poor quality sound of VHF radios. Mount it under the gunnel or in console, away from compass.

What's it cost? You can get commercial grade electronics above for $1500. You can install if you graduated from high school, yes, even public school. Should you later decide to "spring" for a "gee-whiz" color TV style GPS, the GP-35 is used as back-up on million dollar yachts.

Good luck :wink:

 

[FishPimp]

well.....
sky is the limit for electronics depending on what you want to achieve.
my electronics package is a bit over the top. everything electronic on my boat was custom fit as well as ergonomically placed.
I still have some room for the autopilot and a floscan and tab indicators.
Which will happen at some point before spring splash.
My suggestion is to think about the type of boating you are going to be doing and get the best gear that you can. I went with everything furuno. My VHF is an Icom504 with a command micIII . My boat does have an mmsi number and radio has been programmed into the radio as well as wired into my gps.
I shopped around when I purchased all of my electronics. If I had to do it all over again I would have purchased all of it from Jim at BOE Marine. He matches prices and is great with problem solving.

 

[pelagic2530]

fu+ru+no= great electronics
you might have to learn to push a few more buttons, but hearing stories of boats sunk at the dock with depthfinders that fired right up after sold me 8)

good luck with whatever you purchase, just remember it may have to get your azz home someday, so watch what you spend.... is it better to buy a cheap unit thats gonna burn out in a couple years, or get the good stuff to start? your choice (that was on a charter boat, so it got used and abused), but its worth thinking about. weve got all Furuno; radar, gps, ff, with 2 icom radios. all the Furuno is about 10 yrs old, and still going strong (knock on wood)

 

[Harpoon]

The best bang your buck that I have seen is the Garmin 498. Combo FF and CP. All the NOAA charts are preloaded.

I bought one off BOE for 506.00 this summer as I trashed my Standard Horizon in BAD weather. You could get the 498 and a dectent VHF and be up and running for under a grand.

Slip, If you are rigging a new boat try and get a discount from west marine or one of their competitors. They used to give wholesale pricing if you could show the receipt for the boat. So, antennas,safety, fenders, dock line, anchor line, chain anchor etc.

Or, even better make a list of all that stuff and tell the dealer if he throw it in you will pull the trigger.

There is no deal on electronics but it is almost 1/2 price for the hardware type junk

Enjoy the boat.

 

[Themis]

I went cheap for my 21SE, as I am always within a few miles of shore, or in the bay. I like keeping it simple. I have a Gramin gps/sonar combo (540s), and a SH VHF with DSC and a good Shakespeare antenna.

 

[Porkchunker]

I'm fond of Raymarine. They have replaced a GPS antenna under warranty and fixed a broken connector (well past the warranty period) for a song and a prayer.

Whatever you do, go with one of the "systems" that work on a Local Area Network (LAN), like Furuno, and Raymarine (there may be others). This allows one to start small, and add functionality (e.g., radar) later without wholesale changes.

I can't say enough about the importance of radar. I run a lot at night...maybe I run at night because I have radar and it makes me more comfortable doing so. Regardless, that radar has pulled me out of a pickle quite a few times. Especially at the CBBT in Nov and Dec, when a ground fog can roll in, and there are big (did I say BIG) Navy ships in the channel. The radar also finds those pesky fyke nets that one sees on the bars and flats sometimes almost a mile from shore, in a place you would not expect to find them. Most are unlit.

BTW, the Navy runs those subs at night without lights...radar is the only way to find them in the channel at night.

Dave

aka