# Skiff GPS/Chartplotter preferences



## Imac (Feb 4, 2016)

I feel like there should be a thread like this already but I couldn't find it after a brief search. 

Anyway, what are peoples thoughts/preferences on chartplotters for their skiffs. I for example have a Garmin 441 on my current boat. Works fine as far as I'm concerned, but the screen is just impossibly small.

Do certain units have better maps? Seems to me, that's the biggest selling point as I've never really found the fishfinder to be that useful except for telling me how deep it is.


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## Jfack (Nov 2, 2014)

Imac said:


> I feel like there should be a thread like this already but I couldn't find it after a brief search.
> 
> Anyway, what are peoples thoughts/preferences on chartplotters for their skiffs. I for example have a Garmin 441 on my current boat. Works fine as far as I'm concerned, but the screen is just impossibly small.
> 
> Do certain units have better maps? Seems to me, that's the biggest selling point as I've never really found the fishfinder to be that useful except for telling me how deep it is.



Im currently waiting for the simrad go7 xse to come out (march 7thish). Check out florida marine tracks. I personally haven't used that chip, but I've read a lot of reviews and watched videos of it. They are VERY detailed maps, with pre ran tracks already on it. You have to have simrad, or lowrance to use it. The go7 xse will have total scan (side and downscan). the current go7 has great reviews too. With garmin, i believe you are stuck with there maps. Lawrance and others can usually use other chips like FMT, navionics, etc


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## Imac (Feb 4, 2016)

That Simrad go7 xse looks like an awesome unit. I wonder what the side scan image looks like. I recently went tarpon fishing using sidescan and it was an absolute gamechanger in about 15 feet of water. I know that was also a top of the line unit.

I wonder how well sidescan works for looking at say a mangrove shoreline. I wonder if you could see layed up redfish or snook


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

I was in Bass Pro the other day and they had the Garmin 73SV on sale for 550. This has the larger horizontal screen.


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## CaptainRob (Mar 11, 2007)

I just bought the Simrad go7. So far I am very pleased with unit and combined with the Navionics Platimum + the imaging is very good. 
Since I don't have a transducer on my skiff, I only wanted the mapping capabilities and so far so good.


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

Seems like the Lorance is able to use many versions of the mapping software, I am pleased with their units. On the other had I have a 441S Garmin, ok but way tooooo small and mapping software is very limited.


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## scout177 (Sep 28, 2014)

check out the Florida Marine Tracks chip...best aerial map overlay on the market. I think it is only compatible with lowrance hds-12 and simrad larger units. worth the coin if running shallows or tricky areas


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## sarasota727 (Mar 25, 2016)

++ for the Florida Marine Track Chip. I ordered the GO7xse total scan for my skiff solely for the purpose of running FMT. As mentioned in the forum FMT boasts better image overlay than Navionics. I haven’t verified this, but I read somewhere they actually did aerial fly over rather than satellite images to get the better quality.

I have a 32 express that I run a Garmin 1040xs in. All a matter of opinion, but I found the Garmin offers a better user interface compared to Simrad or Raymarine.


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## CaptainRob (Mar 11, 2007)

The FMT chips look great, but depending on your location you may have to purchase either the whole state or both chips. Living in the Tampa area, I fish mostly Tampa Bay, which would be their North Florida chip. However, I also fish often in the Glades and Keys...which would be the South Florida chip. 

With the cost of their chips, (not bashing their cost, they can choose to charge what they want) its hard to justify the purchase if only fishing those secondary locations every so often.


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## brianacnp (May 18, 2011)

Garmin has started producing some high resolution satellite cards for their units. Haven't seen them personally on a unit. They cover from Texas to the keys. I was dissatisfied with the vision card they offered before and was considering changing units also. But if u currently have a garmin it's worth a look. 
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/map...-c455-atFILTER_FEATURE_CARD_01-c10820-p1.html


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