# Recommend me a good GPS/chartplotter



## lsunoe (Dec 5, 2016)

I'm looking for a good GPS unit for my Gheenoe Classic. I don't need sidevu/downvu because I wouldn't use it. It's mainly going to be used to navigate through the marsh in South Louisiana. Trying to keep price under $500. Would like biggest screen possible as well.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

HDS7


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

I got a Simrad GO7xse for my new skiff. It's a little over your budget but during my research for accessories I found that it's without a doubt the best bang for your buck.


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

Go7 without transducer is $499 on Amazon


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## THX1138 (Dec 20, 2016)

I have some Kayak buddies who really like the Raymarine Dragonfly 5. They seem to like it and have never had any issues. They can be found for $425 if you shop around. I am looking at the Simrad Go7 for my new skiff. Lots of folks on here really like it to and it has some hella nice features. From all the homework I've done, it really does seem like the best bang for the buck.

Lou


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

Not sure of the exact model, but I think it is a Garmin 740. It is a large touch screen that they had on closeout for around the price you are looking at. I love the touch screen option, makes it much easier when running a boat to quickly switch screens. I bought mine a couple years ago when West Marine was blowing them out at $599, I bet you can find a new on ebay even cheaper now. Great unit, they were originally around $1800


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## Egrets Landing (Feb 11, 2016)

Steve_Mevers said:


> Not sure of the exact model, but I think it is a Garmin 740. It is a large touch screen that they had on closeout for around the price you are looking at. I love the touch screen option, makes it much easier when running a boat to quickly switch screens. I bought mine a couple years ago when West Marine was blowing them out at $599, I bet you can find a new on ebay even cheaper now. Great unit, they were originally around $1800


 Running through the shallow marsh areas of LA with a Garmin would be analogous to running with a blindfold on.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

Egrets Landing said:


> Running through the shallow marsh areas of LA with a Garmin would be analogous to running with a blindfold on.


Never ran any of the waters in LA so I will take your word on that, it works great in the 10,000 islands.


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## Egrets Landing (Feb 11, 2016)

Steve_Mevers said:


> Never ran any of the waters in LA so I will take your word on that, it works great in the 10,000 islands.



In the 10,000 islands the unit may work great and just as great as it does anywhere else. Its not the unit that is bad. It's the maps they provide that run in it. Any chart plotter is only as useful as the maps it runs. If your staring at a screen all day with a bad map, it makes no difference how capable the machine may be. Its like running a Ferrari on Sears Specials. The unit is nearly useless with those maps they provide in LA and on my last look at the boat show in Nov a few mins looking around at their maps for 10,000 islands and Flamingo/ENP it was just as useless. Garmin provides the worst inshore cartography in the market. I even looked at their brand new "Everglades chip" which is higher res than the regular G2 vision.. Just as horrible. Just a clearer higher res horrible. Same photos processed to a degree higher but still dark and pretty much useless for seeing what is around and helping to determine where to run. And the map still shows your boat running on land when in the water. If you find that "great" you really don't know what your missing. Those sears specials may seem great at the time but once you take them off and run some Michelin pilot sports its a whole different story. I showed the Garmin guy at their booth how their current latest that they were so proud of stacks up side by side with an alternative FL map that is available and he about crawled under the table it was so embarrassing. Even still they have no inclination at at all to offer any other maps for their units other than the current Garmin map(s). So unfortunately for the Garmin inshore crowd, they will continue to get the bottom of the barrel maps and no mapping alternatives to Garmin.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

Just got a Raymarine dragonfly pro7 with navionics+ for 400$ from West Marine back in November. I really like it. I don't really use the sonar but I'm sure it will come in handy this spring when doing a little bass fishing.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

Egrets Landing said:


> In the 10,000 islands the unit may work great and just as great as it does anywhere else. Its not the unit that is bad. It's the maps they provide that run in it. Any chart plotter is only as useful as the maps it runs. If your staring at a screen all day with a bad map, it makes no difference how capable the machine may be. Its like running a Ferrari on Sears Specials. The unit is nearly useless with those maps they provide in LA and on my last look at the boat show in Nov a few mins looking around at their maps for 10,000 islands and Flamingo/ENP it was just as useless. Garmin provides the worst inshore cartography in the market. I even looked at their brand new "Everglades chip" which is higher res than the regular G2 vision.. Just as horrible. Just a clearer higher res horrible. Same photos processed to a degree higher but still dark and pretty much useless for seeing what is around and helping to determine where to run. And the map still shows your boat running on land when in the water. If you find that "great" you really don't know what your missing. Those sears specials may seem great at the time but once you take them off and run some Michelin pilot sports its a whole different story. I showed the Garmin guy at their booth how their current latest that they were so proud of stacks up side by side with an alternative FL map that is available and he about crawled under the table it was so embarrassing. Even still they have no inclination at at all to offer any other maps for their units other than the current Garmin map(s). So unfortunately for the Garmin inshore crowd, they will continue to get the bottom of the barrel maps and no mapping alternatives to Garmin.


I guess I am old school, when I first started running patrol boats in 1985 we had one boat with a Loran C machine that was so complicated we never used it. I learned how to run backcountry waters the old fashion way, I spent time on the water day and night and learned the waters, no electronics. Using just shoreline features we would run boats through cuts in bars and thoughout the backwaters at night. I used to ride with officers in the 10,000 islands that amazed me at how they would run from Marco Island all the way to Whitewater Bay and at night threw the backcountry without any electronics and almost never turning a spot light on. For those that need a machine to get them from point A to point B, detailed maps like you describe are a must have. I still rely on my ability to read the waters, there is no substitute for time on the water. I use a plotter as a tool to assist me, not as my primary means of navigation.


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