Garmin GPSMAP 545 chartplotter (or your favorite)

[Jon Schneider]

I'm thinking about biting the bullet and replacing my aging Garmin GPS 215 with a Garmin 545 (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148).  I don't need a network function, because I don't plan on adding radar, so I don't need the 3000, 4000, or 5000 series, plus their size is a bit much for my helm aesthetics (I'd rather watch the sea and surroundings than a screen).  Does anyone have the 545 or one of its cousins, and have a point of view on it?  Or, frankly, feel free to offer advice on the ideal helm-based chartplotter that you have experience with that you think I should consider.  I have a Raymarine S1G below-deck autopilot (and requisite network computer) along with Raymarine ST-60 instruments.  I do want to be able to drive the A/P from waypoints on the chartplotter, which NMEA 0183 output from any chartplotter should be able to do.  I don't have a compelling need to read the instruments on the chartplotter, since the instruments are all easily visible from the helm because of the companionway bulkhead mounting location.

[Joe Kern]

Jon - Since you have Raymarine instruments have you considered that option?  I can't compare against others but I have loved my Raymarine 435i and it is intrgerated seemelesly with my other ST-60 sintruments including my wheel autopilot.   The autopilot display also works as a repeater display for other functions of the 435i when you are not using it in autopilot mode.

Joe

[Jon Schneider]

Jon - Since you have Raymarine instruments have you considered that option? 

Thanks Joe, and, yes, I have considered the Raymarine offering, and am still somewhat open to it, but I have to say that the Ray 435 -for about the same price - offers only half the screen resolution as the Garmin 545.  Oddly, it also doesn't include Ray's proprietary (albeit pretty much the same as NMEA 2000) SeaTalk bus, so it offers no advantage in network speed or protocols over a non-Ray products.  More importantly to me, I've heard nothing but negatives about Ray's continuing product support, particularly for anything over three or four years old.  I'm not talking about free service, just any ability to help customers get something fixed.  I've heard this lament so often, and I, myself, have found their documentation so weak (installation documentation) that I must admit I'm somewhat prejudiced against them.  I also like, though I've never had it before, the vertical orientation of the G 545.

[Joe Kern]

I understand and have heard some of the same comments.  So far I have been happy with all mine but they are only a few years old.  I am thinking of radar and going to their new upgraded series of networked chartplotter/radar etc displays.  I don't think they are doing much support on the older models but  I understand the ST60 instruments will talk to them and it appears an easier connection than having the Raymarine ST60's talk to another networked system.   I don't know much about the NMEA connections and such but will start researching and figure it all out if I go down that path.   The new instruments they have with the colored readouts are pretty cool but seem like more of a toy than necessary.   My greyscale readouts on the ST60s tell me what I need to know.  Having a color chartplotter is a real joy whatever brand.

Joe

[Stu Jackson]

The vertical orientation is nice if you're going north.  Horizontal works much better going east or west.   

[Jon Schneider]

The vertical orientation is nice if you're going north.  Horizontal works much better going east or west.   

I always set my GPS orientation to heading up (e.g., west is at the top of the screen if I'm heading west; southwest is at the top as I head in that direction, etc.), and I tend to look (and cursor) forward, so the left/right (port/starboard?) sides of the chartplotter do me very little good. 

[tonywright]

I have had pretty good experience with Raymarine. I have a Raymarine display, as well as a radar, autopilot, ST60's, etc.

One of the features on the Raymarine display that I use a lot is the vector for the boat's course made good, which can be displayed at the same time as the course steered. This gives me a good indication of the current drift, but in may case I use it a lot when tacking up river. I can see when I will be 2 or 3 mins from a shoal area, and warn the crew to get ready to tack (when in cruising mode, they usually need this kind of warning!).uto

I have never done this, but it is possible to set up a route and have the autopilot follow it (too much traffic on our river to rely on autopilot for more than a few minutes at a time).

If you think that you may upgrade to a radar unit at some time, nice to know that the display can do it. I love the MARPA feature, but then I worked for a number of years on systems for VTS services. Amazing that you can have on your sailboat what used to cost six figures per display just a few years back!

Ease of use and being readable in daylight is probably more important than resolution. Many functions can be far from intuitive, and this is a problem when you need to make a quick decision at the helm. As you say, keeping the head out of the cockpit is pretty important on any boat.

You need to be able to turn off distracting detail as well.  If you are not about to fish, anchor or run aground, who cares what the seabed is made of?  More important to be able to clearly identify the navigation marks.

I think that Raymarine has done a pretty good job of making the plotter display look very much like the paper chart, which I like. On the pics you link to for the Garmin, they seem more interested in what is on land (I love my Garmin Nuvi for the car, by the way).

Tony

[Jon Schneider]

Thanks for that input Tony.  Regarding course-made-good capability, I agree that that's great, but even my eight year old Garmin has that, so I'm guessing it's pretty standard on all chartplotters.  I must admit that I'm a little nervous about spending over a grand (or near-abouts) and not going all the way to being able to add radar.  Knowing me, I will spend the grand, and then get socked in for a few days in Connecticut or Rhode Island with heavy fog and then go out and get radar! 

I have a problem with my current aging GPS, which is probably resolvable by getting a new antenna.  I may just fix the problem for $100 and forgo the decision.  That said, I am a bit envious of friends who have very sunlight-readable color screens on their chartplotters (versus my green and black dim monochrome screen), so I'm trying to use this as a trigger point to break out the charge card and help the economy ;)

[Joe Kern]

I have used the route setting in the chartplotter with the autopilot throughout the Abacos (and will be again in a week) and it works very well.  You can set how far in advance it notifies you of the next waypoint.  The autopilot does not switch to the next leg of the route unless you respond to its request by hitting the track button so you can't sit back and let it do the whole route without some input (not sure why you would want to do that anyway).  I have entered routes with 10 plus waypoints over 40 plus NM and it did a great job tracking the whole time.  It is also nice that in addition to distance to next waypoint you can get distance, time and eta to the end of the route.

Joe

[Wayne]

I have a Garmin 375, about 3 years old.  It is Great!!!  So much better than the Raymarine chartplotter that came on Charlotte  I too do not have radar; probably never will.  The Raymarine manual is really pretty much useless.  Screen filled with clutter and therefore hard to read.  The Garmin is way more user friendly, better color and graphics.  And Garmin support was fantastic in helping me resolve a computer issue (I have the product installed on my computer, too).  I wish I would have gone with a Garmin unit.

[Craig Illman]

Jon - I installed a Garmin 492 a year ago. A big improvement over the slow B&W Garmin 178 at the Nav table that came with my boat three years ago and better then my B&W eTrex Vista I used for a couple years. In the PNW, there is less need for the Sirius weather capabiliites of the 500 series units. I like the AIS support on the 492 and I am getting depth from my Simrad instruments displayed too. I'm in the middle of debugging the communication to my Simrad WP32 AP.

I'm less enamored with Garmin's proprietary charts. I'd rather it could use NOAA raster and/or vector charts like PC software SeaClear or RosePoint Coastal Explorer.

I saw a 492 at Marine.net for $400 last week? Someone needs to engineer a holographic 2'x3' heads-up display for the dodger. 

This topic could just be about as contentious as ground tackle.

Craig

[Ron Hill]

Jon : I have a Garmin 545 and think it's great.  Have the extra chip that will take you to your destination with the "guide to" that makes sure that I have 5ft of depth and a bridge clearance of 52ft.

Having been an military aviator for 30 years I always have my orientation as north at the top - impossible to spin a map to keep it orientated in a small cockpit to the direction that you're going.  Guess it's all in our upbringing!!  A few thoughts. 

[Jon Schneider]

That's great to hear Ron.  Thanks.  And, yes, if I do pull the trigger, I'll get that G2 Vision chip as well, especially since it's got a $200 rebate right now.

[rirvine]

Two Comments:

1. There are always more challenges integrating pieces from different vendors.  The marine vendors have not reached the "open" status of the computer industry as yet.  They continue to think they add value by making their implementation of the "standard" just a little different.  This supports staying with Raymarine even with their support issues and the rumors that they are being purchased by Garmin.

2. You can get many more features including and a much larger display by using one of the available software packages running on a standard PC (or MAC) at considerably less cost.  I have been using MacENC on a second hand G4 MAC Powerbook for 4 years – total cost $700.00 – very successfully.

Just my 2 cents, Ray