MFD's

[Saltyone]

I see quite a few, if not most of Grady's with 2 displays. I assume on the older ones that is before they were multi-functioning displays (seperate chart plotter and depthsounder). Obviously anything newer is going to be MFD's. Is that for redundancy having 2 smaller displays vs 1 larger one?

The 265 I'm looking at has older electronics (not sure on the brand and model) and the older simrad AP11 autopilot. Electronics would be probably one of the first things to get upgraded.

I like the idea of having redundancy with 2 smaller displays, but also like the visual of 1 larger display.

Looking for pro and cons of each.

Thanks

 

[SkunkBoat]

One bigger is better. Go to west marine and play with them. You will see.

 

[BirdRock]

I went to one big one with our new (used) boat and have zero regrets. I'm not really worried about redundancy in my electronics.

 

[seasick]

It depends on what bigger means and bigger than what?
Two 5 inch displays will probably work better than one 9 inch and depending on what info you need to display, maybe better than one 10 inch.
The advice to go to a marine store and play is good advice. See how the multi-window screens look and see how easy and intuitive it is to change screen layout , set presets or just resize a particular window.

 

[Sauza45]

I have 2 Garmin 8616 displays, I like having 2 because I can have one on navigation and the other on sonar, no split screen.

 

[wahoo33417]

One 12" screen is the biggest we could fit. I prefer that to two smaller screens. Especially when navigating in unknown waters. While fishing at home it is usually on split screen of sonar and temp. I've gotten used to seeing a smaller section of sonar.

The idea of a backup did concern me, again, especially when navigating unknown waters. So for our boat trips we have an iPad with the Navionics app. Obviously no sonar on it, but if I can manage to stay between the red and green, I should be good .

Rob

 

[Automated14]

I prefer 2. I usually want fish finder, radar, chart, and engines. Even on a 12" display, it gets crowded fast. On my robalo with a single 9", I swapped it out for a new raymarine axiom then I eliminated factory yamaha gauges and mounted a 7" axiom. used the 7 for engines only and the 9 would be split for nav/radar and add fish finder when fishing.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I've obviously got a much smaller boat than what you're looking at, but imo I think a lot of people go with two smaller screens for a few reasons, of which the first would be the layout. On my boat, it has the little electronics bin behind the steering wheel with the flip up clear tinted visor attached to it. With that on there, it doesn't give you much room to put anything bigger than maybe a 9-10" screen inside the compartment? I don't personally know, but I bought a Garmin 943xsv to put in there and while I think a 10" screen could probably fit in there, I'm not sure if a 12" could, although I could obviously be mistaken. I went with the Garmin 943xsv for several reasons, the price, the ability to add radar later on if I wanted to, and it has all three sonars available to use on it without needing a separate black box. I know guys with my boat will cover up the compartment with starboard or something similar and flush mount larger electronics but I didn't have the time to do that as my old Garmin that I bought the boat with crapped out on me a week before the opener for the fishing season. I think you also get much more "bang for your buck" with having two MFD's in that a new Garmin 943xsv is $1,241 on BOE Marine's website yet a 1243xsv is $2,370, or almost double the price. So, if you like the idea and look of two screens then you get two 9" displays for a total of 18" as opposed to a single 12" display. The prices only go up from there with regards to the higher end Garmin 12" or even 16" displays, their 8618xsv is $4,800. So you could buy two 9" screens for half that price or two 12" screens for almost exactly the same price and get more "real estate" so to speak.

I personally don't really have a preference, I've been on boats where I used a single 12" or 16" screen and I've been on boats where I've used two smaller 9" or 10" screens. If I had to choose one then I'd probably go with two 9" screens because I'm more of a frugal fisherman/boater and don't have all of the fancy things like radar as I don't know if I'd ever use it. Maybe one day I'll buy it for my boat, but I keep going back and forth on the matter as I honestly think there have only been a handful of times or less in my almost 40 years of being alive where I was out on the water and wished that I had it. I do think that two screens is probably more of an "old school" type of thing where you had dedicated sonar or radar units and had to have 2-3 different displays or more just to get what you wanted. I also think a lot of those people probably got used to the idea of multiple screens so they stuck with that look or approach when they eventually upgraded their electronics. Or, they had the holes already cut out in their dash or holes drilled for the mounts and wanted to go with the least intrusive route as possible, so they bought two new units. I will say, that If I had radar and/or did a good deal of reef fishing or looking for structures then I'd probably want 2 displays. That way, I could run one on one screen and then the second on the other with it zoomed in as much as possible. That way I wouldn't have one screen divided up into 3 sections with trying to be zoomed into the max on say the SideVu sonar looking for structure and then have my chart plotter or radar zoomed way out. Just my opinions, of course.

 

[jap201]

i prefer multiple screens, small (9") if that's all the room you have, rather than one big cluttered screen where you have to hunt to find the data. for the past 34 yrs i always ran 2 screens. In the old days it was a loran, then a gps, and now an MFD in split mode with my chartplotter on one side and ff on the other. I always had a dedicated radar unit. there's enough days with fog and lots of boat traffic that i'd never be without some sort of radar. and the small boat radars are very inexpensive these days.

its easier to find data quickly when you need it fast, such as a crowded area (like tuna ridge) when everyone's trolling fast in heavy fog...

 

[Saltyone]

Thanks for the replies, guess I have some thinking to do.

As I mentioned the boat I'm looking at does have the older Simrad AP11. For the research I've done, when upgrading the electronics, I'll also need to upgrade the AP. Though I have seen some people state that I could use the existing AP pump with a newer system to save money on buying a new pump. If so, would it just be a new control interface and the control box?

 

[Fishtales]

The largest they had back when I got my boat was 12" and I had room for the 8". I like the chart and overlay on one and running the sounder and when needed split between traditional radar and sounder when needed. I like the redundancy but never needed it. Doing it again, I'd get the largest I could fit and likely put a second either in the radio box or somewhere else for fishing and redundancy.

 

[dogdoc]

I could not put in anything bigger than 9in without serious mods. Went with a 7 for nav/autopilot and 9 for sounder. We fish the same general area all the time. I like not looking at split screens

 

[SkunkBoat]

I put a Garmin 1242 touchscreen in my 265 express. had to cut some fiberglass.
I do have an old garmin 4208 up in the E-box for my second sonar that can be seen from the cockpit.
I do have dedicated digital gauges for the zukes and a dedicated Autopilot screen/control so I don't need to view that on the 12".

A 9" screen can't ever get bigger than 9", even if there are two....

 

[Saltyone]

I put a Garmin 1242 touchscreen in my 265 express. had to cut some fiberglass.
I do have an old garmin 4208 up in the E-box for my second sonar that can be seen from the cockpit.
I do have dedicated digital gauges for the zukes and a dedicated Autopilot screen/control so I don't need to view that on the 12".

A 9" screen can't ever get bigger than 9", even if there are two....

I saw your write up on mounting the 12" display. Very nice and clean

 

[Hookup1]

I have a big boat background. We had a unit for each function. Radar, sounder, GPS, PC chartplotter. You get used to have dedicated displays.

The issue with the new flatscreen displays is resolution - particularly with the chart plotters. If the screen is too small (low resolution) you get what I call a "key hole" effect. It's like looking thru a key hole - as you zoom in to see detail you loose the overall view. As you zoom out you reach a point where the detail drops out. The higher the resolution of the display the better off you are. When you split the screen for MFD you get smaller windows with less resolution.

Don't let anyone tell you pixels don't matter. Pick an inshore area and zoom to a level where detail drops in and out. Try the same thing on a different model.

So my recommendation is at least two screens - one as large and high resolution as will fit (chart plotting) and another screen for other functions (sonar, radar, etc.). When fishing I run my fish finder up top and chartplotter below. I do have combos setup for cruse where you can "pop" a priority screen and go back.

I have a Garmin 943xsv (1280x720) up top and a 8612xsv (1920x1080) at the helm.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

A 9" screen can't ever get bigger than 9", even if there are two....

The display size of your Garmin 1242 per the Garmin website is 10.3" wide by 6.4" tall and 12" diagonally, whereas a 9" display like my Garmin 943xsv is 7.8" wide by 4.4" tall and 9" diagonally. As soon as you start to divide up the 12" screen into two or three different sections, like I'm assuming just about every angler/fisherman does on a constant basis, then you start to lose any advantage that you had with the larger screen size. If you divide the 12" screen horizontally into two different sections to maximize the size/width of it, you're still only talking about a divided screen of 10.3" wide by 3.2" tall, which would be 32.96 sq. inches. The 9" display like on my Garmin 943xsv however with a 7.8" wide by 4.4" tall display, will give you 34.32 sq. inches. So yes... whilst a 9" screen is always going to be a 9" screen, you'll get more real estate on one 9" screen as opposed to half of a 12" screen, and even more so if you divide the 12" screen into three sections. I'd have to assume that most people likely don't get an MFD to then only use it with one function or feature at a time, so the benefits of having two 9" dedicated screens is going to be much more beneficial than having a single 12" screen cut up into 2-3 sections. The Garmin 943xsv has a screen size of 34.32 sq. inches, as mentioned above, and if you double that you've got 68.64 sq. inches of display size, whereas your Garmin 1242 at 10.3 wide and 6.4" tall only gives you 65.92 sq. inches of display size. On top of that, two smaller sized screens are almost always going to be cheaper than one single larger display.

 

[SkunkBoat]

The display size of your Garmin 1242 per the Garmin website is 10.3" wide by 6.4" tall and 12" diagonally, whereas a 9" display like my Garmin 943xsv is 7.8" wide by 4.4" tall and 9" diagonally. As soon as you start to divide up the 12" screen into two or three different sections, like I'm assuming just about every angler/fisherman does on a constant basis, then you start to lose any advantage that you had with the larger screen size. If you divide the 12" screen horizontally into two different sections to maximize the size/width of it, you're still only talking about a divided screen of 10.3" wide by 3.2" tall, which would be 32.96 sq. inches. The 9" display like on my Garmin 943xsv however with a 7.8" wide by 4.4" tall display, will give you 34.32 sq. inches. So yes... whilst a 9" screen is always going to be a 9" screen, you'll get more real estate on one 9" screen as opposed to half of a 12" screen, and even more so if you divide the 12" screen into three sections. I'd have to assume that most people likely don't get an MFD to then only use it with one function or feature at a time, so the benefits of having two 9" dedicated screens is going to be much more beneficial than having a single 12" screen cut up into 2-3 sections. The Garmin 943xsv has a screen size of 34.32 sq. inches, as mentioned above, and if you double that you've got 68.64 sq. inches of display size, whereas your Garmin 1242 at 10.3 wide and 6.4" tall only gives you 65.92 sq. inches of display size. On top of that, two smaller sized screens are almost always going to be cheaper than one single larger display.

you will never get a single 12" screen out of a dozen 9" screens

 

[Mustang65fbk]

you will never get a single 12" screen out of a dozen 9" screens

Not all of us need to overcompensate with a 12" screen

 

[Hookup1]

It’s not inches you are dividing - It’s pixels. Radar and sonar don’t use/need the high screen resolution. The software is trying to plot the chart detail for a particular zoom level. Screen resolution affects what detail can be shown at that zoom level. And that zoom level is different on different units.

Try this on whatever Garmin unit you have:

*Pick an inshore spot that has lots of things going on. Depth contours, channel markers, fishing spots you have marked, etc.
*Zoom in so you can see all the detail the map has to offer.
*Zoom out so you can see the big picture as if you were cruising where you can see markers ahead of you. At some point you will loose the details. Note the scale on the bottom of the screen.
*Go to another Garmin unit (different model or screen size) and do the same thing. You will see that dropout occur at a different scale.

The comparison below shows that screen resolution runs in the family. The 943/1243 are 1280x720/800, the 86xx series is 1920x1200/1080 and the 42xx are 800x600.

So a bigger screen within a family gives you more screen but not more pixels. To get more pixels you have to switch to another family of products.

943xsv $1,399.99
physical 9.2" x 6.4" x 3" (23.3 x 16.2 x 7.6 cm). 5 1/2" cutout height
screen 7.8" x 4.4"; 9.0" diagonal
WXGA; 1280 x 720

8610xsv $2,699.99.
physical 10.25" x 8.0625" x 2.95" (25.9 cm x 20.5 cm x 7.5 cm). 6 15/16" cutout height
screen 8.6" x 5.4"; 10.1" diagonal
WUXGA; 1920 x 1200 pixels. <<< Best resolution

1243xsv is $2,899.99
physical 12.1” x 8.9” x 3.2” (30.8 x 22.8 x 8.2 cm). 7 15/16" cutout height
screen. 10.3" x 6.4"; 12.1" diagonal
WXGA; 1280 x 800 pixels

8612xsv $3,999.99
physical 11.9" x 8.5" x 3" (30.3 cm x 21.6 cm x 7.6 cm) 7 3/8" cutout height
10.1" x 5.7"; 11.6" diagonal
FHD; 1920 x 1080 pixels

8616xsv $5,999.00
physical 15.1" x 10.3" x 3" (38.5 cm x 26.3 cm x 7.6 cm) 9 3/16" cutout height
screen 13.6" x 7.7"; 15.6" diagonal
FHD; 1920 x 1080 pixels

8617 $7,499.00
physical 16.5" x 12.1" x 2.8" (41.9 cm x 30.7 cm x 7.1 cm) 9 3/16" cutout height
screen 14.4" x 9.1"; 17.0" diagonal
WUXGA; 1920 x 1200 pixels

4210
physical 13.4" x 8.9" x 4.2" (34 x 22.6 x 10.7 cm) 8 5/16" cutout height
screen 8.3" x 6.3"; 10.4" diagonal
SVGA; 800 x 600 pixels

My advice is to install the largest, highest resolution unit that fits your budget. I would not install 2 x 9" units. If the budget is there install a second unit not necessarily next to each other.

I highly recommend the 8610xsv. It is $200 less than the 1243xsv and is 1920x800 pixels vs. 1280x800. It has a faster processor and more ports for sonar connections. If you have the room for a 12" display the 8612xsv is a great choice. More money and a few less pixels.

I have a 8612xsv at helm and 943xsv overhead. The 943xsv works well for my use case (sonar/radar) with its lower resolution. I may upgrade the 943xsv to a 8610xsv this year - only because of a marina inventory clearance deal.

 

[A&J Outdoors]

I like to have two so that like may have said, I can view sounder vs. nav, or radar, etc. On the 282 we just got it has one old garmin 4208, an older raymarine with radar that doesn't work and raymarine autopilot that doesn't work. I'm looking to replace it all with two 9" simrad or garmin with radar and auto pilot. I plan to close in the area with the split window access and surface mount them both.