What GPS is the easiest to use?

[Bob Coco]

My dad bought a new Yamaha jet boat and I want to get him a very easy to use plotter. It does not need a sounder, There will never be a fishing pole on his boat. That's what my boat is for. All it would need is the ability to store a few routes which I would load before he uses it. The boat will never go more then 20 miles from his ramp. More like 10 LOL. There is a built in depth finder in the boat and where he will be using the boat, There is no shallow water to worry about. (Peconic Bay). Keep in mind it's a small 23' jet boat with I'm guessing limited dash space. I like the quick release mount on the Sitex and Hummingbird units. Any suggestions would be great. Also an internal antenna is a must.

Thanks, Bob

 

[ElyseM]

i like the garmins. you may want to look at one of the nuvi style (not sure they're called that) touchscreen that are a combo land/marine use. two birds with one stone. ron

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Ditto on the Garmin, very easy to use and one of the best GPS.

 

[wahoo33417]

Garmin has the most intuitive user interface, in my opinion.

Rob

 

[defiant]

Garmin by far,great product support

 

[JUST-IN-TIME]

garmin

they make hand held ones that has coastal maps on it now for like 300

 

[OffTheCharts232]

I have the Garmin 478 and can't stand it. I bought it for my wife to use in the car and sometimes on the boat, but the interface is completely counterintuitive(for me) and the unit is really slow to boot up and acquire satellites. other than that its for sale...anyone want to buy it after that glowing endorsement?

 

[Bob Coco]

Looking at the Garmin GPS440S

I have the Garmin 478 and can't stand it. I bought it for my wife to use in the car and sometimes on the boat, but the interface is completely counterintuitive(for me) and the unit is really slow to boot up and acquire satellites. other than that its for sale...anyone want to buy it after that glowing endorsement?

I've got a buck 380 I'm willing to give you for your crappy GPS :lol: .
Seriously, I'm looking hard at the Garmin GPS440S. Great price right now a bit over 400.00 w/o the transducer which won't be needed. I went to West Marine and actually looked and used the unit for a few minutes. Granted it was in demo mode but was easy to switch from one screen to another. The salesman said a chip was not needed unless I wanted 3D or photos. Is all chart info preloaded into this unit? I researched the newer 441S and found the major difference was the added ability of Sirius radio/weather. Anyone have the 440S? All of your comments on this are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Bob

 

[Hookup1]

Garmin

The problem with some of the these low end units is the screen resolution is 240 x 320 pixels. If you can swing it get a 5" display with 480 x 640 pixels. Translated that means 4 times the number of pixels or 4 time the area to display chart detail.

Next time at the store try the unit as if you navigating from one place to another. Zoom out to see the big picture and watch what happens to the detail - it disappears at a certain zoom level. You have to zoom in and out and scroll around a lot - making the unit less friendly.

Try the same thing on a 526/526S. You have more detail available at the same zoom level. This makes getting to places a few miles away easier.

 

[freddy063]

I would get one that you can get the nav chart chip, if your useing it on a boat. the Lowrance GlobalMap 5150C Full Size GPS Chartplotter is what I would get.

 

[hotajax]

Easy GPS

Garmin. Use it in airplane, too. I bought a used boat, and it came with a Northstar 951. It's reliable as hell, but I thought I was spending too much time in the manual trying to figure out how to do things. Seems that Garmin is a bit more logical if you don't have the manual memorized.

 

[Mike L]

Re: Looking at the Garmin GPS440S

Anyone have the 440S? All of your comments on this are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Bob

Bob:
I have a 440S for about 2 years now. Used it on my old 19 footer and now on my GW. I never bothered with the chip and found the unit to be very easy to use and easy to see.
Mike[/code][/quote]

 

[gwwannabe]

Bob Coco, I have the 440S and have been using it for nearly 3 years. It's a great unit and perfect for my needs. It does have relatively poor screen resolution and the screen is small but it's very easy to use and very reliable.

Gary 89 Overnighter