GPS/fishfinder combo units

fisha · 10-10-2006, 06:33 PM

what kind of recommendations do you guys have for the combo GPS/fishfinder units??!! is it better to ge them seperately, or are these pretty good? which brands tend to be better?? thanks for any input fellas!

FishFreeWilly · 10-10-2006, 06:57 PM

ive got the Garmin 2006 model....i love it!!! so user friendly simple to use. i picked it up at a great price from west marine. and if you get it this year prob even cheaper because its like a year old model when i got it in may, so get it this year and its 2 years old so the new models come out and old ones get cheaper. put it this way...if my dad can opperate it anyone can. he knows nothing about electronic type things HA. but hes able to create wave points and navigate himself back with them. the sounder is nice, not digital like ray marine but is a nice sounder. it has dual frequencys which is great and the color on it is fantastic. thats the one i recomend. i was going to buy a smaller one but got talked into this and i love it. many many many features on it

fisha · 10-10-2006, 07:01 PM

do u remember what model number it is?

FishFreeWilly · 10-10-2006, 07:05 PM

Garmin 2006 is the model

great unit has blue chart which takes a little time to adapt to but i love it. i have nothing bad to say about it. screen size is great. has the numbers on the side to punch in your spot and name it with the letters on each number as well. good for any boater and charter boats as well. a 35' boat i worked on this summer actually had this has hit plotter/sounder as well.

fisha · 10-10-2006, 07:30 PM

how much was that bad boy

fisha · 10-10-2006, 07:33 PM

looks like its only a GPS though, not a GPS/Fishfinder combo

phishy · 10-10-2006, 07:38 PM

I have a full Radar/GPS/Sonar/Sat weather combo. Its the Garmin 3006c. It was very affordable considering the package compared to say Furno or Raymarine. Im very happy with my set up. I hate clutter and didnt want to deal with multiple displays on my dash. I have all the information i need at my finger tips. It can be very complicated tho. Im above avg when it comes to tech savvy but i often feel lost with all the features and how to navigate. Its kinda like a treat, almost every trip i learn something new about it.
If you search around you should be able to pick up the combo for around 2k or less minus ofcourse the cost of the radar. They make a few nice radars also.
I also highly recommend on purchasing a back up GPS, a small hand held programmed with your home port. The risk you run with one of these guys is blowing a fuse and not having a spare or complete failure. In the night that really could be dangerous. Hand Held radio is also a great idea to keep in your safety bag.

Thresher · 10-10-2006, 07:58 PM

You may want to try these coupons. I've read that some places will take both and others just one. Good luck
Must use AMEX
http://westmarine.com/pdf/AMEXcoupon.pdf
This coupon is on the 4th page of the pdf file.
http://myfwc.com/marine/Regulations/...ation06-07.pdf

**Carnivore** · 10-10-2006, 08:45 PM

Just my 2 cents I hate combo units for 2 reasons. 1 when setting up on a marked spot you have to cut your screen in half to see the gps and the bottom for the structure you marked on. 2 if the unit goes bad in anyway you don't have anything as it all has to be worked on. If you have the room get separates but if room is an issue then you have to go with a single. I have a Garmin 340c is the best bag for the buck and have found it online for around 400 bucks and the GPSmap 492 comes preloaded with the G2 blue charts (well not the whole thing but every thing you will need). Both units are top notch and work well. I have a 320c fish finder for the boat but it was the older 16 color version and was replaced by the 340c. I think garmin is the best value for what you get by far.

FishFreeWilly · 10-10-2006, 08:52 PM

i hate the combo unit with radar tied in. but i do like my chartplotter/sounder together thats a nice combo. the 2006 model is both fish, what you do is buy the unit which comes with world map. then you buy the chip to your local area, and to add the fishfinder in you buy the sounder module. all in all the complete cost me around $1300, it should have been over $2000. i know the manager at a west marine, gave me a good deal on it and its a discontinued model because its a year old so it was marked down a few dollars.