Garmin Lakevu HD demo maps

[dsm1212]

I'm going to pick up a 7" MFD this spring to replace an older GPS so I can add a transducer too. I'm limited in space where the current one is on the console. I can fit in any of these: garmin 7607, simrad nss7, or raymarine e78.

The nss7 evo3 version has about 2x the resolution so I'm inclined to go that way if it becomes available in the next month. But I like the garmin 6" transom mount transducers (52). The locked down maps on the garmin really bother me though. I love the navionics maps and I'm already familiar with them from my nexus.

I stopped in west marine and pulled up winni on the 7607 unit they had on display using the LakeVu HD maps. I checked 3 spots and 2 of the 3 were clearly wrong. Could this just be the demo maps? For example, at the sandbar near west alton marina across from sleepers the demo map showed 46' deep on the sandbar to the east of the black markers. I know that is like 3 feet. I pulled it up on the simrad evo2 and it was correct at 3 feet. My main question here is whether the demo maps are just borked or are the garmin maps this bad? Maybe someone could check that spot if you have current maps?

The sales guy insisted that the next gen of garmin units was back to supporting 3rd party maps including Navionics but I can find no information on that anywhere. Does anyone know anything about this?

I'm leaning toward the simrad because of maps, resolution, and having knobs. My boat is a 30' searay bowrider with twin IO mag 350's, not much of a fishing boat, but I'm getting mixed messages on using a transom mount transducer and the lowrance totalscan transducer is like 10" long too so that worries me in the middle. I'd like to have downscan to see the bottom of the lake. Any comments on transom mount?

thanks

steve

[Dave R]

The Garmin demo maps are garbage.

The Lake Vu cartography is excellent in real-world use. I use it in a 741XS that I am extremely pleased with. I love the touch screen, it works just like my iphone. I also love the way the unit plots a route by working backwards from a destination starting with a straight red line that ends at your current location. First you touch the desired destination on the screen and a menu pops up with the option of "route to", which you click on. Next you just slide the chart towards your boat, drag the line around obstacles, and click "add turn", until you get to your boat. It is ridiculously easy and intuitive.

[DesertDweller]

There are a few posts on the Garmin maps. I used to have RayMarine and now have a Garmin. Garmin is far easier to use. I have not experienced any issues with them being inaccurate. Winnipesaukee is one of the lakes they have in Ultra HD/maximum definition. I have no experience with Simrad.

[Beauport]

I bought a garmin with lakevu last year and am generally happy with it, but I find the buoy icons to be very small and easy to confuse. I suspect this could be user error...maybe there is a setting for buoy size? Some of the buoys show only as an outline while others are rendered as a solid even though they are the same type (black with white top). Is this something others experience or just me? :confused:

[Dave R]

I bought a garmin with lakevu last year and am generally happy with it, but I find the buoy icons to be very small and easy to confuse. I suspect this could be user error...maybe there is a setting for buoy size? Some of the buoys show only as an outline while others are rendered as a solid even though they are the same type (black with white top). Is this something others experience or just me? :confused:

IIRC, the outlined/hard-to-see-on-the-screen ATONs have companion floating lights. I'm not aware of a fix that makes them contrast more (another color), but I'm pretty sure you can increase the size of them on the screen.

[dsm1212]

Thanks, I guess the demo maps are invalid. So I have to decide based on the unit I guess. The simrad has 1024x600 resolution and it has knobs in addition to touch screen. The garmin has a relatively small 6" transducer (tm52hw) and the simrad equivalent is over 10". I'm a little worried about that between twin engines. Any comments on the tranducers?

steve

[DesertDweller]

Thanks, I guess the demo maps are invalid. So I have to decide based on the unit I guess. The simrad has 1024x600 resolution and it has knobs in addition to touch screen. The garmin has a relatively small 6" transducer (tm52hw) and the simrad equivalent is over 10". I'm a little worried about that between twin engines. Any comments on the tranducers?

steve

Transom mount are the cheapest and easiest to install but also the most affected by turbulence in the water. If you can swing it, a thru hull would be the way to go in my opinion. On my last boat we had a transom mount on a deep 25 foot center console and it lost bottom at around 25 mph no matter what we did. Went thru hull a couple of years after we got it and never looked back/had a problem. Far more expensive though. With that said, my current boat is only a 20 footer with a single engine and the transom mount works great.

Here's some insights:

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Selecting-a-Sonar-Transducer

[dsm1212]

Transom mount are the cheapest and easiest to install but also the most affected by turbulence in the water. If you can swing it, a thru hull would be the way to go in my opinion. On my last boat we had a transom mount on a deep 25 foot center console and it lost bottom at around 25 mph no matter what we did. Went thru hull a couple of years after we got it and never looked back/had a problem. Far more expensive though. With that said, my current boat is only a 20 footer with a single engine and the transom mount works great.

Here's some insights:

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Selecting-a-Sonar-Transducer

Thanks! So, for fishing maybe B175HW for winni? I'm not that familiar with these but it seems with < 200' depth Wide would be almost necessary. If I want to map the bottom for fishing or diving then B285HW? Pricey though. Is that kind of external mount crazy in a sport boat? For the $500 difference I could probably buy sonar maps for winni :-).

steve

[DesertDweller]

Thanks! So, for fishing maybe B175HW for winni? I'm not that familiar with these but it seems with < 200' depth Wide would be almost necessary. If I want to map the bottom for fishing or diving then B285HW? Pricey though. Is that kind of external mount crazy in a sport boat? For the $500 difference I could probably buy sonar maps for winni :-).

steve

With the kind of money you are talking about spending I would definitely huddle with a good marine electronics shop and make sure they understand your planned use and boat set up. You might also want to look at a boating forum like the www.thehulltruth.com for insights into transducers (and equipment for that matter). There is a ton of good information over there and almost certainly people that have the equipment you are thinking about.

[Slickcraft]

We have the Lakevu HD map on our Garmin; the detail and accuracy are excellent. My only gripe, previously mentioned, is that flashing lights are all marked as white rather than the color of the companion marker. All red or black markers without a companion FL are correctly marked red or black.

As I only use the sonar for depth, I have the basic transom mount transducer. That works with the 22' single outboard Eastern.

[dsm1212]

I was planning on swapping in the new MFD myself and I just want to be sure I can get the right ducer with what I pick. I'll probably put in the simrad with navionics maps and then get Irwin's to install a totalscan transducer if they think it will work or spring for an in-hull if not.

thanks for the help!

steve

[Rich]

Have you looked into in hull vs through hull transducers? I have an older in hull trsnducer in my boat, and it works well with no issues or worries of a through hull.

I'd consider it again if I was looking for a new unit.

[dsm1212]

Have you looked into in hull vs through hull transducers? I have an older in hull trsnducer in my boat, and it works well with no issues or worries of a through hull.

I'd consider it again if I was looking for a new unit.

I think my searay has the kind of hull that has air gaps in it and in-hull doesn't work. Maybe I should call searay and ask to be sure. Can chirp work in-hull?

steve

[DesertDweller]

I think my searay has the kind of hull that has air gaps in it and in-hull doesn't work. Maybe I should call searay and ask to be sure. Can chirp work in-hull?

steve

Yes, CHIRP units will work with in hull (shoot thru) transducers. I think what may be referring to with your hull is that it is cored (meaning there is some type of composite material sandwiched between two fiberglass layers). If that is the case and you go with an in hull you have to cut out the top level of the fiberglass and the coring material so that the transducer sits on the bottom layer of the fiberglass. Hopefully you don't have any air pockets/gaps.

[Rich]

I'd be surprised if a Sea Ray was like this, but it could be. There may be some areas in the lower part of the hull near the keel to allow for this, where other parts of the hull may be of a cored construction.

But there are some Garmin chirp in-hull, just check to be sure it is compatible with your head unit:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/573584

There are others also, I just happened to click on that one first.

[overeasy]

Whatever you decide to buy, check out Gander Mountain's website. I got a few bucks off for joining their mailing list, then waiting until they sent me a few more bucks off ($20 off, free shipping seems to be about every other day) and they were offering a $50 Lowrance rebate and I found an additional $50 rebate on Lowrance's site. All of this on top of the clearance price. So I got a last-year's-model Elite 5 for $170. Sold the old non-GPS fishfinder that came on my boat for $120 on ebay and I'm into a new color DSI 5" GPS fishfinder for fifty bucks. This was in January. Deals may have changed but Gander Mountain is going out of business and they seem to want rid of their electronics inventory in a bad way.