Quote:
Originally Posted by Broken Glass
I just installed a Garmin Radar on my boat. The other night I came back to my house on Rattlesnake Island from Meredith at night.
After I tied up the boat I said to my wife I will never go out in a boat at night again that does not have radar. The radar is overplayed on the GPS map, so it paints every marker with the actual position of the marker. Some of the markers are not actually where they are plotted on the GPS. As far as other boats go it is like having eyes in the back of your head. Anything that is on the water shows up quite accurately on the chart. I have never worried about navigating on the lake at night. I have however always worried about the clown out there running without lights, or the guy who is driving like its daytime running up my stern and climbing over us.
In my opinion it is most definitely not a waste of money if you are going to run at night, or in bad weather. If your visibility is reduced, then so is everyone else out there. It’s really nice to be able to see clearly what and who is around you when conditions are such that your own visibility is compromised.
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I don't have direct experience, but isn't identifying other boats on radar only good if they are on radar as well? I've been out with friends on the ocean in the fog and I know the captain wasn't concerned with where we were going, but he was concerned with all the other smaller boats that "weren't on radar".