When equipping a newly purchased boat you’ll inevitably end up thinking about marine electronics. What we mean when we say “electronics” would be Navigation and/or Fishfinding equipment. Determining what is the best equipment for your needs is a process of elimination. There are way too many options out there so you have to ask a few questions to start striking options off the list.
What’s the type of boat?
Specifically, how many helm stations are there? Do you need a stand-alone screen for a 20 footer or multiple stations for a big fishing boat or command bridge?
Most brands of electronics have high end and expensive networkable/expandable products, as well as lower priced stand-alone products. The cheaper packages typically come as an “all in one” deal. One box contains a screen, usually pre loaded with maps, and a transducer. The expensive screens are typically sold as one screen in one box, then you add modules or components to it. Think about it like buying a stereo system in the 90’s. You could buy a boombox and you’re done, or you could buy a component stereo and add modules to it.
If the boat will require a screen at multiple helm’s or if you want to add Radar or Autopilot then you’ll have to make sure you start with a more expensive networkable main screen.
Using Garmin as an example, the GPSMAP series screens are the component stereo and the EchoMap Plus series screens are the boombox. For Raymarine its Axiom and Element. For Lowrance it’s HDS and Elite.
Once you answer this question you’ve just cut the options in half. Congratulations. Now get comfortable because we’re just getting started.
The screen or MFD (Multi-function display) is just one part of the limitless array of possible components.
Let’s explore some of those possible additions.
Transducer: the device which provides the signal for your fishfinder.
The most common addition to any MFD and likely the first thing you’ll have to research. How to select a transducer is based on your usage. Fishing or Cruising? Shallow or deep? Salt water or Fresh? These questions allow you to select a transducer that meets your needs and doesn’t break the budget. if you’ve got a cruiser boat, then you truly only need an accurate reading when
you’re under 100 feet in an anchorage and trying to set the hook. An ocean fisherman needs the most precise and accurate depth reading at a deeper depth range and requires accurate target acquisition and separation to differentiate bait fish from sport fish. A freshwater fisherman needs all those things but at a lower power level because fresh water is not as dense as salt water.
As you’re doing your research, you’ll find a lot of spec’s about frequency and power. You’ll also find the word Chirp thrown around a lot. If you’re buying a new unit then you ABSOLUTELY want Chirp. Without getting into the technical jargon just know that it is simply a more advanced way to map the bottom and provide a cleaner signal in a variety of conditions because it utilizes multiple frequencies. That narrows it down to power and frequency.
Take a peek at the chart below. This is a very basic simplified breakdown of usage but it’s a good guide to let you know if the unit you’re looking at will suit your need
POWER LEVEL 300W 600W 1KW
HIGH CHIRP LAKE < 200 ft OCEAN < 200FT
MEDIUM CHIRP LAKE < 1000 ft OCEAN < 1500FT
LOW CHIRP OCEAN < 10,000 FT
The best all around transducer in our opinion for our Vancouver coastal waters is 600w with Medium Chirp.
Radar: The device which provides the signal for your radar screen.
Radar is a horizontal scan of the surface area around you providing you with a clear image of land or boats or other solid hazards that cannot be seen due to fog or distance. Most pleasure craft radars have an 18 or 24nm range. Radar selection is much simpler than transducers because they all basically have the same purpose and usage. The questions you ask yourself here are how much money do you want to spend and how much range do you really need? The modern “Solid State” radars do a much better job at separating targets like pilings and rocks plus provide bird scanners (fishing thing) so go with them over the old “pulse” radars that could cook an egg if it was close enough.
VHF, or VHF with AIS Receiver, Or VHF with AIS Transceiver
Oh boy here we go
Perhaps the least understood add on and yet possibly more useful than radar. You likely know what a VHF radio is. It’s a long range, Very High Frequency 2-way communication device for a boat. It allows you to check for marine weather broadcasts. It allows you to contact your buddies when you’re out of cell range, and if need be, it allows you to contact the coast guard for assistance in an emergency situation. Now when you add an AIS receiver to that you’ve just unlocked an instant visual representation of every craft within 50 miles of your boat that is equipped with an AIS Transceiver. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System. It’s basically a transponder system for boats. Every commercial vessel in BC is required to run an AIS Transceiver which relays their vessels position and relative vessel information to the AIS network. Having an AIS receiver on your boat allows you to access that network and display these vessels on your MFD. This also adds functionality like proximity alarms. Your system can now warn you of possible collisions because it knows the course and speed of the other boats around you.
Imagine you’re stuck in the fog. Your Radar will show you a boat ahead of you. It shows this by providing a blip on the screen. When you pair that with AIS you’ll not only know it’s a boat, but you’ll know it’s a tug boat, named Lorne M Ledcor, and it’s under tow, and it’s MMSI number is 316031352 (so you can hail them directly on your VHF radio if you feel the need). That is a lot more information than just a blip on a Radar.
Taking this system, a step further means adding an AIS Transceiver to your boat. That gives you the ability to not only receive other boats signals but send your own so that they see you as well.
My opinion, the AIS Receiver is the best addition available to a pleasure craft owner. I’d personally purchase that over Radar. A good radar will cost you $3000 plus typically $500 for install assuming you’ve already got a radar mast or arch which you paid $1000 for when you bought the boat. A good VHF radio with an AIS receiver will cost you around $1500 installed.
There is a pile of what I would call Tier2 add-ons that you can do as well. There are camera systems to monitor engine rooms or even aid in docking. There are weather sensors that can give you satellite weather broadcasts, there’s night vision systems, there’s autopilot system. There are NMEA2000 sensors that can monitor your trim tab positions and tank levels. There are digital switches that can control your entire 12v system from lights to bilge pumps. It’s literally endless what you can do with a modern MFD and the right expertise. Just think of the air miles you’re going to collect on that Avion Card.
Hopefully this basic guide helps you narrow down your choices so that you can research the relevant equipment for your vessel. If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to reach out to us any time.