Garmin vs Lowrance

dps · 02-18-2008, 01:34 PM

Just buying 20' Hewes and picking electronics. Available dash space and money have pointed me to Garmin 440s and Lowrance 527. Any feedback from any of you salty guys on these 2 or any other comparable you like? Thanks in advance.

Fishmstr · 02-18-2008, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dps

Just buying 20' Hewes and picking electronics. Available dash space and money have pointed me to Garmin 440s and Lowrance 527. Any feedback from any of you salty guys on these 2 or any other comparable you like? Thanks in advance.

Dump both of these choices and get a Furuno. Great product and fantastic customer service. They have a wide range of fish finders, including some very cheap units (@ $300). That is what I use on my 15' skiff. Look at what most of the commercials and party boats use!!!
good luck,
steve

Something Good · 02-18-2008, 02:17 PM

I had Lowrance in my previous boat and was pretty happy with their product for what I paid. The GPS was easy to use and worked very well. I did have a problem with the fishfinder but they got it working correctly for me and the service was great. Don't know much about Garmin. I have Raymarine products in my current boat. I have had problems with just about every component and the service has been horrible. If you can find Furuno products that will work for you I would go that route.

Robalo Bill · 02-18-2008, 02:26 PM

For most bang for your buck the Garmin 545s. This unit has high resolution VGA display @480 x 640 pixels. Built in GPS antenna with 1500 way point memory. Further this machine will support up to a 1000 watt transducer! Do not confuse this with peak to peak. All in a waterproof package. I've installed a couple of these last year when they just came out...very positive feedback.
My experiences with Lowrance equipment has been negative (14 years) up to customer/tech support. Lowrance's' equipment has a proprietary interface..they use nmea 2000. You will not be able to network with any other equipment but their own and it still needs to meet compatibility demands which change year to year. Good Luck

Regards
Bill

dps · 02-18-2008, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishmstr

Dump both of these choices and get a Furuno. Great product and fantastic customer service. They have a wide range of fish finders, including some very cheap units (@ $300). That is what I use on my 15' skiff. Look at what most of the commercials and party boats use!!!
good luck,
steve

Chum Bucket · 02-18-2008, 05:02 PM

If you can afford it, I vote for Furuno too. FCV585 is nice!

Yours Truly, a semi-satisfied Lowrance owner!

Pau Hana · 02-18-2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robalo Bill

For most bang for your buck the Garmin 545s. This unit has high resolution VGA display @480 x 640 pixels. Built in GPS antenna with 1500 way point memory. Further this machine will support up to a 1000 watt transducer! Do not confuse this with peak to peak. All in a waterproof package. I've installed a couple of these last year when they just came out...very positive feedback.
My experiences with Lowrance equipment has been negative (14 years) up to customer/tech support. Lowrance's' equipment has a proprietary interface..they use nmea 2000. You will not be able to network with any other equipment but their own and it still needs to meet compatibility demands which change year to year. Good Luck

Regards
Bill

I agree- the Garmin 545 is a great unit.

You might want to research the NMEA 2000 protocol; it's not proprietary to Lowrance, but a successor to the NMEA 0183 interface. Garmin, Lowrance, Mercury/Mercruiser/Cummins, Yanmar, Simrad, Furuno, Raymarine, etc., all have NMEA 2000 compliant gear.

Jason S · 02-18-2008, 06:17 PM

I had a Garmin GPS in my last boat with a Lowrance FF, boat was 16' Weldcraft Angler so dash space was at a premium and I thought it was too cluttered. When I upgraded after 8 years of fshing that boat last year to a 20' NR Seahawk I went with a combo Lowrance LCX111CHD.

Man I miss my Garmin. The Garmins are WAY more user friendly and I personally think have more features. 5 years of use on the Garmin 182C I had and to this day with the new owner going strong. However, just got the Lowrance back today through Fedex. Granted great customer service and it is a brand new in the box unit sitting downstairs I mailed it out with terminal software defects in December.

Can you tell if I had my $2200 back which way I would go? No contest should have got a Garmin. To be truthfull though the driving force on this Lowrance purchase was the Lowrance FF. It puts the Garmins to shame. BUT I do not rely on the FF near as much as the GPS. A flasher ion the dash would suffice for what I use a FF for. To tell me how deep it is.

fish_on · 02-18-2008, 06:20 PM

It should be Furuno v.s everything else. There is a reason most the commercial boats run Furuno. I can hold the bottom 700' deeper with my Furuno than Garmin.

sarmstrong · 02-18-2008, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dps

Just buying 20' Hewes and picking electronics. Available dash space and money have pointed me to Garmin 440s and Lowrance 527. Any feedback from any of you salty guys on these 2 or any other comparable you like? Thanks in advance.

I have one Garmin and one Lowrance gps fishfinders active on my OS I have had no problems with the Lowrance. Just a minor programming problem with garmin. One thing is with some garmin units you can subscribe to sattelite weather and ssts.

Pau Hana · 02-18-2008, 07:11 PM

Forgot the stuff you asked for:

I'm running a Lowrance 38c HD unit, JRC radar, Standard VHF.

What are your dash dimensions?

OB1 · 02-19-2008, 07:43 AM

I have the Garmn 4208 with GSD 22 digital fishfinder, works awesome and is super user freindly.
Talk to Todd at Portland Marine Electronics 503-922-3259.
He sells them all and he can tell you what he has had the least problems with.

Weather or Knot · 02-19-2008, 11:29 AM

I have the Garmin 545 and love it! I prefer the external antenna Vs. the internal. I had a Doritos bag(foil) next to my older garmin (that had the internal antenna) in my other boat and it caused an interferance with the satalite reception. I have a friend that just got a Lorance unit last year and has had nothing but problems with it. They have taken care of the problems for him but that doesnt do you any good on the water. The Garmin units seem to be very user friendly.

Brandon Carignan

Spindrifter · 02-19-2008, 12:40 PM

I've had both and prefer the Garmin units. Never had a problem with either but the Garmin is easier to use.

KeyWest · 02-19-2008, 07:57 PM

My

:

GPS/Chart plotter - Garmin

Depth finder - Furuno

Radar - Furuno

Radio - ICOM

AIS - Either Smart Radio or SITEX

AutoPilot - NOT Raymarine.

salmonfisher77 · 02-19-2008, 08:29 PM

Im so sick of dealing with my Lowrance fishfinder gps combo!!!! Nothing but problems! Im going to go buy the Garmin 545 tomorrow! I just got an Icon radio and will install at the same time!!!!

Robalo Bill · 02-19-2008, 09:43 PM

Good choice salmonfisher. You will be delighted to know that when you network the Garmin to the Icom.....You do not have to hail your buddies on DSC ..they show up automatically on your plotter with a name, distance and course bearing. How cool is that? Make certain you enter your MMSI number correctly...you only get 2 shots then the software will lock you out and you will need to return the unit to Icom for reprogramming.

regards
Bill

salmonfisher77 · 02-20-2008, 05:41 AM

Thanks Bill!!

Ill be reading manuals for the next week trying to fidure out how to sinc those up!!!The sales guy did not mention that feature!! Thanks

Paddler · 02-20-2008, 06:21 AM

I'm quite happy with my Lowrance network (LCX 111c HD, fuel flow, radar). Works great, no problems.

Blackfog · 02-20-2008, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dps

Just buying 20' Hewes and picking electronics. Available dash space and money have pointed me to Garmin 440s and Lowrance 527. Any feedback from any of you salty guys on these 2 or any other comparable you like? Thanks in advance.

Forget the Lowrance. hard to use. Too many menu and submenu's to scroll through. When you are in ugly water you need info at your finger tips now.. not six sub pages later. If something is turned off it takes forever to find the little box that is checked or unchecked.

Spindrifter · 02-20-2008, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackfog

Forget the Lowrance. hard to use. Too many menu and submenu's to scroll through. When you are in ugly water you need info at your finger tips now.. not six sub pages later. If something is turned off it takes forever to find the little box that is checked or unchecked.

WP · 02-20-2008, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeyWest

My

:

GPS/Chart plotter - Garmin

Depth finder - Furuno

Radar - Furuno

Radio - ICOM

Yea. what he said...I would only buy stand alone units, even with limited space, but have them able to interface! Get the largest displays you can afford and prefer the full keyboard on the GPS-chartploter (have electronic as well as paper charts for all areas you take the boat)it makes it so much easier to enter and edit information into the chartploter! Network your electronics for the previously stated reasons, and then some. Remember the back-up GPS and radio...on separate power (batteries usually). I would now also have a third set in my ditch bag, an area that I feel redundency is appropriate and relatively cheap. Have fun!
I look forward to doing all that shopping again

Dave