Need boating advice

[Bender]

Steph and I split a new-to-us boat with the in laws and it needs new upgraded electronics before hitting the water. It will need a new marine UHF radio, a GPS and a fish finder.

here is what i have researched so far and looking for opinions. I like the combo feature cause it cut my start up cost. A fish finder GPS combo is neat, but is it a good idea?

http://radioworld.ca/product_info.php?products_id=3615" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Also looking at new radios that have GPS interface to automatically give your co-ordinates when in trouble. here is the cheapie model, but is it going to serve me well? I don't want to break the bank, but don't want crap either.

http://radioworld.ca/product_info.php?c ... ts_id=3055" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



And of course the boat. The Marina just delivered it to the cottage today.

[Big Bird]

Sweet boat Jay. Also dont forget life jackets for everyone small to big. I always tell my brothers to take there life jackets. When ever I go hunting or just canoeing I always encourage them to wear it. Whic hlakes will you be hitting with that sweeet ride?

[keith]

Nice boat When buying electronics for water craft it is a good idea to buy mid level priced stuff vs the cheap or expensive a great place to buy it if you don't mind a bit of a drive is to go to Vaughn Mills mall and go to the Bass Pro shop or check out the link http://www.basspro.ca" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it is a great store with friendly sales people and they are very helpful.
have a great time on the water

[nige]

wow that thing is nice! with the nice kicker mount and everything! you should be buying some new scotty downriggers too and go for a troll

i was always told to keep your units separate so you don't lose both when one screws up. The fishfinder/gps combo is one i really like for fishing though. It's nice for the both of them to overlay information on the same screen. There is a higher quality GPS receiver on the market at the moment which is a little more accurate than what's in that humminbird unit. I have used both eagle/lowrance and humminbird fishfinders and i think they are both the best quality.

cobra and midland were good names in marine VHF. as long as you don't get it soaked, it should last you a long time. $100 is a good price for a radio. be careful with the fiberglass antennas as they are very brittle.

basspro shops is pretty crazy. let me know if you're going and i'll come with you

[BaTmAn13]

what is the lower unit on that boat it looks like a jet drive from the picture as far as the combo goes i have never used one but i have used a hummingbird fish finder they are mint!!! if the combo is as good as their other stuff i would say grab it
btw nice boat

batman

[Bender]

Yeah it obviously has an in board Volvo motor, to a jet drive with 151HP.

Nige...yeah man its on the list to find a trolling motor. Those are easier to find than the motors I was looking for the other boat I have. If I go, I will give you a shout, but Radio world seems to have great prices?

So price range isn't bad, and the names I picked are good, but keep the pieces individual, thats a great idea, never thought of that. Perhaps spend a little more money for better quality GPS?

[Bender]

Sweet boat Jay. Also dont forget life jackets for everyone small to big. I always tell my brothers to take there life jackets. When ever I go hunting or just canoeing I always encourage them to wear it. Whic hlakes will you be hitting with that sweeet ride?

Got them yesterday. Costco had a great deal on some sweet ones, 4 adult jackets for $44. We also picked up a doggie life jacket for Tank! I will take a pic of him in it. He likes wearing it, but looks stupid wearing it in the driveway!

[nige]

yeah, bass pro shops probably doesn't have the selection and knowledge that Radioworld does for marine electronics. You might save a few dollars going to them on certain items.

The GPS is handy for navigating your way home after dark on big, complex lakes and rivers. My buddy Simon and I used a 5 or 6 year old lowrance handheld and it worked great. GPS units equipped with the sirf III receiver will be a little more accurate than the older models. DOn't worry about reception verymuch (unless you are getting one that works on cars too) you will find that you have no problem picking up satellyte signals out on the water. Some of the newer GPS units will accept Hydrographic maps which would be nice for cruising around the bruce peninsula. I am waiting for the right time to buy a Garmin GPSMAP 60Csx for both the truck and the boat. They are kinda pricey, but you can offset that by finding a used fishfinder on the ontario fishing message board or something. If you don't have one already, get an old school compass because they work even when you're not moving Airguide makes nice compasses.

[Scotto]

Nice toy!

You're probably in the know, but don't forget you have to get your rec. boat licence - I think it's $95 for the course and the test. As for the safety gear that John mentioned: The list is pretty long and conditional on the size of the boat.

Scott

[weerd 1]

dude look at GPSmart I bought my 60cx there for under $300
you might also look into a trolling motor for fishing as jet drives are not the best for slow moving as in all over the place they are hard to control at slow speeds but fun at cruising speed

[Simon]

X2 what Drew said,

The other option is a trolling plate, or a sock.....those help bigger motors troll better.

[Bender]

Thanks for the tips!

Bought a Optima blue top tonight for the secondary battery, and the maiden voyage will be on saturday! I can't wait!

This will be of course, my wifes birthday, so boating and drinking afterwards make for a great day for her at the cottage.

[northern feller]

Timmy Tip #1

BUY A SKI BISCUIT!!!

Timmy Tip #2

Punish your friends with said ski biscuit.

That is all.

Out.