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Thread: 12" Chartplotters options

  1. #1

    12" Chartplotters options

    What would be peoples choice for a new setup of 2x12" Plotter/sounder combo units
    Boat 6 to 6.5 fibreglass
    Offshore would be trolling targeting Marlin / Tuna and anything else at the shelf, picking up bait ect ect
    Inshore looking for snapper kingies bait ect ect

    Leaning towards Simrad evo 3 and Garmin GPSmap 8612xvx

    Also prefered transducers/positions fitted

    Any advice or knowledge even on the 2 I have mentioned be great.

    Cheers,

  2. #2

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Hi Mate,
    disclaimer. - i own a marine outfitting company that retails/installs/services and trains for Humminbird, Garmin, raymarine, simrad, lowrance, furuno

    Right with that out of the way.
    There are a few things worth considering when entering the top tier of MFD's .
    Know that pretty much all brands have some good hero units. they all have some very groovy features etc. what it often comes down to is

    1. usability...........if you cant use something confidently it doesnt matter how good the system is. So look for something you feel comfortable with
    2. Performance. . .. having the horse power to back up the biscuits the unit costs.
    3. Futureproofing..... because this is an investment, and whislt no investment in boat MAKES money, you would want to minimise loss, and thefor not feel like your system will be obsolete in a few years.
    4. Cost...................Obviously has to meet your budget

    SO!! thats the head unit

    THEN There is the transducer SLASH sonar modulator/computer

    The big issue with getting good performance out of sonar modulators is HEAT.. most brands really do limit the full power and processing time of their sonar to reduce heat "as in the same plastic housing is also the processing for the rest of the MFD, the gps, the "often" touch screen etc.. and they have to jam all that into in some c ases a 7" housing...
    As such sonar processors offer better performance.. .so thats simrads S5100, raymarines CP570, Garmins GS26, FURUNOS dff3, and so on.

    They also offer the ability to punch out 3kw of energy should you opt to go big.

    The transducer is the other half of the equasion. in a world of CHIRP and AIRMAR pretty much being the only c hoice for high quality sonar its important to udnerstand frequencys and beam width.
    Cutting to the chase.... Low frequency and Medium frequency CHIRP 1kw transducers are the go for you

    In terms of positoning.. depends on the type of boat you have for sure.. transom mount offers a cost effective with the ability to go with a 265LM in one transducer. however thru hull and In hull often produce better images based on Hydrodynamic effects of the water moving under the hull * not always

    Between the Garmin and the simrad,, they have a few pros and cons

    Simrad NSS12 E3. Pros
    - been out for a while, so price has lowered
    - Has physical keys as well as touch screen
    - has a rather indepth networking ability etc
    - Xsonic pluged Airmar transducers are slightly cheaper
    - intergrates well with mercury

    Cons
    - Build quality is average
    - processing speed esp with multiple screens is average
    - Mapping is fine but not the best

    Garmin GPSMAP 8412XSV (the 86xx series is the USA domestic version that can be preloaded with US maps, otherwise its no different to the 84xx series which is the international version)
    - Best quality screen on the market. Full HD IPS
    - up to 3x 1kw sonar channels that do produce a very very crisp image
    - easy as hell to use
    - best mapping available
    -best autopilot options

    cons
    New so therfor more expensive
    no physical buttons, "grid10 OR GRID20 required for buttons"
    Transducers cost more

    Hopefully thats a bit of an introduction.
    More than welcome to shoot through any questions you have

    Moose

    Marine outfitting solutions
    www.moosemarine.com.au

  3. #3

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Quote Originally Posted by chocolatemoose View Post
    Hi Mate,
    disclaimer. - i own a marine outfitting company that retails/installs/services and trains for Humminbird, Garmin, raymarine, simrad, lowrance, furuno

    Right with that out of the way.
    There are a few things worth considering when entering the top tier of MFD's .
    Know that pretty much all brands have some good hero units. they all have some very groovy features etc. what it often comes down to is

    1. usability...........if you cant use something confidently it doesnt matter how good the system is. So look for something you feel comfortable with
    2. Performance. . .. having the horse power to back up the biscuits the unit costs.
    3. Futureproofing..... because this is an investment, and whislt no investment in boat MAKES money, you would want to minimise loss, and thefor not feel like your system will be obsolete in a few years.
    4. Cost...................Obviously has to meet your budget

    SO!! thats the head unit

    THEN There is the transducer SLASH sonar modulator/computer

    The big issue with getting good performance out of sonar modulators is HEAT.. most brands really do limit the full power and processing time of their sonar to reduce heat "as in the same plastic housing is also the processing for the rest of the MFD, the gps, the "often" touch screen etc.. and they have to jam all that into in some c ases a 7" housing...
    As such sonar processors offer better performance.. .so thats simrads S5100, raymarines CP570, Garmins GS26, FURUNOS dff3, and so on.

    They also offer the ability to punch out 3kw of energy should you opt to go big.

    The transducer is the other half of the equasion. in a world of CHIRP and AIRMAR pretty much being the only c hoice for high quality sonar its important to udnerstand frequencys and beam width.
    Cutting to the chase.... Low frequency and Medium frequency CHIRP 1kw transducers are the go for you

    In terms of positoning.. depends on the type of boat you have for sure.. transom mount offers a cost effective with the ability to go with a 265LM in one transducer. however thru hull and In hull often produce better images based on Hydrodynamic effects of the water moving under the hull * not always

    Between the Garmin and the simrad,, they have a few pros and cons

    Simrad NSS12 E3. Pros
    - been out for a while, so price has lowered
    - Has physical keys as well as touch screen
    - has a rather indepth networking ability etc
    - Xsonic pluged Airmar transducers are slightly cheaper
    - intergrates well with mercury

    Cons
    - Build quality is average
    - processing speed esp with multiple screens is average
    - Mapping is fine but not the best

    Garmin GPSMAP 8412XSV (the 86xx series is the USA domestic version that can be preloaded with US maps, otherwise its no different to the 84xx series which is the international version)
    - Best quality screen on the market. Full HD IPS
    - up to 3x 1kw sonar channels that do produce a very very crisp image
    - easy as hell to use
    - best mapping available
    -best autopilot options

    cons
    New so therfor more expensive
    no physical buttons, "grid10 OR GRID20 required for buttons"
    Transducers cost more

    Hopefully thats a bit of an introduction.
    More than welcome to shoot through any questions you have

    Moose
    Mate - unbelievable answer and thanks so much.
    I understand Mercury will link quiet well with the Simrad units but if you were to have a new Mercury say 225 would you rule out going with Garmin purley as it will not link as well.

  4. #4

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    no worries mate
    no i wouldnt rule out garmin for that. garmin still intergrates very well with mercury, i also consider having a mercury vessel view display a better option than everything on the one screen taking up viewing space from my sonar or gps

    Marine outfitting solutions
    www.moosemarine.com.au

  5. #5

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Thanks Moose. What would be the advantages with Simrad and linking with Mercury over the others.

  6. #6

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    on the simrad screen you could have access to troll control, launch control if your engine has those features. thats about it.

    Marine outfitting solutions
    www.moosemarine.com.au

  7. #7

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Quote Originally Posted by chocolatemoose View Post
    Hi Mate,
    disclaimer. - i own a marine outfitting company that retails/installs/services and trains for Humminbird, Garmin, raymarine, simrad, lowrance, furuno

    Right with that out of the way.
    There are a few things worth considering when entering the top tier of MFD's .
    Know that pretty much all brands have some good hero units. they all have some very groovy features etc. what it often comes down to is

    1. usability...........if you cant use something confidently it doesnt matter how good the system is. So look for something you feel comfortable with
    2. Performance. . .. having the horse power to back up the biscuits the unit costs.
    3. Futureproofing..... because this is an investment, and whislt no investment in boat MAKES money, you would want to minimise loss, and thefor not feel like your system will be obsolete in a few years.
    4. Cost...................Obviously has to meet your budget

    SO!! thats the head unit

    THEN There is the transducer SLASH sonar modulator/computer

    The big issue with getting good performance out of sonar modulators is HEAT.. most brands really do limit the full power and processing time of their sonar to reduce heat "as in the same plastic housing is also the processing for the rest of the MFD, the gps, the "often" touch screen etc.. and they have to jam all that into in some c ases a 7" housing...
    As such sonar processors offer better performance.. .so thats simrads S5100, raymarines CP570, Garmins GS26, FURUNOS dff3, and so on.

    They also offer the ability to punch out 3kw of energy should you opt to go big.

    The transducer is the other half of the equasion. in a world of CHIRP and AIRMAR pretty much being the only c hoice for high quality sonar its important to udnerstand frequencys and beam width.
    Cutting to the chase.... Low frequency and Medium frequency CHIRP 1kw transducers are the go for you

    In terms of positoning.. depends on the type of boat you have for sure.. transom mount offers a cost effective with the ability to go with a 265LM in one transducer. however thru hull and In hull often produce better images based on Hydrodynamic effects of the water moving under the hull * not always

    Between the Garmin and the simrad,, they have a few pros and cons

    Simrad NSS12 E3. Pros
    - been out for a while, so price has lowered
    - Has physical keys as well as touch screen
    - has a rather indepth networking ability etc
    - Xsonic pluged Airmar transducers are slightly cheaper
    - intergrates well with mercury

    Cons
    - Build quality is average
    - processing speed esp with multiple screens is average
    - Mapping is fine but not the best

    Garmin GPSMAP 8412XSV (the 86xx series is the USA domestic version that can be preloaded with US maps, otherwise its no different to the 84xx series which is the international version)
    - Best quality screen on the market. Full HD IPS
    - up to 3x 1kw sonar channels that do produce a very very crisp image
    - easy as hell to use
    - best mapping available
    -best autopilot options

    cons
    New so therfor more expensive
    no physical buttons, "grid10 OR GRID20 required for buttons"
    Transducers cost more

    Hopefully thats a bit of an introduction.
    More than welcome to shoot through any questions you have

    Moose
    What about Raymarine and Furuno? Are they up with the Garmin and Simrad?

    Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

  8. #8

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Quote Originally Posted by stue2 View Post
    What about Raymarine and Furuno? Are they up with the Garmin and Simrad?

    Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
    Id say everything has some hallmark units that are premium level for sure.
    Raymarines Axiom pro 12rvx has a lot going for it.
    its build quality is sound as a pound, excelent processor speed, brilliant physical keys, the one issue i have with the screen "only noticed being i have them on for 10 hours a day every day or so" is there can be some LED burn in. where you see remements of other onscreen words in perticular when on different screens. im told this has been resolved. the standard sonar is fine in shallow water "quite good actually" but when paired with airmar 1kw transducers some exceptional return images make an appearance.
    Raymarines autopilot is one of the better systems out there for the price and obviously anything image related, thermal, daynight etc. Raymarine are right up there as the best.
    Price point is higher than simrad. but you get a far more bulletproof system. a lot of bugs have been ironed out since its LH3 release , and more software tweeks are happening all the time.

    Furuno. well the TZT2 is starting to become one of the older units on this list however being furuno there are anxillary systems that work exceptionally well with the tzt2. .its radar both pulse compressed/solid state and magnatron are very very good. their sonar when paired with a DFF1 or DFF3 is very good. their new DFF3D is exceptional. The tzt2 is android based as well and thefor a rather stable operating system, its lower processor speeds compared to others does mean it feels laggy at times. i rather like furunos 295 system

    both furuno and raymarine are a few $$$ more than simrad/garmin however

    Moose

    Marine outfitting solutions
    www.moosemarine.com.au

  9. #9

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Thanks chocolatemoose.
    Bit of a furuno fan but have an interest in Garmin and raymarine as well.
    I would be replacing a rather old Lawrence globalmap 3000 so being able to import export could be an issue.
    Also does anyone have thoughts on the waterproofing of these units.
    Cheers in advance

    Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Free Membership Dirtyfuzz's Avatar
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    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Quote Originally Posted by chocolatemoose View Post
    Id say everything has some hallmark units that are premium level for sure.
    Raymarines Axiom pro 12rvx has a lot going for it.
    its build quality is sound as a pound, excelent processor speed, brilliant physical keys, the one issue i have with the screen "only noticed being i have them on for 10 hours a day every day or so" is there can be some LED burn in. where you see remements of other onscreen words in perticular when on different screens. im told this has been resolved. the standard sonar is fine in shallow water "quite good actually" but when paired with airmar 1kw transducers some exceptional return images make an appearance.
    Raymarines autopilot is one of the better systems out there for the price and obviously anything image related, thermal, daynight etc. Raymarine are right up there as the best.
    Price point is higher than simrad. but you get a far more bulletproof system. a lot of bugs have been ironed out since its LH3 release , and more software tweeks are happening all the time.

    Furuno. well the TZT2 is starting to become one of the older units on this list however being furuno there are anxillary systems that work exceptionally well with the tzt2. .its radar both pulse compressed/solid state and magnatron are very very good. their sonar when paired with a DFF1 or DFF3 is very good. their new DFF3D is exceptional. The tzt2 is android based as well and thefor a rather stable operating system, its lower processor speeds compared to others does mean it feels laggy at times. i rather like furunos 295 system

    both furuno and raymarine are a few $$$ more than simrad/garmin however

    Moose
    That’s my dilemma at the moment, go the raymarine axiom pro for the networking to current axiom or go the 295 for pure discrimination muscle


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Mercury 115ct going strong😁

  11. #11

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    How wet does your boat get. Raymarine and garmin are both pretty good with waterproofing and so long as unused ports have their caps on they can be saturates with water and have no I'll effects. I use starbrite screen cleaner with ptfe to help keep the salt off the screen s

  12. #12

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Hi Moose , yes agree the 295 is a great unit .
    Any idea when a new model may come out?
    Does the 1971f have the same internals as the 58 series plus chirp? Im thinking of getting one for FF only and still run separate GPS.
    Its hard to get decent reviews of the new combos but they do look flash.
    TIA cheers

  13. #13

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    How much more money would we be talking if setting up the Furuno with dff3d over the garmin/simrad units.
    Also in your opinion is this Furuno 3d the best sounder for offshore fishing. Jeez some of the review vids are impressive!

  14. #14

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    Furuno will be the pick offshore courtesy of the sensor provided stabilisation built in to the transducer as far as the 3d is concerned and the lower frequency providing superior range. You would still want a good traditional transducer as well though IMO as the Furuno 3D isn't like the others with super high definition - the trade off for better range. I see it as a searching tool to use to locate bits and pieces to then sound with a good fish finder. It won't be cheap in comparison to the other brands however.

  15. #15

    Re: 12" Chartplotters options

    When you say still need another good traditional transducer do you mean one that is compatible with the Furuno unit if that is the way I go or do you mean a separate unit altogether such as Simrad or Garmin.

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