GPS for RIB. Ideas

[String]

Been asked to research features/views of a new GPS for the boat. Other people have already narrowed it down to (i) chart plotter (ii) colour (iii) Garmin.

Going from that the shortlist looks between the 176c, 182c and 276c.

Anyone got any experience of these models or recommend any in particular ?

Obviously we'd need the external antenna option as a fitted, sticking-out one would have a survival time measured in minutes.

Bluecharts software the CDROM options looks ok but does it or does it not come with a data card to program or does this have to be bought separately (it seems these 3 models need a card to download onto not internal memory).

Any other views/suggestions on these things ?

(No idea which forum to stick this post in so just guessed!)

[MattS]

If it helps...

I have a 176c in the car...and in the car it is superb. On a RHIB I don't think the display is big enough to be that useful.

If you are going for a colour model and intend to fit it in a console, I would advise that you get a demo in bright sunlight before parting with the readies, or you may be disapointed. We have a mono GPSMap 152 on our club RHIB and personally I think the display is easier to read out at sea, compared with my 176c.

In fact I am not that sold on chart plotters on RHIBs, or at least not the ones I have seen*. The Garmin Blues are pretty good charts but with the detail turned up the display does not keep up with the boat - or the approaching sandbanks. The charted wreck marks are not accurate enough for anything more than general navigation. Once in the vicinty you may as well turn the chart off and ping the site on the sounder while watching the track, as you would with a traditional GPS. The chart pricing is designed to appeal to yachties travelling up and down the coast line, needing to reference a multitude of paper charts. If you are in one particular area it is an expensive way to do it. Similary if you visit odd ports infrequently. Charts on CD need to be downloaded to a data card, which is an additional and significant expense. Although the CD may cover the whole of the Channel, you need to unlock sections, each requiring a separate license fee. Unlocked charts are tied to the GPS you unlocked them on and can only be moved to another unit once. You can buy datacards preprogrammed with particular charts, which works out cheaper for a limited number of charts.

External attennas make sense in a wheel house where reception is bad and cable connections protected from the elements. Integrated antennas are IMVHO the dogs danglies for open console mounting on a RHIB where there are no reception problems. The mounts with integrated antennas are particularly robust and watertight. The flip up antennas work perfectly fine without being flipped up, which should keep them protected, but they are not as water tight.

By the time you have paid for a plotter, charts, datacard it gets expensive and the benfits on a dive RHIB are dubious. You may decide the money was best spent on something else...there is always something else when it comes to boats ;-)


* the exception is Skippers incredibly expensive Ratheon in the wheelhouse. But Dive Eclipse is hardly the average RHIB :-)

HTH

[String]

We've been through these exact debates, most of us didnt want colour except one influential person so lost that debate hence extra expense. The rest of us have read/seen the contrast isnt great in sunlight.
Update of about a second is advertised and normally we cant read a damn thing cruising along at full speed anyway so it might not be an issue. Charted wreck marks are unlikely to be used but being aware where rocks are etc could be helpful depending who is driving at the time.
All the "internal" antennas ive seen appear to be really sticking out of the top of the set which with the banging around, people falling, kit being passed front/back wouldnt last long at all without being snapped into pieces when something hits it - we can break most things in a short space of time.

Looking at chart coverage one code will cover the area our boat is likely to ever operate (as its never really towed anywhere) but cd-rom does at least give us the later option of getting another code if the trailer ever is made road worthy again...


Just noticed my typo, i meant 172c not 176 (which apparently is discontinued) in the comparison.
Basically after about 6 months of debate/arguing the compromise is for one of those 3 models and colour (which adds £100+ to the price). Id be happy to get something/anything before the proper "start" of the sea diving season. Transits and sounder are OK but inherently limited in what we can find and remember.

Just thought of another question, if bluecharts doesnt come with a card what sort of size card is needed to store say a 30nm radius of chart data?

[Andy M]

Originally Posted by String

Basically after about 6 months of debate/arguing the compromise is for one of those 3 models and colour (which adds £100+ to the price). Id be happy to get something/anything before the proper "start" of the sea diving season. Transits and sounder are OK but inherently limited in what we can find and remember.

For a club RIB I really wouldnt bother with a colour chart plotter. basic mono GPS seems to be fine. Nice big high contrast screen with a good steer screen. You need to be able to read it easily while bouncing along at a fair rate of knots. With small boats IMHO you dont want to be relying on electronic charts as a substitute for poor navigation/voyage planning - work out the route before you leave and have a backup, handheld GPS to hand. I've dived wrecks after complete GPS/sounder electronics failure, because we planned it beforehand and worked locations out from transits.

I prefer the sounder to be a separate unit, as it makes wreck finding easier. cramming a compass and area plot onto the same small screen as the sounder like the lowrance all in one unit doesnt work for me.

[String]

Already got a separate sounder and large compass so thats not a problem, everything we dive at the moment is manual using those and transits but obviously a GPS would be very helpful.
Ive already lost the colour debate so unfortunately mono isnt an option.
Again, handheld backup isnt being considered, mainly due to extra expense plus someone would lose it rather quickly.
At a guess the main use of GPS would be in the highway display to get between waypoints on routes with the charts simply being an option to put where we are in context to other things.

[MattS]

Well if we can't talk you out of a colour plotter...

The 276 is an upgraded 176, with integrated USB and postcode lookup - neither of which is much use on a boat. It is a portable unit which comes with a clip mount, so probably not what you want on a RHIB.

That leaves the 172 and 182 of which there is no clear winner. The 182 has a bigger display, the 172 has more colours. Personally I would call Garmin and ask them which one has the fastest processor / update speed.

The antenna I am talking about is the intgrated bail mount
http://shop.garmin.com/accessory.jsp...0%2D10265%2D01
It screws directly onto the back of the main unit. I doubt you could break it without breaking the rest of the unit!

The marine charts do not take up a lot of space so you should be fine with a 16Mb card. Allow 200 quid for the chart CD and the data card.

HTH

[Hazel W]

You could try the "navman" range of chart plotters. these offer a relativly inexpensive option and are robust and easily dismountable for security ... i have one on my RIB and it works great mono screen and "c-map" charts giving a good visible plot which can be seen clearly at 30 knts +
I have a Garmin in the big dive boat but this is a wheelhouse beast and not suitable or robust enough for a RIB cockpit ... the navman unit works out at about £350 and the "c-maps" are £90 each

Hazel

[Odin]

We have a Garmin Hand held GPS on the RIB.
Works well, we find everything we want to, easy to store.
Easy to take home and connect up to PC to up/download info.
Transferable from boat to boat, and if on a charter easy to take along and press MOB button when doing a new site/checking position against our figures.

OK the screen isn't that big, but we tend to look where we are going more than at the screen!

It comes into it's own when the alarm sounds to say within range of the site. We slow down go in on the track and watch the echo sounder. Lump appears on screen over with the shot. Check placement go diving!

Echo sounder - £150 GPS £150. Sorted!

Paul

[Neil R]

As well as the CD and data card - neither of which are supplied with the basic unit - you'll also need the USB card reader to download the PC info onto the card. I'd guess this is equally applicable to the other units you mentioned too. Else just buy pre-loaded data cards for the areas you need?

You'll find plenty of opinion on chartplotters on the seperate RIB.net forums, which I'd recommend to anyone here involved with RIBs. Garmin's post-sales support is legendary, NAVMAN's doesn't seem to be ... and you'll also see plenty of threads on moisture affected NAVMANs.

If you've got someone visiting the states the price differentials are enormous; the best prices I've seen for the 182 are $418 vs £349 here. Same sort of ratio for the CDs, cards, etc.

http://www.onlinemarine.com for the former

http://www.jgtech.com/page3.htm for the latter

Although you'd have to watch for import duties and VAT, and probably also investigate the warranty issues. The only difference in the US vs UK spec seems to be that you don't get UK tide data in the built in worldmap.

Personally if I could afford colour prices I'd spend the extra money on a larger screen instead - Garmin 232 mono - effectively the 182 but with a much larger screen.

[Twinset & Wing]

raymarine, you can't go wrong get a chart plotter version. the only problem is that they arnt cheap. if cost is an issue get a Navman

DD