Redrum Posted December 16, 2022 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 I definitely want a 12" unit......give me your thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewesYourDaddy Posted December 16, 2022 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 Not to sound sarcastic, but ANYTHING but Garmin. Garmin should stick to avionics packages and very expensive boat nav units. Their lower/mid priced stuff is pretty elementary. If I was going to replace a 12” nav unit in my boat, I would go with Simrad EVO or Raymarine Axiom Pro (if you have the room for them since they are larger than a standard touch-only screen unit). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted December 16, 2022 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 My 2 cents. Switched to Lowrance so I can run FMT. The HDS product is as good as the Garmin lower/mid priced units but I wouldn’t go below the HDS. The Lowrance tech support *** but Russell marine has all the answers you need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose77 Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 I had 4 Garmin 1242xsv on two boats in the last 5 years or so. They were okay, and never broke down, but the mapping options didn’t exactly fire me up. We bought a Pathfinder 2005 and put a Simrad EVO 3s 12” on it with Isla and Platinum + mapping. Much better. We then put a pair of these Simrad units on our offshore boat. These Simrad units are the cat’s pajamas compared to what we had. Amazing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 Now days Simrad seem the way to go. I’ve always used Garmin and never had a problem with a unit in over 20 years. I like keep it simple stupid. Do not need all the frills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahoossi Posted December 17, 2022 Report Share Posted December 17, 2022 I have a Simrad NSS 12EVO3 on my new boat and I like it . got it to run FMT when I travel. Still learning how to use it as I have always had Garmin . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted December 18, 2022 Report Share Posted December 18, 2022 Lowrance for the $$$ does a very good job...Simrad if you have the $$$$. they are DA Bomb....!!!! I have used the Simard Evo2 and now have the Lowrance Elite and it works fine....only about $1K for the 9" dc 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redrum Posted January 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Thank you all for your input. I've narrowed it down to 2 units, Lowrance HDS PRO12 with 3 in 1 ducer or Simrad Evo3s 12. What would be your choice and why? Only a couple hundred bucks cost wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 If it’s just a few bucks I would go Simrad. I did just see an add for the 12 inch HDS for $1899. What did you find the Simrad for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Always hard to 2nd guess what is coming out but the pro units will do a little more without a transducer box from what I can figure out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 On 12/31/2022 at 9:20 PM, Redrum said: Simrad Evo3s 12 rocket ship processor...and the spinning knob is a real benefit when running in shallow and you need to spin in and out of view. If $$$$ is not a constraint....the Simard is the way to go... Buy it from West Marine, get the 3 year plan and you are golden for any thing that takes place. dc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marathon Man Posted April 7, 2023 Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 The Simrad has a rotary knob control that is a major plus in anything more than calm waters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Seither Posted April 7, 2023 Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 Running two Lowrance Elite Ti one in 2300 one in mud boat new 12 hds in the box I need to install all are solid units, Simrad EVO’s are excellent units Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redrum Posted April 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 I ended up with the Simard Evo3s 12". Takes time to transition from Garmin (25yrs) to Simrad. But I do like having the option of dial or touch screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahoossi Posted April 9, 2023 Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 I did the same. Simrad is pretty straightforward and not too difficult to work your way through intuitively. FMT added makes it even better for a Georgia guy who likes to fish in Florida when gets the time. Just came back from Steinhatchee and it made it a lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redrum Posted April 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 I was considering FMT but I wasn't sure how accurate it would be after all the storms we had in and around Charotte Harbor 50 mile radias. Any ideas as how offen they are uodated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egrets Landing Posted April 9, 2023 Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 1 hour ago, Redrum said: I was considering FMT but I wasn't sure how accurate it would be after all the storms we had in and around Charotte Harbor 50 mile radias. Any ideas as how offen they are uodated. The other map(s) are more accurate, easier to interpret and more updated? I think not... Excerpts from Recent FMT newsletters.... January 2023 ISLA Mapping News IAN UPDATE We have received many of inquiries over the last few weeks about updates in the Ft Myers area post IAN. After hurricanes, it is best for few reasons to run the affected areas after about 3 months to let the area settle, the initial major clean up to complete, and normal tide patterns to resume. We were in Ft Myers for a few days last week running from northern Charlotte Harbor including the Myakka River and past the two bridges into Harbour Heights all the way south into Estero Bay. The cleanup is still underway on the water as well as on land but it appears there are no major obstacle issues on the waterways at this time impeding normal navigation patterns. The Sanibel causeway is fully repaired but construction is still underway on either sides of the bridges with large new pilings going in along with massive amounts of fill and boulders which should insulate the bridges from storms in the future. We ran the entire east and west side of Pine Island including the major passes for more than 350 miles doing nothing but mapping and surveying. We had negative tides for most of the day. The updated chart will include more than 2,000 edits, mostly to markers, signs and buoys. We are endeavoring to include the Ft. Myers updates on all charts purchased and updates ordered starting no later than January 30. The updates are complete and chips will be available for shipping by this weekend. As was the case after IRMA, we had varying reports in the weeks after the storm from ISLA users regarding needed changes to the charts ranging from a total redo to only minor changes needed. We received a few hysterical phone calls about the Pine Island area. One report was it was total disaster and “the chart needs to be totally reworked and very little of the chart in the Ft. Myers area was currently correct”. We even got a call that “Oyster Bars had moved in Turtle Bay and south of Matlacha”. Other reports to us (including from a police agency working rescue operations), indicated no major chart issues other than missing markers and debris / obstacles. We don’t know the truth until we get there ourselves and start surveying the area. We have been through this a few times over the years. In our experience, the initial shock of the damage to homes, floating debris and other obstacles creates a bit of hysteria and some of the initial feedback we hear follows suit. It is certainly understandable given the amount of damage to infrastructure. The good news is, just like was the case post IRMA, there are virtually no changes to Tracks on our chart. In this update, there was surprisingly only one track change in Ft. Myers down at Lovers State Park Beach where a Sand Bar grew where you idle in behind the beach. The rest were very minor deviations where a track was altered a little to avoid a new obstacle. In fact, if anything, the area is easier to run now than it was before the storm with some Black tracks turning Red. That happened on the outside and inside of Turtle Bay. We are happy to report that the Oyster bars are the same now as they were before IAN. Even the major passes from Redfish Pass south all were confirmed mostly unchanged and no Tracks needed to be moved due to shifting sand. The bars are deeper now overall and in some cases smaller. We even ran under the Bridge at Blind Pass and found the track to the Gulf was correct there and the bars are smaller or mostly gone on the inside of the bridge. The large bar(s) south of Sanibel Causeway are much smaller and deeper. If you are running the area now using the chart from within the last year, you can get around just fine using it with no issues whatsoever. Our survey found that about 90% of the edits are due to missing navigational markers, signs, and buoys. The rest are obstacles we noted which are likely to be around for an extended period of time including trees and tree branches, wrecks, and man-made debris like boat docks and pieces of infrastructure. We found a couple of very dangerous obstacles which are dislodged large markers sunk and partially exposed at the waters surface only about 10’ from a track. This is the case near Jewfish Creek at Cape Coral. If you don’t get the update right away, you should at least mark these coordinates in your GPS immediately so you can avoid it. The coordinates are N26 31.476 W 82 01.674. It’s in a narrow corridor and it could sink your rig or damage it severely if hit at speed. The other is in an idle zone a few feet off a track south of Tween Waters Inn at Sanibel Island between Daymarkers 26 and 27. The coordinates are N26 29.921 W82 11.0009. We marked the debris we found that is in deeper water near a track or near where you may run. The really shallow flats where we could not run have lots of obvious small bushes and branches. Those obstacles in inches of water were not marked as they are obvious and you can’t run to most of them. We found tree limbs across the entire area surveyed. There are some large trees on the flats in 1’ to 4’ of water on the east side of northern Sanibel Island. With respect to the navigational markers and signs, there are hundreds of them totally missing. We found there is about 100 missing markers and signs in Matlacha Pass alone. The missing markers include even primary navigational routes such as the approach to Matlacha Bridge from the north. For instance, Green Daymarkers #79 and #81 are gone. They are not blown over – they are totally gone. But we also noted a few sign posts that we added that were not on the previous chart. The daymarkers are key to safe navigation and we anticipate most will be replaced over the course of the 2023 and that is likely the case for most of the signs as well such as Speed or Manatee signs. Consequently, we have decided to leave the markers and signs on the chart as they will likely be replaced in their original positions. For this update, we have edited the missing signs, posts, and marker #s with the word “missing”. Using the updated chart this way will make navigating much easier than removing the missing markers from the chart as the markers are useful aids for traversing many areas and particularly sinuous places like Matlacha Pass. February2023ISLA Mapping NewsIAN UPDATEAs noted in last month’s news letter, chart updates that covered Ft. Myers from northern Charlotte Harbor to south Estero Bay began shipping on 1/30. We have processed dozens of chart updates just in the last couple of weeks. In the Ft. Myers area, there were nearly 2,000 edits which were mostly Markers, Buoys, and Obstacles/Debris. Missing markers we found were left on the map but caveated as “missing”. Most if not all are likely to be replaced this year. For the most part, there were no Track changes and despite some of the hysterical calls we have received, the oyster bars did not move and are now exactly where they were before IAN. As part of the update hundreds of sunk obstacles (not visible) were marked acquired by side scanning sonar. The obstacles included dumpsters, vehicles, trees and a large variety of random debris. Some of this was “deeper” and may not be an obstacle to navigation but because it was not totally clear in every case, all of the debris was marked with a Danger Symbol. Much of it is named what it actually is (if you click on it). We do not expect much of it will be removed and it is now structure.Additional Updates in FebruaryChart changes completed this month include:Matanzas Inlet south through the ICW for about 6 miles.Long Creek which is about 3 miles long, was added near Palm Coast. Most of Long Creek is added as a Black Track with only the first .03 miles as passable at low tide in typical skiff. Matanzas Inlet had substantive moving sand on each side of the bridge with the large Bar on the inside having grown by a wide large margin. The tracks were shifted over and the bar outline redrawn. Depending on the date of your chart, the main Track run approaching the bridge is likely now actually on top of a bar. This area around the Matanzas bridge is changing a lot on a monthly basis and should not be run without good visibility to ensure you don’t beach yourself on a growing or shifting bar.A couple of additional smaller creeks in the Pellicer Flats Area were also added plus a creek across from the Fort before the approach to Matanzas Bridge.The A1A bridge across from Pellicer Creek has lots of shifting sand as well and the bar from the bridge into the ICW has grown. The track was shifted over further to the West for a safe margin away from the bar. Much of the small Lagoon on the inside of the bridge may not be accessible on negative tides.A couple of obstacles in Mosquito Lagoon including a tree trunk near the ramp at Beacon 42 and a sunk sailboat near a ramp near Ponce Inlet.The Sebastian Inlet Area north and south of the InletWe ran this area for about 60 miles and there were several hundred edits at Sebastian mostly comprised of PVC stakes, posts, signs and marker edits. The shellfish lease stake areas are extensive near the inlet and were marked. We marked all of the Stakes and also drew the major boundaries of the Lease Area. A few former wood posts have now become broken off posts and dangerous obstacles. Updates completed in March Chazzawhitzka / Homossassa / Crystal River We ran for about 75 Miles from the springs at Crystal River through the Narrows, the Homosassa River and also up the Chaz River. There were dozens of edits to PVC stakes and buoys which were either removed, added or moved. Unfortunately, we found a lot of missing colored stakes in the Narrows where they are really needed. We found a minor track change in Chaz river and also a big telephone pole obstacle near the entrance to it in deep water at the surface. Naples and Chokoloskee IAN Obstacles A few IAN obstacles were added near the entrance to the Barron River and in a few other random places in the Choko and Naples area. 1’ contours were added along the coast at Palm Beach and Broward counties extending the 1’ contours from the Miami-Dade coast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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