Looking for some electronics recommendations

[creeg]

Hi,

My recently purchased boat is lacking some electronics, as a priority I'm looking to fit a VHF and a depth/fish finder and I'd appreciate some advice/recommendations.

The boats intended use is entirely recreational, fair weather day trips along the coast, maybe some light fishing etc.

For the VHF I was thinking of going for a fixed one over a handheld, is the Cobra kit good? I thought the "Cobra MR-F75EU" looked to be a reasonable price (approx £120), is it missing anything that some of the more expensive ones carry that you might consider very important? Any recommendations for an aerial?

For the depth/fish finder, I'm totally open to suggestions. I've read some good reviews of the Garmin customer service on here and their kit seems well established and respected, my only experience with Garmin is for GPS devices and I've been very happy with them. Are there any ones that incorporate GPS and chart plotter at a reasonable price (although I'm not sure what that is).

What's the best place to locate the transponder? Can a transom one be used when the boat is travelling at speed?

I have a Solent 5.4, I haven't really looked into how easy it is to run the cables/transponder under the deck yet through the existing channels, so if anyone has any experience they can share that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Graham

[wiLlfish]

Originally Posted by creeg

I thought the "Cobra MR-F75EU" looked to be a reasonable price (approx £120), is it missing anything that some of the more expensive ones carry that you might consider very important?

yus.

itt downt lyke worter.

ritley aw rongly i considder dat verry impawtant onn a bote.

[willk]

Hi,

As the mutt says, they're not best fond of water and there are better offerings out there. Consider how much time you'll spend on the install and ask if you want to repeat the process. I can tell you that Garmin 100i VHFs tend to fog up very quickly. The old Navman 7100/7200 knobs fell off. Icom have a good rep.

You might do well to get a Garmin Chartplotter/sounder combo - Channelfibs on here can do you/a good deal. That unit comes with UK and Ireland maps. I'd suggest fitting an internal "thru-hull" transducer which will avoid trouble from damage and bubble interference, maybe easier fitted too.

You know you want one.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by creeg

For the VHF I was thinking of going for a fixed one over a handheld, is the Cobra kit good? I thought the "Cobra MR-F75EU" looked to be a reasonable price (approx £120), is it missing anything that some of the more expensive ones carry that you might consider very important?

my experience with cobra handhelds was so bad I wouldn't consider them again. From other people's feedback I don't think I am unique on this! For similar money you can get the cheapest Standard Horizon Fixed VHF, or probably the Icom equivalent.

What's the best place to locate the transponder? Can a transom one be used when the boat is travelling at speed?

Does the solent have a "well" at the transom? If so (and assuming it is 'solid below it') then you can fit a transom transducer inside the well (search forum for instructions). It is protected from damage there and people seem to get better results at speed there.

I have a Solent 5.4, I haven't really looked into how easy it is to run the cables/transponder under the deck yet through the existing channels, so if anyone has any experience they can share that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Graham

Bogmonster had a recent thread on this for his Vipermax.

[wiLlfish]

Originally Posted by willk

Channelfibs on here can do you

norty.

valyewd addid takks iz a akwired tayste

[Courageous]

One caution regarding the ICOM ICM 411 (which is otherwise very good in my experience) is that the flange rubber is too rigid to make the seal waterproof where it butts up against the console. Can't get my head around that at the moment but it's an exceptionally poor seal and water literally pours in through the gap.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Courageous

is that the flange rubber is too rigid to make the seal waterproof where it butts up against the console.

You'll know that a hard landing can compromise the best butt seals on the market

[Courageous]

Oh yes, my company specialise in those!

[creeg]

Thanks all,

Will avoid the Cobra kit, looks like I can get the Icom 411 for roughly the same money.

The Garmin 551s looks a lovely piece of kit, will need to see if I can find some extra pennies for it.

There is a well at the transom of the Solent, I don't know for definite if it's solid below it, but that definitely sounds like a good place to put the transponder, will check it at the weekend.

Glad I asked the questions, thanks again.
G