LUVTOFISH wrote:just bought one but have not been on the water yet, looked at all units while at the classic and couldnt pass up garmin, based on price and features. from my comparison most of theunits were very very similar and will boil down to familiarity. installation has been a snap and ordered some accessories from them and they got here in less than a week and I felt very fairly priced compared to lowrance and birdsBeing out of water doesnt mean I dont follow the latest bass fishing trends. Garmin has been on my radar for last several years and just before I took my BassCat hiatus for my career change. My next unit will be Garmins for my Alabama waters. Mainly because of their high end lake mapping software. Ive gone to Garmins sight and found 12-14 major reservoirs in Alabama are fully supported with high end mapping. Its same to similar to HB LakeMaster but with more lake coverage in the state. Here is what I read from users over on “The Hull Truth a while back.1. Depth range shading up to 10 different colors and depth ranges2. Dynamic Lake Level Adjustments for draw down lakes. This is for lakes that goes down, example, 8 for winter (from full pool). Full pool Land marks and contour lines readjust from from fixed 6 humps and will now displayed as 4 Islands, etc., Play out the idea from shore line adjustment to any land mark on the lake.3. Side Note: Clear readable Side Imaging out to 400 each side. Thats covering lots of water.4. Auto guidance: Draws safe route from any boat position away from shallow water, hazzord areas to the waypoint you want to go to. This is potentially dynamic for new bodies of water. Disclaimer, do this at your discretion. However, from my research, and reports people swear by it. 5. Dedicated 2D and imaging Chrip made by Garmin. For ledge fishing you get much better fish separation. To me ideal for off shore fishing. 6. Free Quickdraw lake map charting for lakes with no mapping support. All built into the units on the go. Also, you can accurately scan and chart lakes at speeds around 3 to 25 mph accurately at HD levels. End user reports have verified this. Also, you can scan up to 1500 hours on one 32GB SD card. Wow!!!!!7. N2k support for plug and play engine data for Evinrude, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Merc (with their gauge/bridge).Garmin is not for everyone. I know in some areas the mapping is does not answer the call like Navionics. However, if you have a lake or lakes with LakeVU HD MaxDef support its game changer for someone like me. Now add Quickdraw lake scanning for uncharted lakes at 20-25mph and thats additional value to me.I could see this setup on a committed return for my future BassCat Caracal or what ever future new BassCat design that comes out in next year or two. You cant take the boy out of this old man! Fly
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