Marine GPS Systems

Specifically Designed Marine GPS

If being on the water and fishing is your thing then you should probably consider a marine GPS. All of these units will feature waterproofing and should have screens that are easy to read even in bright sunlight. Some other good features to look for are: color chart plotters, onshore and offshore maps, fish hotspots, and sonar capability. You may also want to consider a unit that will function as your car navigator, eliminating the need for two devices.

Navigation Models

A waterproof marine GPS system is available in two versions. There is a handheld gps version and a mountable version that can be placed on your boat. You need not worry about how hard it will hit your wallet either, with many floating hand held models starting as low as $200 dollars. These models will allow you to store up to 500 of your favorite locations.

Using this memory, you can chart straight line courses to your destinations. In the situation of the accidental drop into the water, these models are water proof.

Available on these handheld GPS navigation models are preset destinations as well as some marine navigation aids.

Mounting Systems

Don’t get caught without the equipment you need, and don’t leave family worrying about your safety while you’re boating. If you fisherman is cramped for space in the dash, the mounting systems come in handy. GPS systems normally come with built in maps which the GPS systems follows as the user moves. Fixed mount systems come with external or internal antennas. External antennas work better but require about 5" of mounting space and of course they have a cable to deal with.

Location Assistance

There are four main types of GPS units; the car navigation system, the portable outdoors unit, the marine system, and the PDA/GPS hybrid. The most used feature of the device is location assistance. The marine GPS is used to get to a location for a vessel, and then by following the GPS, getting the boat back to where it started. This makes a day on the water much safer than it used to be without this technology and eliminates much of the safety risk that used to be a concern for boating hobbyists.

Essential Piece of Equipment

Just as the civilian and personal side of marine GPS has grown, the commercial side has made the marine GPS mandatory. Large fishing vessels also use GPS to find fish and to navigate the ocean waters. It can also help to keep the crew safe by avoiding storms and directing boats on the safest route home. This use can and probably has saved many lives, making it an essential piece of equipment for the commercial vessels today.