Well, for me, the die is cast. I went with two Raymarine E-80s, the sat. weather, gps, autopilot, 4k radar, dual hz transducer, etc.. The E-120 is almost 2 inches taller and the TomCat has limited window height. I am putting double swivel mounts and wiring on the aft station and the co-pilot's station so the 2nd E-80 can be moved from one to the other and eventually, I will put a portable PC with the Raytech RNS 6.0 at the Co-pilot's position. The co-pilot can overlay the sat. weather, and put in future waypoints without disturbing the pilot's navigating. I think the two E-80's will have more total screen area than a single E-120 and I am mounting them all on swivelling arms so both can be directed toward the forward helm if needed. Both will be low dash mounted due to bifocals and the pain in the neck of overhead viewing over time with bifocals.
As for the autopilot, I really can use one. Alot of single-handed time makes an autopilot great and gives me time to rig lines and prepare for docking, anchoring, or whatever is coming up. Even with company, it takes a long time to change over the rods from one type of fishing to another. Trolling for Walleye works great with long "S" shaped courses and I can pre-program those so more time to concentrate on light biting fish. On the Gulf of Mexico we change from flats fishing to trolling to bottom fishing off the oil rigs, and the autopilot will give us an extra set of hands to change over the 6-8 rods for each style of fishing. In the PNW, as Dusty relates, it allows the pilot to concentrate on avoiding floating obstacles.
As far as brand name goes - I really like the proportions of the Garmin 10", and the narrower beam of their low end radar dome, and that their base package includes sat. radio, etc., but their system is not yet as totally integrated (autopilot, radar, engine systems, laptops, dual plotters, etc.) With all the major brands crashing into the open, 2000 operating systems this winter, I am thinking it's kind of like choosing which big diesel pickup to use. They are all going to be pretty darned good.
As for Furuno, I had a tougher time figuring out a reasonably priced, flexible system with them, but I think they're probably more sophisticated than the Raymarine. Alot of the major brands cater more toward commercial, so they are really pricey! I think the Raymarine system had a well-rounded, versatile package in a good price range for the average cruiser/fisher person. With my wanting to cruise the San Juans and Gulf Islands this winter, I liked the Navionics Platinum charts which show tides and current sets and drifts in real time just by touching the area in question. That will save me some adrenalin! (and yes, I have the paper charts and nav. rulers,protractors,dividers, and knowledge to do it the old way)
I certainly saw some more awsome brands and models, but the autopilots were 4 G's+, the furuno rotating, retractable sonars (about $8-12 G's), and many other highly sophisticated. Almost all the brands can be mixed nowadays, but I think a consistent set of components will be easier to troubleshoot when the inevitable crash or puzzling factor pops up.
Will let you know how things go... Thanks for all the input so far! John
As for the autopilot, I really can use one. Alot of single-handed time makes an autopilot great and gives me time to rig lines and prepare for docking, anchoring, or whatever is coming up. Even with company, it takes a long time to change over the rods from one type of fishing to another. Trolling for Walleye works great with long "S" shaped courses and I can pre-program those so more time to concentrate on light biting fish. On the Gulf of Mexico we change from flats fishing to trolling to bottom fishing off the oil rigs, and the autopilot will give us an extra set of hands to change over the 6-8 rods for each style of fishing. In the PNW, as Dusty relates, it allows the pilot to concentrate on avoiding floating obstacles.
As far as brand name goes - I really like the proportions of the Garmin 10", and the narrower beam of their low end radar dome, and that their base package includes sat. radio, etc., but their system is not yet as totally integrated (autopilot, radar, engine systems, laptops, dual plotters, etc.) With all the major brands crashing into the open, 2000 operating systems this winter, I am thinking it's kind of like choosing which big diesel pickup to use. They are all going to be pretty darned good.
As for Furuno, I had a tougher time figuring out a reasonably priced, flexible system with them, but I think they're probably more sophisticated than the Raymarine. Alot of the major brands cater more toward commercial, so they are really pricey! I think the Raymarine system had a well-rounded, versatile package in a good price range for the average cruiser/fisher person. With my wanting to cruise the San Juans and Gulf Islands this winter, I liked the Navionics Platinum charts which show tides and current sets and drifts in real time just by touching the area in question. That will save me some adrenalin! (and yes, I have the paper charts and nav. rulers,protractors,dividers, and knowledge to do it the old way)
I certainly saw some more awsome brands and models, but the autopilots were 4 G's+, the furuno rotating, retractable sonars (about $8-12 G's), and many other highly sophisticated. Almost all the brands can be mixed nowadays, but I think a consistent set of components will be easier to troubleshoot when the inevitable crash or puzzling factor pops up.
Will let you know how things go... Thanks for all the input so far! John