Match electronics to space available
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Capt. David Bacon Corporate types call the concept "right-sizing": matching business resources to the task and budget. Boaters must apply a similar concept when matching electronics resources (for finding fish and navigating safely) to task and budget. We also have two budgets to consider: available finances and, equally important, available space.
Without giving diligent consideration to maximizing space, small to midsize boats bristle with antennas, domes, boxes and bracket mounts, looking very much like a porcupine wearing a beanie propeller cap. Downsides to a bristle boat include limited casting and hook-setting room. Running the boat becomes a cumbersome task because the skipper must constantly scan a confusing array of electronics units. A clean and uncluttered boat is much more comfortable to fish from and simplifies rather than complicates the skipper's job.
Analyze your electronics-rigging issues from the bottom up. Transducers and speed/temperature sensors should be the best quality your budget can handle because an inadequate transducer detracts from your ability to hunt fish. Multiple-function units that provide speed and temperature input as well as sonar take more space or give up some sonar capabilities to allow room for the apparatus for the other functions. Single-function transducers allow elements to provide a better picture of what's below the boat. Be realistic about the room required for transducers and the routing distance for cables. Decide whether you want to (or can) mount your transducer outboard on the transom or inboard with a thru-hull or shooting through the hull. Take that information, and contact the companies that make the fish finders you're interested in buying. Manufacturers' reps can provide advice on which transducers will work best for your boat and their equipment. Ask lots of questions. Recognize, however, that advice often leans toward the transducers a particular company provides.
If transducer space is a problem, Peter Braffitt from Airmar ( www.airmar.com ) suggests, "Airmar's new retractable Triducer Multisensor ($300) combines depth, speed and water temperature readings in one compact thru-hull fitting, and outputs all three via NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000 protocols. The depth portion operates at 235 kHz, which allows it to work simultaneously with a 50/200 fish-finder transducer - helpful when navigating a shallow channel. Otherwise, our TM260 1,000-Watt transom-mount model ($750) works well on smaller vessels where a thru-hull interferes with trailering."
Thru-hulls on small vessels sometimes cause inadequate water intake or prop cavitation since transducer placement on such boats can be difficult. Airmar's M260 ($750) - also a 1,000-Watt model - shoots through a fiberglass hull, eliminating fouling growth, drag and performance-sapping turbulence. And there's no need to haul the boat to install or service it. "The fairly small mounting area ideally suits small center consoles and trailered vessels," Braffitt says. He also suggests that transom mounts have a "kick-up" bracket to protect the transducer from damage if it comes in contact with debris in the water.
Which electronic devices will best fit your boat and optimize your fish-finding and safe-navigation abilities? Center-console or cuddy-cabin boats configured with a small helm area often lack sufficient space for an array of several display heads. Accept the limits of your craft, and install devices that give you the most information in exchange for the smallest footprint.
Ted Gartner at Garmin ( www.garmin.com ) points out, "Combination chart plotters and sounders are a great solution for anglers with limited space at the helm. Units like the Garmin 188C ($1,486) [offer the flexibility of] dash or overhead mounting and let users configure a split screen, so fishermen can safely navigate and analyze sonar images at the same time.
Once you've determined your boat's space limitations, you should look for the largest, easiest-to-read display in your price range. Consider the features that you need in a unit, and assess how easily each model allows you to utilize them. Oh, and the smaller the boat, the larger the control buttons should be. Small boats bounce around more, making pushing one correct button more difficult when buttons are tiny or close together. Midsize to large boats tend to have generous mounting space inside cabinets or between bulkheads and more helm-station real estate to house electronics. Flush-mount helm-station displays are the norm and sometimes include electrical-system and engine-information displays. Hidden black-box installations prove valuable by allowing input from sensors, transducers, radomes and antennas to be routed to main and perhaps auxiliary displays. Furuno offers the 1833CBB chart/plotter ($5,495) with a connection for a BBFF1 fish finder ($700) using NavNet protocol. Install any high-quality VGA monitor to complete the space-saving system.
You'll find display options to fit any application. For example, the Infinity Sunlight Series Displays from Nauticomp ( www.nauticomp.com ) come in a variety of sizes ($3,175 to $5,975), and all may be flush-mounted or embedded and work on AC or DC power. Split the screen to show a fish-finder image and a chart with radar overlay side by side. Accessory cameras, such as C-Map's C-Cam waterproof color camera ($149), can be connected to help the skipper keep an eye on people and equipment. That way, the skipper can direct his attention to one master station and just periodically scan the boat's mechanical displays to ensure that all systems are running satisfactorily.
Simrad's Helm Planning Kit makes choosing and fitting all your Simrad electronics a breeze. The company offers life-size, full-color cutouts of every instrument that temporarily attach to your helm via static cling. See what fits, and move instruments around to be sure you won't hit the throttle with your arm when you reach for your VHF microphone, and so on. Simrad's John Caballero ( www.simrad.com ) explains how the company deals with space issues: "Simrad tightly integrates all major electronics into one package with an option for additional remote displays on a high-speed bus." The result is your choice of 6-, 7-, 10.4- or 15-inch displays offering GPS chart plotter, fish finder and radar, or any combination thereof, including all three. Console size no longer really matters.
Before mounting GPS and radio antennas and radar arrays, take a good, long look at your boat, and picture passengers fishing in the midst of a great surface bite. Consider all potential arcs of rod movement for casting and swinging to set the hook on a big fish. Place antennas and radomes where they won't interfere with the process of fishing. Keep the area over the fishing cockpit clear.
To learn more about how to keep radomes and antennas fully functional yet out of the way, I spoke with Brian Gallagher of PYI ( www.pyiinc.com ), who markets Scanstrut mounting platforms. I'd seen these solid, elegant units and appreciated the various models that allow antennas and the like to be mounted in offset or stacked fashion. Gallagher advises that you make certain your mount provides the radar array a clear view of the horizon with the boat up on plane. When installing satphone or TV aboard, the antennas require an unobstructed view skyward to search out satellites. And, he says, consider what other beneficial items you want to add up high, such as deck and searchlights, outriggers or rocket launchers.
An efficient and pleasant fishing boat results from careful space planning and selecting mounting options to right-size your electronics. Take the time to do it right!
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