Replacing old GPS and Sonar

wakevortex · **Joined:** Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:23 am **Posts:** 161

I am soon taking delivery of a used Four Winns vista 248 and would like to replace the old Eagle GPS.
I think I have decided on either the Garmin GPSmap 7408 xsv ( I think its a different model number in USA) OR the Lowrance Hds7 gen 3 ..
I will be doing marine cruising pretty near shore and fishing as well.
Any advice on these 2 units as to which may be better? (can of worms I know LOL )
How easy is it to remove these units when leaving the boat (mine will be in a marina so I would not leave attached)
What transducers would I need to take full advantage of the units.I would prefer to transom mount if possible .
Would there be any issues transom mounting on the vista 248? what about cable runs etc?

any help much appreciated !

thanks

Bill P

alex8q4 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 29, 2015 11:46 am

I have the HDS 7 on my 268 with both the broad band sounder and structure scan sonar mounted on the transom. I do not fish, however we do a lot of exploring and get a lot of use out of the structure scan.

The charting on the HDS 7 is also very user friendly, and fast. We boat is very tight waterways that requires us to zoom in and out often. I am never left waiting for charts to load when we do so.

To this HDS 7 I have connected, via NIMA 2000 network, a fuel flow monitor which calculates my burn rate and tracks my consumption, and my Lowrance VHF radio whis has a built in AIS receiver that shows location and info of vessels on my HDS screen. Networking was simply plug and play.

It is simple to remove when you are leaving the boat.

Great unit.

wakevortex · **Joined:** Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:23 am **Posts:** 161

Thanks Alex- v useful info .

I also need a VHF radio, and was going to go the AIS route .Good to know its all a simple setup if you buy the right things :-)

Is the fuel flow monitor easy to fit? mine has the MERC engine?

appreciate it !

Bill P

alex8q4 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 29, 2015 2:04 pm

Aside from setting up the network the actual flow monitor is very simple. Cut fuel line, insert flow meter, tighten clamps, enjoy.

rpengr · **Posted:** Wed Dec 30, 2015 9:26 am

alex8q4 wrote:

Aside from setting up the network the actual flow monitor is very simple. Cut fuel line, insert flow meter, tighten clamps, enjoy.

Preferably mount the flow monitor higher up on the fuel line. This way if your clamps were to leak, it would not gravity free flow from the tank. (There is a "anti-siphon" valve at the tank to prevent free flow, but you should assume that the valve could fail)

Paul I. · **Posted:** Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:34 pm

I have a Garmin 740s and I think the newer one is the 741sx. Point being, it has a NMEA2k network connection. I also installed Garmins AIS300 and there VHF200 with a MNEA2k fuel flow sensor.

I must say, they all work very well togother. The AIS info shows up on the GPS, the VHF always knowns lat & long, the GPS is showing, GPH & MPG. I would not mix brand, I have done that is some cases not all the features works.

wakevortex · **Joined:** Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:23 am **Posts:** 161

Thanks for all the replies..very helpful indeed

Now to get a good price on them!!...I'm also thinking of a vhf radio with AIS receive AND transmit ( or a black box equivalent). I think the AIS300 mentioned is only receive?
Any suggestions for that at not too crazy a price?
Think I'm going to go Garmin....suits all my needs I think...
Is it easy to transom mount the transducer on vistas? What about cable run back to the helm?

Thanks again

Paul I. · **Posted:** Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:50 pm

Yes, the AIS300 is only a Rx.

Surface Interval · **Posted:** Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:09 pm

Bill,

This is what I did for transducer mounting on my 268. It works very well and gives me the option to replace transducers in the future without drilling or patching more holes in the transom. The mounting board is "Starboard" material like a white nylon cutting board. It is very easy to cut and shape to fit. I pre-drilled the screw holes, coated the board with 3M 5200, and installed it.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14085&p=136057&hilit=transom+transducer+mount#p136057

I've heard that you can connect the fuel flow sensor to the fuel pump end of the existing hose and add a short piece of fuel hose between fuel flow sensor and the fuel cell (fuel pump assembly). That way you can return the system to normal if the fuel flow sensor ever needs to be removed.

I have a Lowrance HDS 8 (Gen 1) Chart plotter/Sonar with StructureScan and the pre-loaded Lowrance mapping program. A touch screen would be nice, but we really like the unit. Removal involves disconnecting 3 electrical plugs and 2 mounting knob bolts. It takes 1/2 minute to remove. We remove ours every week.

Hope this helps.

Gary

wakevortex · **Joined:** Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:23 am **Posts:** 161

Thanks Gary , thats VERY helpful...just so I'm sure , is the picture showing you mounted it where I have put a red circle here?

alex8q4 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 31, 2015 11:20 am

wakevortex · **Joined:** Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:23 am **Posts:** 161

Many thanks !

alex8q4 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 31, 2015 1:49 pm

When I drilled the hole for the transducer wires I mirrored the location Fourwinns brought the speed sensor through the transom. Made it easy to identify the location both on the inside and outside of the boat.

Cheers.

Surface Interval · **Posted:** Thu Dec 31, 2015 9:34 pm

Yes, Bill. That is the location. I mounted the board and transducers just to the left side of the outdrive. You might put masking or electrical tape spaced about 1/8" to 3/16" away from the mounting board to help with sealing the edge of the board to the transom and control mess. Use a straight edge to make sure the mounting board does not extend below the hull bottom. The transducer wiring is clamped to the outside of the transom up to a hole above the water line. You could use clamps with screws into the transom, or maybe adhesive backed ty-wrap anchors. The transom hole needs to be about 7/8" diameter for the connector plug to go through. Plan the hole location carefully. Look on the outside and the inside of the transom to make sure you won't interfere with anything. Its more than a little disappointing when you drill through the transom and into something like a trim pump on the inside. I have sealed the hole up with either silicone or 3M 5200 or equivalent. Make sure that water cannot get to the wood core in the transom.

wakevortex · **Joined:** Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:23 am **Posts:** 161

All great advice !

will get it all ordered and can now plan the install with a lot more knowledge :-)

thanks !

www.iFourWinns.com

Replacing old GPS and Sonar

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