Garmin 498

[MT Pockets]

Anybody have one of these chartplotter/sounders? I am thinking about getting one, and would appreciate any feedback on them.

I did a search on GPS and read what I could find.

[jaynik]

I've got one. It's actually a really popular unit and can be gotten really cheap right now. It works great for me. I've never had a drawing problem, etc. Do you have specific questions, or do you just want to know if the people who have them like them?

[whalerron]

I have had the 498C for 2 years now. It is a great unit and the chartplotter works good. I use this on my 17' Whaler which I trailer to Hatteras, mid and lower Chesapeake, Delaware Bay and Cape May, NJ. All of the US coastal data comes preloaded in the unit and I have never had a problem in any of the areas where I have used it. I really like the Garmin products because they are intuitive to use.

Cons: I have found that this unit has an issue with sharp dropoffs and I am in discussion now with Garmin to see if they can do anything for the problem. Anytime I pass over a very sharp dropoff, the unit "loses" the bottom for a minute or so. This can be a pain when I am crabbing some of the steep channel edges in Eastern Bay.

[choptankcrabber]

Likewise, I love mine. The screen is not huge, though, and if you start running with the split screen on, it gets a little hard to see. But most of the time, I am more interested in either the depthfinder or the plotter. As soon as I add my back-up DF, I'll be set.

Also, my unit occasionally "loses" the bottom for a few seconds- not enough to be a problem.

[Striper In]

I have one and love it.

I am considering buying another at the price you can get them for now.......
Reason, I am thinking of getting another boat and when I sell this one. it will be a nice feature to go along with the boat.

[J Lavender]

I've had one for a little over a year now and I'm very pleased with it. The only thing I don't like is depending on the zoom level, you see all of these map borders and there is no way to get rid of them. Other than that it's been very reliable and reads the bottom well when cruising. Two things I couldn't say for the Lowrance unit it replaced.

[Abter1]

bought one last year, very happy overall. When I installed it the default bottom depth range was at 5'...though it wasn't working the first time out.
The screen size is what it is. Bigger would be nicer, but thats where the money starts to mount up. Going to split screen, with GPS and sounder, isn't practical...not enough real estate in the screen to share.
Built in charts are by far the best deal.

Fish finder is only so-so. That's not news...Garmin shines on GPS, not fish finders. When hunting for spot for livelining pushes the bounds of the fishfinder a good bit.

I have never lost bottom while cruising, which is great. I have a transom mounted, dual freq. transponder...dual freq is probably not needed in the Bay. On the other hand I have been out on other boats with other depth/fish gear, and they have seen "interesting" signs when cruising.

Has an irritating "our lawyers made up write this" screen at bootup. I haven't found a way to bypass pushing OK to get past it. At least it has locked onto satellites by then.

Somewhat sensitive to power fluctuations when I start the engine. Tried several wirings; it still reboots when I start. Probably my wiring setup somehow.

Check out prices at BOE Marine, online and in Annapolis. Always a great price, and great folks to deal with.

[MT Pockets]

Thanks for all the replies! I didn't have any specific questions, I just wanted some testimony from folks who have them. I am very close to ordering one from BOE... the price is very right.

About the preloaded coastal data... does that include depth contours, or will I still need to get the bluechart card for the depth details?

Again, thats for all the replies.

[JoshKaptur]

Buy it now if you want it. Has been discontinued and the replacement model is more $$.

I just bought one... BOE marine only had a few left.

[Abter1]

The 498c has the full depth contour for all coastal waters in the 48 states. When you zoom in you can really see what is coming up. Built-in is really a great asset. First it avoids buying bluechart cards, and second if you ever trailer elsewhere you already have the GPS data.

One thing I did find is it has not replaced the need to have a hard copy of a Ches. Bay navigation charts. The small scale of the screen makes getting the "big picture" of where things are pretty hard to see...although it is all there.