Garmin 478 Review

[Joe CD MS 300]

For any of you non-salty electronic gadget loving sailors like me Garmin's new 478 portable chartplotter is really a great product both on the water and on the road.

I was considering getting their GPSMap 76c color handheld to replace a 5 year old GPSMap 75 which was used as a backup to the 3006 chartplotter on board and for use in the car. However when considering the cost of the charts which would be needed in addition to the cost of the unit the preloaded 478 seemed like a better deal. The one thing I'm not crazy about with regard to Garmin map products is the "unlock" process for uploading charts to various units. The idea of having all coastal charts and road maps for the entire country where ever I went really appealed to me.

One of the best online prices I found was at Abe's of Maine, $759 vs. $999 list, (www.abesofmaine.com). I had never heard of this vendor before, having previously purchased marine electronics from gpscity,com and tigergps.com but they got good reviews so I gave them a shot. The unit arrived in two days.

The units comes with just about all the accessories you might need, a marine mount, a car mount, USB cable, a cover for the screen, 12v plug (with speaker built in for voice directions) Its really a pretty cool unit and very intuitive in use (although I might be helped by many years of using Garmin products).

Some of the best features:

1. Long battery life
2. Extremely clear/ readable screen
3. One button transition from marine to automotive modes
4. Easy to use road navigation features
5. Nice compromise between portability and fixed mount use.


It got a lot of use on a road trip to Maine fro PA and on the water from Rockland to Boothbay Harbor Memorial day weekend.


Joe

[Trawler Joe]

I bought one recently too, and for my needs it's really great. I have a CD28 (power) with flybridge, and I really wanted something I could move with me when I change stations. The rechargeable batteries let me do that without turning the unit off. Plus it came with three mounting options, so I was able to put a mount at each station.

The preloaded charts, as you say, are great. No more fighting with unlock codes.

[KDreese]

I bought one as well. Its an awesome unit for my needs. I have a CD25 with basically no electrical system so having something I could charge easily from home or through a cig lighter on board was awesome. The unit comes really well equipped with a bunch of mounts to choose from, chargers, etc. The charts have been great and given the price of a unit without and having to buy a card it is a great deal. I bought mine from "thenerds" (great name eh?) for around $790 a couple of months ago. They were great and it arrived quickly. This was my first ever GPS so I dont have much experience with them but that being said I highly recommend it. Couldnt be happier.

[Dick Barthel]

I take it that the main advantage of the 478 over say the new Garmin 545 is that it is readily usable in a car? I think the 545 is in the same price range, has a bigger screen but I don't think it can be used in a car. In fact Defenders recently was offering the 545 at around $800. The Garmin 530 does come with inland maps, it doesn't have the same quality resolution as the 545 but is considerably cheaper.

Just curious. I'm still shopping.

Dick

[Joe CD MS 300]

I think the 545 and 530 are designed to be hard wired and the resolution is a step down. There is no internal battery so you can't as easily move from boat to car. The Garmin web site has a good comparison page where you can compare the units you are considering.

[Sea Hunt]

Does anyone have any experience with the Garmin GPS Map 176C unit

I looked at a CD 25D last week that had one installed on a swing arm at the companionway. While it looked nice, I came away with two negative observations:

1. The screen seemed to be small and would be difficult to read from a position at the tiller.

2. The color screen appeared difficult to see in the sunlight. I have since looked at several websites that consumers write into offering their opinions about electronic products, etc. There were many comments that said it was difficult to see in bright sunlight.

The CD 25D is being offered with or without this Garmin GPS. Given my very limited sailing experience (and being electronically "challenged" at best), it seems having a GPS for sailing in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys is unnecessary.

Also, I understand I would have to buy new electronic charts for Biscayne Bay, etc., and install them into this GPS unit. I am told these charts are not necessarily accurate and many are "hit and miss" in terms of depths, shoreline configuration, etc.

Any thoughts, observations, practical experience, etc., is much appreciated.

Fair winds,

[Dick Barthel]

Sea Hunt,

I think for your first few years you would do fine with a hand held GPS and a chart. If you want to free up your hands you can make up a substitute companionway board and affix an adjustable mount from Garmin for about $30. Sitting forward in the cockpit holding the tiller allows easy access with that set up. 25Ds have very long tillers.

Dick

[Trawler Joe]

I had a 176 (b&w) on my prior boat. It is a precursor to the 478, uses the exact same mount etc, but lacks the built in charts and some other capabilities like XM weather, depth, etc. I bought a BlueChart chip for the Puget Sound area, and the chart detail was great It served me well at the time. The screen is small, just like the 478, and that is my biggest complaint about both.

If it's being offered "optional", I don't think you should pay too much for it, given that you'd have to turn around and pay another $200 or more for chart chips. If it's a dirt cheap inclusion, then sure, go for it.

[Derek Matheson]

After much research, I decided to get the Lowrance iWay 250C for the following reasons:
- its only $199 and that includes a 2Gb card with all US and Canada road mapping and navigation
- its a color touchscreen unit with great resolution
- the optional $99 chip for charplotter includes every single stinking chart of the entire US. Yes, all charts for $99. And you can back up the chart to your PC. And you can copy the chart to another SD card!!!
- and you can put in a SD card with photos and give a slideshow
- the chart card can be used in any Lowrance unit
- it has an internal antenna, with port for external as well
- it has an internal Li battery with port for 12V
- you can put in a SD card (any size) with your music on it and play this through external port. Same price as an ipod nano, with GPS!

The downsides?
- The screen is barely readable in sunlight, although great in the cabin.
- its not waterproof, I keep mine in a ziplock bag when on the boat

So far, having car and boat navigation for only $300 is great.

[trapper]

I would appreciate an update on the Garmin 478. I am thinking about purchasing one for my husbands birthday next week. Does anyone use the XM weather?

[Joe CD MS 300]

After having mine for more than a year I am still real happy with the unit. I use it all the time between the car and boat. If you were looking for a car unit only, one of the Garmins in the NUVI series would be the way to go. It might seem a little expensive but considering that it has a few grand worth of charts preloaded I think it was a bargan especially if you get it from an online dealer.

Don't have the weather option. Alrwady had a Sirus receiver on the boat and did not want to pay another monthly fee.

Joe

[trapper]

Thanks Joe. I think I am going to get it. He has several chartplotters (garmin and Lowrance) and a gps on his computer with charts but they are all getting old. They are all at the point of too good to throw away but need something more updated.

With the 478 he can use it in the car too. He can also take it on his little motor boat and onto my Cape Dory. When I showed him the unit his concern was no remote antena but I looked it up and you can use one if you need it. So think I will go ahead and purchase. Again, thanks for the update.

[mgphl52]

I'm "true-blue" fan of Garmin... but I still look for alternatives.
I checked TigerGPS and found the iWAY 250C on sale for $99.99!
http://www.tigergps.com/lowranceiway250c.html
That's hard to beat even if you just use it as a backup...

-michael

[Trawler Joe]

I'm still on the whole very happy with the 478 as well. I don't use the weather option, but I'm thinking of adding sonar module to it soon.

I strongly recommend getting a screen protector (e.g., InvisibleShield) for it immediately. I scratched up my screen a bit, which makes it a little harder to read. I have a screen protector on it now, but it's a bit too late...

[trapper]

Thanks Michael. I had been wanting the Garmin 478, probably more for me than him (and its his b'day). Your post made me look very hard at the Garmin. I rode out to West Marine to look at it and others. One of the things I wanted with the garmin was the ability to use it on the coast and on the lake. The lake map for our lake was all but non-existent-- just an outline of the lake. The 478 is not AIS ready and weather requires a $250. add on and and subscription. He really has all the chartplotters he needs so the 478 was looking like a pretty expensive toy.

I think he would enjoy an auto GPS-- so I bought the Lowrance. We already have lots of Lowrance charts which will fit the 250C and it is a $100 toy in stead of $1000. Again, thanks for the good advice.


I'll let you know how I like it when it comes in.