Furuno vs Garmin

[Ironworker]

Over the years I've had Furuno, Sitex and for the last 10 years Garmin equipment on my boats. Now I'm getting ready to outfit my B31 with electronics and I'd like everyone's opinion. A little background..

First, I've narrowed down my choice to just Furuno or Garmin. Two years ago I attended the MIA boat show to check out both. I was very disappointed in the Furuno MFD at the time which I believe was Navnet. Garmin with their 86xx units were much better. However, my experience with Garmin fishfinders is that they are functional but not much else. Since a lot of my bottom fishing is 800' to 1200' and I'm going to use this boat for swordfishing, I've installed a Airmar CM599LH chirp transducer pocket mount in the boat.

I had pretty much decided to go with the Garmin 8612 and the GSD 26 as the base unit. But I've been holding off because those units are getting a little long in the tooth and I was expecting them to be updated shortly. But I've seen a couple of threads on the new Furuno TZT3 and watched their videos and I'm pretty impressed with their MFD's.

So does anyone have any experience with the new Furuno equipment especially the DI-FFAMP box? Opinions on the two different systems?

I can live with a marginal plotter but I've got to have the best fish finder, I can reasonably buy.

[scenarioL113]

I have a new Garmin Chartplotter/sounder this year. 7" unit CV74 UHD. I like it and I purchased the extra detailed maps that include the bottom high resolution contours.
It is good and pretty easy to use.

The only complaint I have is that it writes/draws kind of slow. I have to call tech support to see if it is something that I did wrong possibly with the downloaded detailed charts possibly. I think in this day and age that any unit should draw fast enough to keep up and be instant when you enlarge or zoom the map.

My .02 and I am technically challenged in this dept so this may be my problem and not the unit...

[Tony Meola]

Rick

Unfortunately I have not run a furano finder in many years. Last two units have been Garmin. Just put an 8612 on the boat this summer. I did not update the transducer since the boat was in the water. I will be changing it out this spring. What I can say is that the 8612 is pretty impressive compared to the 5212 I used to have.

[EarleyBird]

While your asking for an opinion, I have owned my 31 since August of 1986. She had a 6” Furuno paper machine. Next the Furuno 7000 and corresponding transducer. Moved from Bridge to Cabin as a back-up, still works great. After that presently have the TZT 9 and AirMar B275 LH-W transducer with the DFF1-UHD. Transducer is Flush mounted in the boats centerline in a fiberglass box. The 9 and black box are presently at Furuno in Camas, Washington for a software update. I just bought the TZtouch3 12F and new Radome 4RSD-NXT. Sold my old Radar 1731 Mark 111 to a friend..cheap, and am putting the TZT 9 up for sale on EBay when I get it back. Have had Furuno for 34 years, performed flawlessly and fish 1000 feet or more every year. The BEST. On top of that I was in the US Merchant Marine for 30 years though in the Engineroom every vessel had Furuno in the Wheelhouse. Need I say more. EarleyBird

[Ironworker]

While your asking for an opinion, I have owned my 31 since August of 1986. She had a 6” Furuno paper machine. Next the Furuno 7000 and corresponding transducer. Moved from Bridge to Cabin as a back-up, still works great. After that presently have the TZT 9 and AirMar B275 LH-W transducer with the DFF1-UHD. Transducer is Flush mounted in the boats centerline in a fiberglass box. The 9 and black box are presently at Furuno in Camas, Washington for a software update. I just bought the TZtouch3 12F and new Radome 4RSD-NXT. Sold my old Radar 1731 Mark 111 to a friend..cheap, and am putting the TZT 9 up for sale on EBay when I get it back. Have had Furuno for 34 years, performed flawlessly and fish 1000 feet or more every year. The BEST. On top of that I was in the US Merchant Marine for 30 years though in the Engineroom every vessel had Furuno in the Wheelhouse. Need I say more. EarleyBird

I'm definitely leaning towards the TZT3 12" unit but it's been very frustrating to get quotes on electronics. I'm looking to spend $20K plus but apparently electronics dealers are too busy to provide a quote.

[bob lico]

EarleyBird i am with you 100% with Furuno UND-DFF1 transducer center keel flush mount but got to give it a solid 10 on installation difficulty compare with a 3 for putting cummins 6BTA -M3 engine in a 31 Bertram. i used that with full screen 12'" TZTouch 11 in 2000' of water.

[EarleyBird]

Mr. Lico, cutting a hole the size of AirMar’s B 275 LH-W in the bottom centerline just forward of the mid-ship bulkhead on my ol’Girl was enough to give me CPR! A good friend of mine helped tremendously in making a mold using several pieces of 3/4” plywood stacked copying the surface area of the transducer glassing it all to 1/4” thick.....but cutting the hole in almost 1” solid fiberglass, need I say more. It all came together and works with the TZT 9/ DFF1-UHD perfectly. Now this year see how it works with the TZtouch3 12 F. In addition 488 running hours this year, the 270 Cummins now have over 5,000hrs. Almost, one shy, 100 tuna fish this year. EarleyBird

[Tony Meola]

I'm definitely leaning towards the TZT3 12" unit but it's been very frustrating to get quotes on electronics. I'm looking to spend $20K plus but apparently electronics dealers are too busy to provide a quote.

Are you going to do the installation yourself? If you are, then buy it online. I tried two years in a row to try and get my Garmin local. Told the guy what I was looking for, asked him what would you recommend. He gave me three Choices, Raymarine, Furuno and Garmin. I said ok work up the numbers, nothing, zilch, nada. Two years in a row. Wound up buying it online otherwise I was going to miss out on a bunch of rebates if I went looking around to someone else. Next nearest dealer was 40 miles away, and had to close the deal in the same day to get the rebates, so went online.

[Ironworker]

Are you going to do the installation yourself? If you are, then buy it online. I tried two years in a row to try and get my Garmin local. Told the guy what I was looking for, asked him what would you recommend. He gave me three Choices, Raymarine, Furuno and Garmin. I said ok work up the numbers, nothing, zilch, nada. Two years in a row. Wound up buying it online otherwise I was going to miss out on a bunch of rebates if I went looking around to someone else. Next nearest dealer was 40 miles away, and had to close the deal in the same day to get the rebates, so went online.

I'm installing my electronics in two phases.

Phase one - Plotters, black box depth sounder, VHF and antennas. All this I can handle myself.

Phase two - Autopilot and radar, etc.. These I'm likely going to have a professional install which I explained to each of the companies that I requested quotes.

But, I think you are correct, I might as well buy on line. I'm hoping to get some boat show discounts.

[bob lico]

ironworker that post on transducer installation is exactly how i did it (making plywood mold with a ton of mold release coating to pull mold out) i made mine 3/8" solid and then lay up a big area inside hull so that i had 3/4" of epoxy lay up over the transducer. quite a bit of planning but the results were perfect as to installation you can use a 12 year old computer savvy kid. a 10 minute job . a furuno server with a bunch of Ethenet cables plug in ( make sure they are marine grade (tiny little stainless clip on side of plug so it is vibration proof.) i want the most expensive cabling you can find no "deals" losing radar depth recorded in total blackness coming in rocky inlet not cool!!!! i have twin Garmin in boat out in eastern long island ,twin Simrad in the center console and twin Furuno in my 31 Bertram ,all are twin 12" displays. sonar : Furuno no contest, radar Furuno best and Simrad close, GPS all about equal. my opinion but then again if your boat sits at the dock and you on occasion you go to dinner with boat then don't bother get the least expensive you can get a deal on.remember the Furuno is all plug and play you really cannot combine correctly.