GPS

I am looking at getting a portable GPS for the boat. Any good recommendations?

are you using it for speed or for navigation. I recommend getting a cheap refurbed one. I picked up a nice refurbed tom tom and it is dedicated on the boat. I only use it for speed. One thing to consider is what the speed reads out. We had a hand held unit that gave tenths of mph, my tomtom only gives whole numbers (ex: 22.8 mph vs 22 mph). Doesn't make a huge difference, just food for thought.

I will be using it mainly for navigation. We will be going to a different lake this year and I am not familiar with it. So I do not want to get lost. But it would be an added bonus if it can tell accurate speed too.

I have a Garmin Etrex that with the right maps loaded can show lake depth, terrain elevation, speed, altitude, etc. The screen is pretty small & interesting to read sometimes.

And I have a Garmin Streetpilot that shows all the streets, speed, Bluetooth handsfree, & MP3 playback. The screen is twice the size & very easy to operate. But there are no maps available for it to show details in the lake.

Verify that whatever GPS you buy actually supports the lake you are going to. I was going to get a Garmin that had the lakes app and found that most of the lakes I go to are not supported.

Been using this for 3 years on my boat. cheap and does everything you mentioned and more.

http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Outdoors/iFINDER-H2O/

I have a mount made by RAM that works really well.

Go with a Garmin. If you want lake maps, just check to be sure the lakes you're going to are on their inland lakes map set. I use a GPSmap60CX and it works great. I also use it on a handlebar mount for snowmobile maps. If you want a larger display, you could get a Nuvi 550, they're also waterproof like the handhelds.

GARMIN FOR SURE. Rhino's are great models. I use mine on the boat and in the woods. Tons of up to date software. Intergrated 2-way FMRS channels. Color screen is a plus. NOAA weather channel. Water proof, Double check the Nuvi, my 660 isn't water proof. Go GARMIN! They lock on faster and don't lose Sat. reception like other manufacturers. }

Yes- The 660 is not waterproof. The only Nuvis that are waterproof are the 500 and the 550. They would be great in a boat because of the large screen.

I have a Nuvi 200W that I took to Lake Powell a couple of times. I was surprised to see that it showed pretty good detail for the lake. It showed all of the small fingers off the major bays and canyons with the names displayed and also the trail heads if your into hiking or looking for petroglyph's. They are not recomended for boats because they are not waterproof but you can get a card for different lakes. Also the Garmin GPSMap 431 has preloaded lakes and rivers.

I just checked on Mapsource, Lake Powell is on the Garmin Inland Lakes program. If you have a Garmin unit, you have Mapsource to manage your maps. You can buy Inland Lakes (or download it for free), and you'll have the actual detailed Lake Powell maps.

I could not find Lewis smith lake in Alabama on garmin website. Am I missing something? They didn't have most of the biggest lakes listed.