Garmin GPSMAP 440s and 540s

[davisr]

I sat down the other day and drew the dimensions of the 441s and 541s on a piece of paper. I was really surprised at the difference between the two. The screens are measured on the diagonal, just like television screens. The screen on the 441s is actually smaller than a standard deck of cards. The 541s screen, on the other hand, is a much larger. Given that I must mount mine on the cabin bulkhead and view it from the tiller, at a distance of several feet, I have decided that for own my set-up, the 541s is the only option. If it were closer, I'd certainly go with the 441s.

I'm also thinking that it would probably be good to go ahead and by the newer 541s version with NMEA 2000, as opposed to the older 540s. In a few years I might be glad I paid the extra $80. There's also that issue of the antenna, which is supposed to make the newer version faster.

At any rate, I did like you did, Bright Eyes, and went to West Marine with my numbers from gpsonsale.com. They are willing to match. Not sure which vendor I should go with. I am wondering now about warranty issues. Did you buy the extended warranty from West Marine? Is that what you are talking about in your post?

Thanks,
Roscoe

[Bright Eyes]

I went with West Marine. They have a no hassel return policy and are always willing to help/answer questions. The unit comes with a one year warranty. West Marine sells an additional 2 year warranty for about $80. I passed on it.

Finding a cheap and effective way to mount it was harder than I thought but I eventually found an Edson GPS Arm Mount at Bacon for $120 that worked well. The wiring was simple and I can easily remove the unit to store below when not in use.




I am now figuring out how to install the In-Hull transducer.

We decided to mount our autopilot display in the bulkhead so we will both have that project as well.

Good Luck with your installation.

[davisr]

Looks like a nice piece of hardware for mounting that 441s just where you want it.

I hear what you're saying about the two year extended warranty at West Marine. The more I think about it, the more I'll probably just take my chances with the one year factory warranty. Last night I read the small print in the WM warranty that I picked up at the store. Power surge is the main thing that's covered. I guess that's why the sales people at the store kept talking about lightning.

I'm still trying to settle on a thru-hull transducer to fill the existing hole. There is a deadrise of about 15-20 degrees. The previous owner did not use a fairing block. I know that to get the right performance out of the thru-hull I will need to use a block, or will need to install a tilted element transducer.

Attached are pictures of both techniques. Just wondering what success others might have had. I'm leaning towards the titled element version. Seems like it would be worth the $60 extra bucks not to have to buy the fairing block and install it.

Suggestions?

Thanks,
Roscoe