Garmin | On the Water

Team Fuzzy Bear wins one for Garmin

Garmin — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:54:29 -0500

Chalk up another win for Team Garmin!

On April 27th, Carl "Fuzzy Bear" Stopczynski and Team Fuzzy Bear won the 2013 Hoosier Coho Club Pro/Am Tournament in Michigan City, Indiana. Facing off against nearly 30 professional teams, Team Fuzzy Bear squeaked out a win by the slimmest of margins.

Points were tallied as such: 10 points per fish caught (10 max.) and 1 point per ounce to the nearest quarter-ounce. Team Fuzzy Bear caught the maxiumum number of fish that weighed in at 56.55 lbs, edging out the second-place finishers by .15 ounces. That's all it took for Team Fuzzy Bear to take home the trophy.

Congratulations to Carl and his team for a great win!

A Day on the Lake with Scott Turnage

Garmin — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:00:00 -0500

Recently, Scott Turnage from G3 Sportsman set out to break in a new boat for his show. With nothing more than an echo 100 on board, a simple day out on the lake turned out to be an ideal day for fishing:

Most hardcore fisherman feel they have to have the latest greatest technology when it comes to finding fish. No doubt, it is easier, you can pinpoint certain species and, better yet, get much more detail on structure. I, in fact, have been spoiled over the years as well but it wasn't that long ago we used simple graphs to catch fish…lots of fish.

On this particular day, my job was to run and break in a new G3 Eagle 170 for an upcoming video shoot we had planned for later this month. The only electronics on the boat was a Garmin Echo 100. No frills, simple to operate. A black and white fish finder with a retail cost of around $100. After an hour or so of trolling around the lake, I decided to turn on the Echo 100 to check my depth in a cove I was running in to escape the wind. To my surprise, the unit had a very clear screen with much more detail in the display than I anticipated. I could read depth, water temperature and contours of the bottom. With my curiosity heightened, I now wondered if this little unit could pick up structure. As I trolled deeper in the cove where I could see standing timber, the screen lit up with more and more detail of the trees and fallen timber below. Pretty cool but, the ultimate question was, can it find fish?

Now, no fisherman worth his salt would ever be on the water without at least one rod and reel. Even if it were just to run a boat for testing. Here in Missouri, the dogwoods are blooming, the water temps are in the low 60's, and to me that means crappie! So, on to the big test of my little Garmin. I cut the big motor off and turned the Echo 100 (mounted on the console) to where I could read it while running the trolling motor. After several minutes of recon, I soon started seeing (or was hoping I was seeing) small schools of fish holding tight to cover in 8-10 ft depths. Were these really fish or was it loose debris from the structure? The third cast answered my question when a 12" crappie came splashing to the surface and into my boat.

I caught a limit (15) of keeper crappie that afternoon and I'll have to say it felt good knowing you don't have to spend a lot of money for electronics and still catch fish. Is it still easier with the more sophisticated units? You bet it is but on this particular day, armed with my small Echo 100, I caught a limit of fish and had a blast using the simplest of methods in doing so.

What started as a boat test turned out to be a great day fishing!

Garmin and President George H. W. Bush

Garmin — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:51:48 -0500

Not too long ago, our friend Alden Thornton from Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats (then with Fountain Powerboats) was bestowed with a responsibility of presidential proportions: teaching President George H. Bush about our marine products. Needless to say, he was up to the task.

Per his request, President Bush was given a tutorial and opportunity to test the products first-hand off the coast of Maine near his home. Thornton was able to answer any questions that he had and even had President Bush navigate out on the water.

Thanks to Alden for the incredible pictures and for being a great spokesman for us. Happy (Presidential) Boating!

Garmin Chartplotter Makes A Cameo in Dubai

Garmin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:20:54 -0500

Our friends over at Plantation Boat Mart & Marina, based in Florida, recently strayed a little far from home.

As you can see from the recent picture posted to their Facebook page, they got a cool shot of our GPSMAP 7212 while delivering a custom boat in Dubai. If you're curious about what that large, palm tree-like structure is on the screen, that's the Palm Jumeirah, an artificial archipelago located on the coast of Dubai that extends into the Persian Gulf.

Plantation Boat Mart offers custom, new, and used boats, specializing in Hydra Sports (pictured), SeaHunter and Sea Hunt. They have two locations, in Tavernier and Palm Beach Gardens. For more information about Plantation, visit their website.

SeaHunter Features GPSMAP 8000 Series on New 45' Center Console

Garmin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:46:24 -0500

Now that's a good looking helm!

Recently, on their Facebook page, SeaHunter Boats showcased their new 45' Center Console, outfitted with our brand new GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series. If you're not able to tell from the picture, on the outside of the helm are two GMM 190's, our new 19" monitors that are part of our GPSMAP 8500 Black Box series. For the center screen above the steering column is a 15" display, the GPSMAP 8215.

Our GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series is our newest flagship series of multi-function devices that we announced at the Miami Boat Show. The Glass Helm Series provides our most powerful, technologically advanced and easiest to use charplotter solutions that we've ever offered. Maintain a true glass helm feel while being powerfully simple.

SeaHunter Boats is based in Princeton, FL, and produces riding boats from 18' to 45'. To learn more about SeaHunter and authorized dealers, visit the SeaHunter website.

Introducing the GMI 20 and GHC 20, More Vibrant and Easier to Use Marine Instrumentation

Garmin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0500

Today, we're proud to announce the GMI 20 and GHC 20, our premier instrumentation that bridges both the powerboat and sail instrument lineup. Boasting a new interface that’s easier to use than ever before, the GMI 20 and GHC 20 prove to be vital components in any helm.

The GMI 20 has a bonded 4-inch color screen that displays depth, speed, wind, engine information and over 100 marine and vessel-specific parameters based off of whatever your preference is. The GMI 20 is designed to fulfill the purpose of the GMI 10 while further expanding functionality by providing more information in a larger and brighter format.

The GHC 20 also has a bonded 4-inch color screen that is designed to display and provide control of autopilot functions. Also with a larger and brighter display, the GHC 20 is compatible with legacy Garmin autopilots while also being compatible with newer autopilot systems that we offer. The GHC 20 can also be operated wirelessly with an autopilot remote and quatix, our marine watch. New autopilot corepacks, such as the GHP 10, GHP 12 and GHP 20, will have the GHC 20 included.

With an updated user interface, both the GMI and GHC 20 provide menus and gauges that match our new GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series. While more user friendly and a more intuitive layout, the GMI and GHC 20 have the ability to be flush or flat-mounted, preserving the glass helm appearance that the GPSMAP 8000 Glass Helm Series provides.

With a choice of red/black, green/black or the normal nightmode color scheme, the GMI and GHC 20 have LED backlighting that gives the ability to display information much dimmer than the previous GMI and GHC models could. Daylight readability has also been enhanced. With a higher contrast color scheme and wider viewing angle, the GMI and GHC 20 provide for better clarity and visibility in any sunlight. Also, the glass-bonded display of the GMI and GHC 20 ensures that no condensation forms within the unit.

A new feature introduced on the GMI 20 is auto-scroll. With auto-scroll, you can designate how quickly the pages cycle without any intervention. The layout can be customized to scroll at different time intervals, thus allowing the freedom to install the unit in a greater variety of places and easily access the information from longer distances. This grants you the ability to utilize one instrument for multiple uses.

The GMI 20 and GHC 20 are scheduled to be available in the second quarter of 2013. For additional information regarding the GMI 20 and GHC 20, visit www.garmin.com.

Garmin is Proud to Introduce the GHP 20 Autopilot for Yamaha Helm Master

Garmin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0500

Today, we're happy to introduce our new GHP 20 Yamaha steer-by-wire autopilot – a marine autopilot certified for Yamaha Helm Master systems. As a controller area network-based electronic steering system, the Yamaha Helm Master allows for direct autopilot control of the primary steering with no additional autopilot pump required.

Yamaha Helm Master is a fully integrated boat control system, including joystick, engineered for powerboats with twin or triple Yamaha outboard engines. The system uses state-of-the-art electronics and, with integrated joystick functionality, provides easy, 360-degree maneuvering capabilities. With the system,you can confidently move the boat forward, backward, sideways or diagonally, as well as rotating on its own axis, to accomplish docking maneuvers in tricky or crowded marinas.

The Garmin GHP 20 Yamaha marine autopilot system provides superior control algorithms for unmatched autopilot performance. The GHP 20 Yamaha system will interface to a Yamaha Helm Master boat via an included gateway and take control for heading hold, basic patterns or GPS routes while the Helm Master system is in normal steering mode. Taking advantage of the dynamic gain adjustments based on tachometer information provided by the Yamaha system, the GHP 20 Yamaha system offers optimal performance at all speeds.

With the GHP 20 Yamaha marine autopilot system, you will enjoy features found throughout our existing line of autopilots, including Shadow Drive technology – a capability that automatically disengages the autopilot if the helm is turned, allowing for quick and safe manual maneuvers without manually disengaging the autopilot. The autopilot will automatically re-engage once a steady course is re-established. Additionally, this new steer-by-wire autopilot works as a system-wide heading sensor, which enables MARPA and chart overlay when connected to a Garmin chartplotter and radar. For easy installation and integration with other Garmin products, the GHP 20 steer-by-wire autopilot has full NMEA 2000 connectivity.

The GHP 20 Yamaha system will utilize the Garmin GHC 10 autopilot control unit, which was designed to help you configure and control the autopilot. With an easy-to-read 3.5” color display, three soft keys, and a dedicated “standby” button, you can benefit from the simple, interactive interface, and will be able to control the heading of the boat with the press of a button.

The GHP 20 Yamaha marine autopilot system is scheduled to be available in the second quarter of 2013. For more information on the GHP 20 for Yamaha, visit www.garmin.com/marine.

BlueChart Mobile Updates, Version 1.2 Now Available

Garmin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:00:00 -0500

We recently updated BlueChart Mobile, our marine and trip-planning appication, to include some handy new features that allow for easier app navigation and sharing capability. Here is the listing and description of what's new in 1.2:

Catches - This new feature allows you the ability to mark those memorable catches and fishing hot spots. You can log what type of fish, what lure or bait was used, and many more fields that help document the catch. If the optional Radar and Satellite Imagery Weather was purchased, the log will document what type of weather conditions you were in. Also, the latitude and longitude is automatically determined based off of location.

Place Vessel - This allows you to change the location of your vessel for planning purposes. Basically, this acts as a simulated position when not in a particular location. It allows you to search for wayponts and points-of-interest based off of proximity to the vessel location, even if the vessel isn't currently there.

Moveable Waypoints and Catches - You can change the location of pre-existing waypoints and catches on the map. Also, if there is a certain set of coordinates that you want to mark or navigate to, you can enter these in the designated field and it will automatically mark that point on the map. You can also add pictures to your points to show off that 'big catch'.

Map Marker and Route Line Size - A great new feature that allows you to customize how large or thick the map marker or route line appears on the screen. This is especially nice if using BCM on an iPhone, as it allows you to dictate how much of the screen is occupied by these markers and line. This will also change the size of the ActiveCaptain and waypoint icons.

E-mail, Facebook and Twitter - Now, share your routes, tracks, waypoints and catches via email and post or tweet for bragging rights. Don't want to show everyone your secret fishing spot? BCM removes the coordinates and any geotagging before posted socially.

Photos - Now, you can add photos to your routes, catches, waypoints and tracks so you can relive them or show them off to others.

BlueChart Mobile, version 1.2, is now available in the App Store now. Happy Planning!

HomePort 2.2 Marine Planning Software Now Available

Garmin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:58:21 -0500

Attention all you voyage planners! The newly released HomePort 2.2 can make your lives easier.

HomePort 2.2 allows you to take existing BlueChart g2, BlueChart g2 Vision, LakeVü HD and LakeVü HD Ultra navigational map information and use it on your computer to plan your next getaway, allowing you the freedom to plan your trip anywhere.

Not only can you manage waypoints, routes and tracks, HomePort 2.2 has been fully integrated with ActiveCaptain. ActiveCaptain is an online community that provides content and reviews from fellow anglers, mariners, fishermen and sailors about various points of interest from hazards to hotspots, food to fuel and many, many more.

Speaking of fuel, HomePort can also help predict fuel usage, along with tides, depth profiles and more. Sonar playback has also been added which gives the capability to store information from past voyages right to your computer. In addition, you can quickly create point-to-point routes and determine certain distances and bearing measurements, all while calculating your estimated travel time for each leg of the journey.

Once everything has been mapped out and you're ready to set sail, transfer the data back from your computer to the chartplotter via plug-in microSD/SD card. The weather is finally nice, so don't sit there a second longer. Learn more and plan your next adventure with HomePort 2.2. Happy Sailing!

Forget About Dogs, Welcome to the Fish-Eat-Fish World!

Garmin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:00:00 -0500

Never has the old idiom "one's eyes are bigger than one's stomach" been more apparent than with what you're about to see.

Our friends over at Field & Stream recently featured a video of a fisherman approaching two fish that were seemingly locked up and floating to the water's surface. Upon further inspection, the fisherman realized that he was about to pull in a 'keeper' fish...that was trying to swallow another 'keeper' fish whole.

This is what urban legends are made of and is sure to be a tale that will be told time and time again. Fortunately enough, the events were recorded, forever proving the story to be true. Have a great weekend and Happy Fishing!

*Spoiler Alert* - The video concludes with a happy ending!