Choosing the most suitable boating electronics can not only make your boating trips more fun and your fishing more productive, but it can be relative to your well being as well in the event of an emergency. Choosing the right equipment is the first step, but learning to use it properly is equally as important. And that means you’ll have to take the time to learn how to use the equipment whether it’s from instructional videos, manuals, or having someone show you how to use it.

Furthermore, you need to know how to use other navigation methods if your electronic navigation system fails. Knowing how to read navigational charts and plot your course is still a required skill. That being said, here are some tips to help you choose your electronics.

1.      The boat electronics you should choose should be an automatic identification system, or AIS. Its purpose is for Vessel Traffic Services to find and broadcast the identity of boats. Your automatic identification system gear is the most important electronic device you’ll own. It permitts boats to exchange electronic data including position, identification, and course. Vessel Traffic Services stations cause your vessel to show up on computer screens if you have an AIS transponder. If you have an emergency or should become lost this is critical.

2.Your boat electronics package should also include a GPS Plotter as one the important components. One popular option is a multifunction GPS/plotter, which puts multiple functions into one device. Mutifunction displays can even allow you to run radar, GPS and fish finder data on one screen at the same time. They are also relatively easy to expand for other devises and displays.

3.If you have a choice of displays, remember that the larger it is, the easier it will be to see. And keep in mind that on a boat, viewing conditions can be far from optimal due to sun glare, storms, and swells. If you can afford a 10 to 12 inch display, that’s best, but you should definitely choose at least a 7 inch display for your boating electronics.

4.When there is an interest in onboard entertainment you may want to coordinate your mutifunction display for several perifheral electronic devises. They can be connected to satellite television receivers, DVD players, music systems, and some computer devices. These are great extras to have, but don’t get them at the expense of choosing inferior safety equipment. Be sure to mount your navigation equipment in an easily accessed area on the helm.

5.      A depth sounder is another good investment in the safety of your boat. When the weather turns bad a depth sounder combined with your GPS can help find the way back safely to shore.

6.      There is an ever-evolving suite of boating electronics goodies becoming available for marine settings. There are now laptop computers designed specifically for use in boats. These computers perform like standard laptops do, but they can also be loaded with special software like RayTech RNS 6.1, which allows multi-format charting, hsb² electronics integration, and worldwide tides and currents among its many functions.

In summary, GPS plotter, your AIS device, and depth sounder are the most important pieces of marine electronics for your boat because they pertain to your safety and the safety of your passengers. Have these devises in place first, and if it’s in your budget, there are plenty of periferals you can include in the way of entertainment equipment and fish finding devices that you can have fun with.

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