GARMIN GPSMAP® 740s Chartplotter / Sounder with No Transducer

christo15

christo15

New Member
Oct 15, 2013
275
Stamford, CT "Ponus Yacht Club"
Boat Info
2002 320 DA Sea Ray, Garmin 741xs
Engines
350 Mercruisers V-drives
Looking to do an electronics overhaul on our 320 and I really like the design and ease of use with the Garmin gpsmap 740s. Any thoughts?
 
I'm really happy with it and you can get it at a great price right now. it is very intuitive.

I'll keep an eye on this thread so ask any questions you have.

MM
 
I bought one - haven't installed it yet but played with it in the kitchen and set up the display. I will be tying it in with the smartcraft output to get engine data on the display.
 
That's very cool. I plan to do the same..but I'll need help. Which radar dome is paired with the display? And what is the overall cost?
 
It looks (from your pix) that you already have a dome, but if that's your original one and it's not digital, it won't work work with the new unit. You must get a Garmin dome to pair with the 740s and it must be current (digital). Which one you get probably depends on what type of range you want and how large a unit will fit up there.

I have an old Raytheon open array which I will keep and use with my ancient RL80c. I will not use the 740s as a radar display or as a sounder. It will be the chartplotter and display for engine data. The RL80C will be the back-up plotter and radar display and the TriData will handle depth.

As for the cost, the 740s can be had for around $800 right now. Not sure what the domes cost - quick scan of West Marine site shows an 18" for around $2K. Talk to Jim, the owner of this site. He has very good prices and will help you determine what exactly you will need.

The cost of the stuff to get engine data on the display is around $700.
 
You're completely right. We have an even worse system then you have. We have the original RL70 in black and white and the radar is spotty. We want to get rid of that and replace it with all new.

We would probably go with a new dome, the new 740s, and whatever else is necessary. So I'm looking at a nice 3k out of my bank account.

If you could point me in Jim's direction that would be great. I'm planning to do the installation and purchase come spring, but I'd like to plan it all out. Thanks for the help.
 
christo15 said:
You're completely right. We have an even worse system then you have. We have the original RL70 in black and white and the radar is spotty. We want to get rid of that and replace it with all new.

We would probably go with a new dome, the new 740s, and whatever else is necessary. So I'm looking at a nice 3k out of my bank account.

If you could point me in Jim's direction that would be great. I'm planning to do the installation and purchase come spring, but I'd like to plan it all out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

BOE Marine - Marine Electronics / Yacht Brokerage - www.BOEmarine.com - 866-735-5926

You can also send a private message to: CSR_Admin
 
christo15 said:
Ifyou could point me in Jim's direction that would be great. I'm planning to do the installation and purchase come spring, but I'd like to plan it all out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

The fantastic pricing on the 740s is to clear inventory for the new model. Be sure to get Jim to advise you on your proposed timing as the inventory might be running out. The 740s is an awesome unit, especially at the current discount.
 
Mike's got you the info above. If you need the stuff for the Smartcraft to NMEA2000, let me know. I'd check with Merc to be sure your engines have a hookup for smartcraft. 2002 might be too early and you don't want to spend $700 to find out you don't have the data.
 
Some info in the data display starts here, POST #13

Gather your engine serial numbers and call merc at 920-929-5040. Just to make sure you engines can produce what you're looking for.
 
I don't have the budget for the smart craft feature right now as much as I'd like to have it. Thanks for the help with that though in case I change my mind.
 
The Garmin rep at the boat show said this unit did not have the "pinch to zoom" feature the newer one has. I am not sure if he was trying to get me to invest almost double on the new one but he was talking it up as being much faster and better. Does "pinch to zoom" really make a big difference? I too thought this unit looked great for the price.
 
Pinch to zoom is a pretty sweet feature if done right. If it lags or anything it would have no advantage to the regular zooming feature on the 740s. But.. even if the design were flawless it still isn't worth the price.
 
The 741 was made in answer to Raymarine's e series. It has bluetooth capabilities and you can move btwn screens with a sweep (I think). Cool gadgetry but not worth double the price (at least not to me). The 740s is touchscreen with very fast re-draw, it's a MFD and a plotter and is NMEA2000. That's what I was looking for.
 
Hi.
I just got it for Xmas can't wait to install. For valitines day I should be getting the dome. So the engine data only works for new engines? I thought it would hook up too the gauges and give u rpm data.

Saverio
 
I installed the 740 to replace my RL70 and installed the GMR24HD last spring. Very nice unit, but it did not cover the entire hole left from the R70. For the interim time I ordered a black plastic piece to cover the remaining open area above and below the 740 after the install. Still trying to find a better looking more permanent solution. The GMR24HD radar looks too big for the 320, so I would recommend getting the GMR18HD if you do not need the extended range. I mounted it on a forward leaning Seaview mount with the masthead light integrated and it performs very well on the lake. Running the radar wires was pretty easy as I used the previous unit's wires to guide the new ones back to the helm. Hope this helps!
 
Hanger
You can get a fiberglass guy to fix the hole so it looks like it was never there. Couldn't tell you what it would cost.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,118
Messages
1,426,539
Members
61,035
Latest member
Lukerney
Back
Top