Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

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unomas
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Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby unomas » Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:52 pm

FOR OWNERS of a recent 190 MONTAUK: what is the maximum [physical] size for a chartplotter for a 190 MONTAUK?

[From this forum posting] I hope to receive real-world installation advice.

BACKSTORY. Hello everyone, my first post here. I have ordered a 2022 Montauk 190 expected to arrive in May to July 2022.

I may buy a Garmin 8610 or 8612 [chart plotter, multi-function display, and SONAR combination device]

I always see a 7-inch [electronic chart plotter] installed [on 190 MONTAUK boats]. There seems to be room for a larger unit. I have written to Boston Whaler [to ask about the maximum physical size]. I am waiting for their reply.

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Re: Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby jimh » Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:09 pm

There is no particular necessity that you MUST flush mount the chart plotter into a space on the helm dash board. To have a 12-inch or even larger chart plotter seems possible if the chart plotter were mounted on a bracket mounted atop the helm console.

If you have reasonable visual acuity, a high-resolution 8-inch or 10-inch display on a chart plotter should be very useful. While it is impressive to see very large chart plotters flush mounted at the helm of large yachts, a 190 MONTAUK is just an open 19-footer, and you don't really need a professional grade ECDIS (Electronic chart and data information system) 24-inch display to navigate coastal or inland water or to be able to enjoy the boat.

You have about nine months to come to a decision. I would wait for the latest models to be introduced, which typically occurs at major boat shows in the winter. Usually marine electronic manufacturers always show their newest products then, perhaps at the Miami International Boat Show or other events of major significance.

Also, because Boston Whaler corporate parent Brunswick has just acquired the NAVICO company, makers of a very wide range of marine electronic products, I would expect that by the time your 2022 boat is being manufactured, there may be new options available for factory-installed chart plotters, radios, and SONAR gear made by NAVICO.

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Phil T
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Re: Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby Phil T » Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:41 pm

Given the ability to display engine data on the plotter, I recommend you purchase a plotter with the largest size possible for the dash. I would estimate that to be in the 10-12 inch screen size. Review the full dimensions as some units have thick bezels and others are less so.
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jimh
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Re: Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby jimh » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:02 pm

If you want to display engine data from a Mercury engine on a chart plotter, you need to pay very close attention to that configuration. A Garmin chart plotter will likely require that you purchase an expensive protocol convertor from Mercury to permit engine data from a Mercury engine in the Smartcraft protocol to be displayed on a Garmin chartplotter using standard NMEA-2000 protocols;

I expect that integration of Mercury engine data with NAVICO chartplotters will be much simplified now that Brunswick owns both Mercury Marine and NAVICO.

unomas
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Re: Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby unomas » Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:17 am

Thanks folks for the replies. The Montauk 190 helm just seems to be made for for a 10 to 12-inch flush mount display. Shopping for new electronics has been fun for me. I will look into SIMRAD chart plotters and SONAR. They may be easier to display Mercury engine data rather than Garmin which requires a $650 accessory.

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Phil T
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Re: Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby Phil T » Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:09 pm

I would also watch pricing of the current models when the "new" models come out.

I would be wary of any promises of integration with Navonics. EDIT - NAVICO, This type of acquisition is not without serious hiccups.

Give consideration to Lowrance. (Edit) Pre-Aquisition, they appear to be more "plug and play" with engine data.
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Re: Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby jimh » Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:38 pm

Phil T wrote:I would be wary of any promises of integration with Navonics.

Navionics is a brand of electronic charts; Navionics is owned by GARMIN.

Brunswick owns NAVICO. NAVICO makes Simrad, Lowrance, and B&G chart plotters.

Simrad chart plotters have been able since c.2016 to connect to Smartcraft networks and get data from a Mercury engine without requiring purchase of a protocol convertor. See

https://www.leisurecoastmarine.com.au/i ... o-nss-nso/

I suspect the bugs have all been worked out in the five years since the introduction. Again, I expect that Boston Whaler will soon be switching their factory-installed electronics to a NAVICO brand, probably Simrad.

For really good, solid advice, you should talk with your Mercury dealer--if he is aware of this topic. If YOUR dealer is not aware, I recommend David Wade Marine. He is a certified Mercury dealer and technician, and he seems to be able to answer ANY question about Smartcraft.

Link: http://www.davidwademarine.com

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Re: Montauk 190: Maximum Dimensions of Chart Plotter

Postby unomas » Thu Sep 23, 2021 10:37 am

I suspect that someday Boston Whaler might switch to SIMRAD electronics.

I could be wrong but I haven't found any chartplotter manufacture that will just plug into current Mercury outboards without the use of this $500 item, the Mercury-Mercruiser 8M0165589 NMEA 2000 CAN-P SmartCraft Gateway.

In the grand money scheme of things, this frees up the owner to select various manufactures and find one that suits their current needs.

Again thanks for all the suggestions and information.

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Some Comments on Smartcraft Integration with NMEA-2000

Postby jimh » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:07 pm

All the standard devices for marine electronic use the standard NMEA-2000 network connection. Mercury alone has their own network on which their engines connect to their own instruments. They call this Smartcraft. To electrically connect a chart plotter with a NMEA-2000 interface to a Smartcraft network requires some sort of protocol convertor. The protocol convertor has two network connections, one on the Smartcraft network and a second on the NMEA-2000 network. At the least, the protocol convertor handles the difference in connectors and perhaps difference in electrical specifications between the two engines. However, the data on each network is not compatible with the other network. The data on the network on one side of a protocol convertor, say the Smartcraft see, has to be converted to the proper format for the other side of the converter, the NMEA-2000 side, and vice-versa. The problem may be that for some data there may not be an equivalent data format on the other network.

The special firmware upgrades to NAVICO must allow better integration of the Mercury engine data on the NAVICO chart plotters, more so than you would get without that firmware upgrade. The added-value is probably is the ability to read some proprietary Mercury engine datagrams for which there are no equivalents in NMEA-2000, and to send back some proprietary datagram to the Smartcraft network.

If Boston Whaler is on the ball, by the time they build your boat for deliver in summer of 2022, they will probably already have switched over to NAVICO products for factory-installed electronics.

Many years ago Brunswick bought a company called NAVMAN. Boston Whaler very soon afterwards began to deliver their boats with NAVMAN radios, NAVMAN SONARs, and NAVMAN chart plotters as factory-installed options. Unfortunately, Brunswick could not sustain NAVMAN as a competitive marine electronics manufacturer; the competition with other brands was too much. In the end, Brunswick killed off NAVMAN, which was a shame, as NAVMAN had at that time some very good products not available in other brands.

The deal with NAVICO is much different than with NAVMAN. NAVMAN was a little company in New Zealand making some good products, but they were not market leaders in general products like radios, chart plotters, and SONARs. NAVICO is a much larger company, with three enormously good brands, Lowrance, Simrad, and B&G. For the price Brunswick paid to acquire NAVICO, you can be certain that Brunswick will not abandon them down the road in three years. Brunswick will use NAVICO on their own boats, and NAVICO will continue to be extremely competitive in the general electronics marketplace.

There is always a chance for some backlash with independent boat builders who pre-rig boats with electronics. An independent boat builder might not want to buy an electronics product from Brunswick. There could be some drop in sales to independents. But boaters who buy and install their own electronics won't really give a hoot if NAVICO is owned by Brunswick. If those boaters like Lowrance, or those yachties like Simrad, or those sailors like B&G, they will keep buying them.