GPS from US????

[alystra]

Originally Posted by Pinto

Hi

I do not have much of a clue about GPSs, having just recently bought my first RIB. After much to-ing and fro-ing I think I have narrowed it down to the Garmin 276c - unless anyone can advise me otherwise!

I realise that there is a huge price difference if bought from the States - can anyone give me any advise as to what to look out for, or any mishaps you might have had with such a purchase that I should try to avoid.

Ta

Viv

Hi Viv,

I see you are based in Glasgow, so no doubt you will be buzzing around our west coast waters sooner or later. Before I realised that I couldn't afford a plotter I was looking at Garmin, but discounted them because their chart 'module'? cut off point runs east/west through the Firth of Lorne.

This means that if you want to go from Crinan to Tobermory you will have to buy two of their chart sets - and they are expensive (hundreds of pounds). Plotters that can use Cmap charts are better I think, because you will only need one set of those charts.

I finally settled on an old used Garmin GPS and bought the RYA Electronic Chart Plotter program with chart pack 12. (See thread 'chart plotter tuition ' in the Ribs and Ribbing forum.) Much cheaper set up, but not quite as good as a plotter.

Cheers, Tony

[Jeff]

Hi Viv
The "regular" as opposed to small Bluecharts give the West coast of Scotland on one card/unlock code:
Jeff

[alystra]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Hi Viv
The "regular" as opposed to small Bluecharts give the West coast of Scotland on one card/unlock code:
Jeff

I stand corrected Jeff, that looks OK.

Cheers Tony

[rbw156]

I purchase my Eagle from the US. Eagle are the low cost brand of Lowrance. I saved around £300. I purchased the charts in the UK.

Technically the shipping company, eg DHL will add VAT (at the normal rate of 17.5%) and duty (around 4%) onto the declared import value of the goods. The biggest risk IMHO is if you need to make a warranty claim, in which case you would have to return the item to the US, however, when you weight up the cost of return vs the saving IMHO it is a risk worth taking.

If you are interested I can supply the company I purchased from. I can't vouch for them, other than I purchased mine from them.