Garmin GPSMAP 430 Color Marine GPS

Made by the most respected name in the Global Positioning System market, the Garmin GPSMAP 430 Color Marine GPS unit is one of the best units out there for the money.

Pros

The Garmin GPSMAP 430 Color Marine GPS is sleek, waterproof, saves space and is loaded with handy features to make any boater happy to hit the water. Priced at around $550 to $599, this marine GPS unit is pre-loaded with detailed information about lake depths, boat ramps, markers, marinas, tide and current info, and danger areas for every inland lake in the United States.

That's a lot of data in a tiny unit, but this GPS system has the memory to store even more data – up to 3,000 waypoints, 10,000 track log points and 50 reversible routes. The GPSMAP 430 displays data on a crisp 4" QVGA that can be viewed in any lighting situation.

Cons

The let-down about the Garmin GPSMAP 430 is that you need an add-on package to get the upgrade features. Without the GPSMAP 430x package, you won't get the bonus features like the GXM-31 antenna that allows real-time weather from XM. This means you miss out on NEXRAD radar, current weather and forecasts, sea surface temperatures, and wind and wave direction – all features that could have been in the Garmin GPSMAP 430, but aren't. Keep in mind, too, that this unit is only for freshwater use.

The Gist

The overall message here is that the Garmin GPSMAP 430 Color Marine GPS is a great nautical GPS unit, no bones about it. But for a little extra cash, you could upgrade to the 430x to get more memory, data and flexibility.