The 5 Best Rated Marine GPS for 2021

The 5 Best Rated Marine GPS – Check our best marine GPS guide to get ready for your sea adventures.

Check Top 5 Marine GPS

Ranking The Best Boat GPS On The Market

Garmin GPSMAP 78sc Waterproof Marine GPS
Dragonfly 5 Pro Sonar/GPS RAYMARINE E70293
Lowrance Fish Finder GPS Combos Hook2-7
Garmin eTrex 10 Outdoor Handheld GPS Unit
Garmin GPSMAP 64s Handheld Navigator

The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally NAVSTAR GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Air Force. It is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. Obstacles such as mountains and buildings block the relatively weak GPS signals.

01. Garmin GPSMAP 78sc Waterproof Marine GPS

The 5 Best Rated Marine GPS – Marine Electronics

For Yacht owners, boaters and watersports enthusiasts who want to run with the best, the rugged GPSMAP 78sc includes preloaded U.S. coastal charts and features a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter, crisp color mapping, a high-sensitivity receiver, new molded rubber side grips, plus a microSD™ card slot for loading additional maps. And it floats!

Explore Coastal Waters

GPSMAP 78sc comes with built-in BlueChart® g2 coastal charts and a worldwide basemap with imagery — perfect for all your outdoor pursuits. Map detail includes shorelines, depth contours, navaids, harbors, marinas and more for the U.S. and Bahamas. And, like the rest of the 78-series, 78sc is water resistant (IPX7) and even floats in water.

Get Your Bearings

GPSMAP 78sc has a built-in 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, which shows your heading even when you’re standing still, without holding it level. Its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude, and you can even use it to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.

Share Wirelessly

With GPSMAP 78sc you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other compatible device users. Now you can send the location of your favorite fishing spot to a friend to find. Sharing data is easy. Just press “send” to transfer your information to similar units.

Keep Your Fix

With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix™ satellite prediction, GPSMAP 78sc locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on GPSMAP 78sc to help you find your way when you need it the most.

Add Maps

Adding more maps is easy with our wide array of detailed marine, topographic and road maps, available on microSD card. Conveniently plug in BlueChart® g2 preloaded cards for a great day on the water or City Navigator NT® map data for turn-by-turn routing on roads (see maps tab for compatible maps). GPSMAP 78sc also supports BirdsEye™ Satellite Imagery (subscription required), that lets you download satellite images to your device and integrate them with your maps. In addition, the 78sc is compatible with Custom Maps, free software that transforms paper and electronic maps into downloadable maps for your device.

Get Connected

You’ve been busy exploring and now you want to store and analyze your activities. With a simple connection to your computer and to the Internet, you can get a detailed analysis of your activities and send tracks to your outdoor device using Garmin Connect™. This one-stop site offers an activity table and allows you to view your activities on a map using Google™ Earth. Explore other routes uploaded by millions of Garmin Connect users and share your experiences on Twitter® and Facebook®. Getting started is easy, so get out there, explore and share.

Find Fun

GPSMAP 78sc supports geocaching GPX files for downloading geocaches and details straight to your unit. By going paperless, you’re not only helping the environment but also improving efficiency. GPSMAP 78sc stores and displays key information, including location, terrain, difficulty, hints and descriptions, which means no more manually entering coordinates and paper printouts. Simply upload the GPX file to your unit and start hunting for caches. Slim and lightweight, 78sc is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.

The GPS provides critical positioning capabilities to military, civil, and commercial users around the world.

02. Dragonfly 5 Pro Sonar/GPS RAYMARINE E70293

The 5 Best Rated Marine GPS – Marine Electronics

Find fish like a tournament pro with the Dragonfly 5PRO. All the features of the Dragonfly 5DVS plus a fast 10Hz GPS chartplotter. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you stream Dragonfly sonar to the Wi-Fish™ mobile app. Pause, rewind and share sonar imagery right from your phone.

Key Features

THE DRAGONFLY DIFFERENCE

A leap into the future of sonar, Dragonfly sonar displays employ true wide-spectrum CHIRP technology. With wide-spectrum CHIRP more sonar signals are transmitted into the water, allowing Dragonfly to interpret more detail, target more fish, and image structure with unmatched clarity.

A BETTER VIEW

Each Dragonfly is engineered with optical bonding LCD display technology. Once only available on high end marine displays, Dragonfly’s all weather optically bonded displays deliver brighter colours, sharper contrast, and are guaranteed never to fog up.

MOUNT ANYWHERE

The Dragonfly’s compact ball-and-socket mounting system makes installation simple. The mount is easy to upgrade to after market ball-and-socket mounting systems.

SONAR

Unlike conventional imaging sonars that transmit at a single frequency with each pulse, Dragonfly’s DownVision™ sonar uses CHIRP technology to transmit across a wide spectrum of sonar frequencies simultaneously – the result is much higher-resolution, life-like sonar images.

GENERAL SPECIFACTIONS

Nominal Supply Voltage 12 V DC
Operating Voltage Range 10.8 V DC to 15.6 V DC
Power Consumption At Full Brightness 5.3 W RMS
Connections Power / Transducer combined input
Waterproofing Standard IPX6 and IPX7
Display Size 5.0 in
Display Resolution 800 x 480 WVGA
Aspect Ratio 15:9

GPS & CARTOGRAPHY

GPS Channels 72 GPS / GLONASS Channels
Chart Compatibility LightHouse vector and raster charts | Navionics Gold, Plus, Hotmaps and SonarChart | C-MAP by Jeppesen
Waypoints 3,000 waypoints (split between up to 100 waypoint groups)
Tracks 15 tracks (each track can contain up to 10,000 points)
Chart Media MicroSD

SONAR SPECIFICATIONS

Sonar Type CHIRP Sonar
Sonar Channels 2 Channels – Sonar conical beam + DownVision™ wide fan beam
Depth Range 183m (600ft) CHIRP DownVision™ and CHIRP Sonar Models 275m (900ft)

03. Lowrance Fish Finder GPS Combos Hook2-7

The 5 Best Rated Marine GPS – Marine Electronics

The World’s Easiest Fish Finder

With HOOK², you will spend more time fishing and less time playing with settings. With this display you get a perfect mix of simplicity and power, featuring easy-to-understand menus, wide-angle CHIRP sonar coverage and both SideScan and DownScan Imaging™.

Autotuning Sonar Makes Fishing Simple

At the heart of HOOK² is our Autotuning sonar technology. This gives you the best image by automatically adjusting sonar settings as water conditions change. Designed by anglers for anglers, it reduces time spent on settings, giving you more time to fish.

TripleShot Transducer

3-in-1 sonar models, gives you traditional high CHIRP wide-angle sonar, plus SideScan and DownScan Imaging. TripleShot lets you track baits, mark fish, identify structure under your boat and scan large areas around you. Designed by anglers for anglers, it reduces time spent on settings, giving you more time to fish.

GPS and Mapping Options

You will have no problem finding areas to fish with HOOK² preloaded C-MAP® US Inland mapping, or C-MAP® US Coastal mapping (not available on ‘x’ models). This will help you to narrow your search for productive water features like ledges, points or drop-offs with a bird’s eye view of 1-foot contours on more than 3,000 lakes.

Key Features

Available in five screen sizes: 4”, 5”, 7”, 9” and 12”
High-resolution, SolarMAX display
Autotuning sonar
Double the CHIRP sonar coverage of most fishfinders
Broadband Sounder, High CHIRP, SideScan and DownScan Imaging™ sonar options
Full chartplotter and basic GPS navigation options
Preloaded C-MAP US Inland Mapping or C-MAP^® US Coastal mapping (not available on HOOK² X models)
Three transducer options available – TripleShot 3-in-1 sonar, SplitShot 2-in-1 sonar and Bullet

04. Garmin eTrex 10 Outdoor Handheld GPS Unit

The 5 Best Rated Marine GPS – Marine Electronics

Rugged Handheld GPS with Enhanced Capabilities

Worldwide basemap
2.2″ monochrome display, easy to read in any light
GPS and GLONASS satellites for faster positioning
Paperless geocaching
25-hour battery life with 2 AA batteries

eTrex 10 retains the core functionality, rugged construction, affordability and long battery life that made eTrex the most dependable GPS device available. We improved the user interface and added a worldwide basemap, paperless geocaching and support for spine-mounting accessories.

See the Way

eTrex 10 has an enhanced 2.2″ monochrome display that’s easy to read in any lighting situation. Both durable and water resistant, eTrex 10 is built to withstand the elements. Its easy-to-use interface means you’ll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information. eTrex 10 features the legendary toughness that’s built to withstand the elements. Dust, dirt, humidity, water — none are a match for this navigator.

Find Fun

eTrex 10 supports geocaching GPX files for transferring geocaches. Visit OpenCaching to start your geocaching adventure. By going paperless, you’re not only helping the environment but also improving efficiency. eTrex 10 stores and displays key information, including location, terrain, difficulty, hints and descriptions, which means no more manually entering coordinates and paper printouts. Simply upload the GPX file to your eTrex 10 and start hunting for caches.

Keep Your Fix

With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix® satellite prediction, eTrex 10 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. Whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on eTrex 10 to help you find your way when you need it the most.

Go Global

eTrex devices are the first-ever consumer-grade receivers that can track both GPS and GLONASS satellites simultaneously. When using GLONASS satellites, the time it takes for the receiver to “lock on” to a position is (on average) approximately 20 percent faster than using GPS. And when using both GPS and GLONASS, the receiver has the ability to lock on to 24 more satellites than using GPS alone.

Plan Your Next Trip

Take charge of your next adventure with BaseCamp™, software that lets you view and organize maps, waypoints, routes, and tracks. This free trip-planning software even allows you to create Garmin Adventures that you can share with friends, family or fellow explorers. BaseCamp displays topographic map data in 2-D or 3-D on your computer screen, including contour lines and elevation profiles.

05. Garmin GPSMAP 64s Handheld Navigator

The 5 Best Rated Marine GPS – Marine Electronics

Rugged, Full-featured Handheld with GPS, GLONASS and Wireless Connectivity

2.6-inch sunlight-readable color screen
High-sensitivity GPS and GLONASS receiver with quad helix antenna
1-year BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription
3-axis compass with barometric altimeter
Wireless connectivity via Bluetooth® technology¹ or ANT+®

GPSMAP 64s features a 2.6-inch sunlight-readable color screen and a high-sensitivity GPS and GLONASS receiver with a quad helix antenna for superior reception. GPSMAP 64s includes a 3-axis electronic compass with barometric altimeter, wireless connectivity and a 1-year BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription.