Standard Horizon 300i 7" chartplotter (we paid $515 but the new ones have gone up) and a GX2100 ($298) VHF combination with RAM mike at the helm nets you AIS on the chartplotter for minimal bucks. Plus the Jeppesen C-Map charts have the current Explorer chart data for the Bahamas and you only need 2 Max chips ($190 each) to do the whole North American east coast/Bahamas/Great Lakes. Then you get the C-Map PC Planner card reader and software ($150) for the laptop to do route planning. Hard to beat the price for that functionality. We are really happy with it and it was pretty simple to install, running the wires was the hardest part.

I agree with Bud. I replaced my Garmin 176C with a Standard Horizon 300i and GX2100. I have the RAM, but haven't gotten around to installing that yet. A couple other folks on my dock have the same setup and all are quite happy!

All I can say is. Our chart plotter is a Garmain and when we left lake Mich. and went down the ICW we had no issues with charts. Friends of ours had a Raymarine. At times we would get a radio call and they would say they are showing they were on land. Not sure what charts Raymyarine use but I will only buy Garmin. They are so user friendly.

[QUOTE=deising;10402]
I have really enjoyed my Garmin, although there have been several times the chartplotter showed us on land when we were obviously not. I never trust the e-charts completely and always try to make sure I have enough visability to confirm with my eyeballs.
[/QUOTE]

Do take a look at the thread that was up in around April of this year, called "Garmin radar & plotter or Raymarine upgrade". I and others posted about a problem concerning a stupid design in the new Garmin units which use a [I]magnet[/I] to close the data chip slot door, thereby creating interference if it is mounted anywhere near the compass.

We had a Raymarine C80 on the boat. It worked really well, but I got a very cheap C120 from Ebay, and WOW. The bigger screen really makes it easy to see, and all it took was enlarging the hole in the Navpod, and reconnect the cables.

Charts are great.
Another option is a waterproof iPad bag, and some iPad navigation software.

There is an article in the November 2011 issue of Practical Sailor ("PS Tests Small-screen Plotter-sounders"), comparing the Raymarine A70D, Garmin 740s, Humminbird 798si, Humminbird 788ci, and the Lowrance Elite-5.