With the GPS overlay, you can make more sense out of the blips you see. I upgraded from an old fashioned stand alone unit that was at the compaionway to a combined unit with gps at the helm. and it made all the difference. I got a Garmin, but I'm not sure there is a huge difference between the manufacturers. The Defender sale in the spring is a place to get a good deal, and the factory reps are there to show their stuff. Go on a weekday, the weekend is nuts-the Black Friday of boating.