How the Garmin Whole Boat System Can Help You Enjoy Time on the Water

Outfit your boat with the Garmin whole boat system for ultimate convenience and control.

At Garmin we design innovative marine electronics with the modern boat owner in mind. We know there are a lot of product options to consider, depending on the type of boat you own, from chartplotters to radars to trolling motors. And that’s why we offer an integrated whole boat system to allow boaters and anglers to choose their perfect marine setup and manage it from the helm — or their home.

Whether you own a johnboat, bass boat, or you fish in a freshwater or saltwater environment, Garmin has the most innovative products the marine industry has to offer — all to help you ensure all systems are ready to go. So you can enjoy each and every second on the water.

From premium GPS chartplotters with unmatched mapping to powerful — and quiet — trolling motors to digital switching to high-resolution radars (and more), we have exactly what you need for a seamless and streamlined Garmin marine experience.

How the Garmin Whole Boat System Works

Garmin marine electronics are designed to work together seamlessly to create a one-of-a-kind ultimate boating and fishing experience. To find their perfect Garmin setup, mariners can access our online system builder to receive product recommendations suited to their particular passion and vessel.

Freshwater anglers can select their vessel — whether it’s a kayak, bass boat, wake cruiser, pontoon or V-hull — and receive a list of recommended products. Here’s an example of an ideal Garmin marine-outfitted V-hull:

• Heading sensor: SteadyCast™
  • This network-compatible sensor provides premium heading accuracy for your on-water ventures.
• Speakers: Fusion® XS Series Marine Speakers
  • Bring the music with you on the water with this high-performance acoustics solution.
• Chartplotter: ECHOMAP® Ultra 2 Series (10” or 12” chartplotters)
  • Enjoy a super-sharp chartplotter with a big IPS touchscreen with Ultra High-Definition scanning sonars, built-in U.S. inland and coastal Garmin Navionics+™ maps, network capabilities, fishfinding features and more.
• Live-scanning sonar: LiveScope™ Plus System
  • No squinting is necessary with this sonar. Get image clarity, improved resolution, reduced noise and better target separation.
• Trolling motor: Force® Kraken
  • Known for its powerful trolling motor, which includes 100 pounds of thrust¹, the Kraken also has a longer shaft for boats with high freeboards and a pivot-style mount for easy installation in vessels where bow space is limited.

So whatever type of boat you own and wherever you cruise, Garmin has the single-branded solution just for you.

Bring All Your Systems Together with Garmin

Once you know what Garmin marine products make the most sense for your vessel, you can cruise confidently thanks to the Garmin Boat Switch™, which allows you to operate the onboard electrical functions of your boat right from your compatible GPSMAP® or ECHOMAP® chartplotter. Bypass the boat’s physical buttons or switches to control lights, pumps, horn and more, as well as access tank level status.

What’s more, you can see analog voltages on house and start battery, monitor bilge pump operation and connect optional physical switches if you really need the tactical feel.

Want to manage things on your smart device? With the ActiveCaptain® app, you can monitor your vessel systems and control switches from afar through your OnDeck™ system². And the free Helm feature of the app gives you a real-time view of what’s happening on your Garmin chartplotter from your smartphone or tablet — even while someone else is at the physical helm.

Meanwhile, the ActiveCaptain® Community gives you the upper hand while on the water with other users contributing up-to-date information on marinas, boat ramps and other points of interest.

Read more about the ActiveCaptain community here.

Other Garmin Marine Benefits

Looking for other ways to improve your time on the water? Here are a few more innovative Garmin marine products, in case you weren’t quite convinced.

• Power-Pole® anchor integration: Anglers can now fish easily in shallow waters thanks to Power-Pole anchor integration, giving you access to loads of advanced features that help you with boat control so you can keep your focus on fishing. When coupled with the Garmin Force® or Force Kraken trolling motors, the Power-Pole provides anglers with more automated boat control.
• Surround View Camera System: Remove any guesswork out of docking with a smart camera system that provides a 360-degree bird’s-eye view around your vessel.
• Garmin Navionics+™: The No. 1 global name in marine charts³, you’ll quickly notice a mapping experience like none other thanks to access to daily chart updates, detail-rich maps, Auto Guidance+™ technology⁴ and more. With an upgrade to Garmin Navionics Vision+™, take in high-resolution relief shading and satellite imagery, sonar imagery and more.
• Helm connectivity for all engines: Select Garmin chartplotters can be networked with various boat engine manufacturers’ sensor inputs to display data such as rpm, speed, fuel flow, temperature, exceedance warnings and more.

So what are you waiting for? Take steps toward building your very own Garmin whole boat system today!

_{¹In compliance with ISO standard 13342
²An active subscription plan is required. Both OnDeck Hub and user’s compatible smartphone or tablet must have connectivity via Wi-Fi® or 3G/4G (or above) network. See cellular coverage area for OnDeck.
³Based on 2022 reported sales
⁴Auto Guidance+ is for planning purposes only and does not replace safe navigation options}