Price drop on Garmin Fantom 18 units

[Mustang65fbk]

I've noticed over the past couple of days that certain websites are doing sales events or offering items for considerably less money than the msrp via the Garmin website. I'm not sure if this means they're phasing out the Garmin Fantom 18 units or just coming out with a newer version or what... but on the Garmin site they list the Garmin Fantom 18 at $1999.99 and at Hodges Marine they've got it listed at $1583.88. Or a difference of right around $415. I'm potentially in the market for buying radar and especially with something like this where it's over $400 off the msrp on the Garmin website. Just figured I'd pass it along as well as BOE Marine also having a big sale on marine electronics. I think their website crashed with all of the people on it but they have the Garmin G3 mapping chip that I want for around $230 when it retails for over $330. I got an email from them and think their sale goes until the 10th or 11th of this month.

Garmin Gmr Fantom 18 Dome Radar

GARMIN GMR FANTOM 18GMR Fantomtrade 18 Dome RadarThe 18inch, 40 W solidstate Garmin GMR Fantomtrade dome radar with MotionScopetrade technology uses the Doppler effect to detect and highlight targets in different colors as they move toward or...

www.hodgesmarine.com

 

[rockpool]

Thanks for the tip - also ordered a G3 chip at ~$237 shipped.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

It looks like the BOE Marine website is back up and running again. And no worries... I always like to pass on good deals to others to try and save them some money as we all know that boating isn't exactly a cheap hobby. I just ordered the G3 Vision chip from BOE Marine for $237.59 and was shocked that there wasn't any tax as it seems like everyone online is now charging sales tax. The free shipping on top of that was nice as well. I'm seriously considering buying the Garmin Fantom 18 radar from BOE Marine as well since it's over $400 off, and especially if they're not charging sales tax like everyone else is.

https://www.boemarine.com/garmin-gmr-fantom-18-dome-radar.html

 

[SkunkBoat]

HodgesMarine has them at $1590 also. That can only mean there is a newer Garmin product...

yep...they came out with 50W version of the Fantom18 & 24 vs 40W

 

[Mustang65fbk]

HodgesMarine has them at $1590 also. That can only mean there is a newer Garmin product...

yep...they came out with 50W version of the Fantom18 & 24 vs 40W

Besides the obvious difference of 40w vs 50w, is there any reason to spend the extra money?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Besides the obvious difference of 40w vs 50w, is there any reason to spend the extra money?

I bought a 40W Fantom 24 last winter. $2200 It was a "remanufacture but not used" full new warranty. I was looking for an 18 but this was the last available radar in the world...

Its a great radar. Love the Motionscope feature. It can do MARPA tracks. My only issue is that on plane its pointing upward so range gets diminished. I bought a mount with 4 degree tilt to put on this winter.

that extra 10W (25% more) is going to be quite a difference because the returning signals will be disproportionately stronger (dB is logarithmic...don't ask me to do the math...) So yes, it will be much better
Your other consideration is 18" vs 24". The bigger radome has a narrower beam and will give you much better target separation

As a small boater, you're main use is for close range, 2 miles or less, so you don't hit stuff in the dark/fog. So, are you going to miss that extra power?..probably not.
The Doppler features are the same and thats what makes Fantom arguably better than the xHDs.


reading the Garmin site, the new 50W versions may have fully automatic MARPA tracking now. On mine I have to choose targets to track

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I bought a 40W Fantom 24 last winter. $2200 It was a "remanufacture but not used" full new warranty. I was looking for an 18 but this was the last available radar in the world...

Its a great radar. Love the Motionscope feature. It can do MARPA tracks. My only issue is that on plane its pointing upward so range gets diminished. I bought a mount with 4 degree tilt to put on this winter.

that extra 10W (25% more) is going to be quite a difference because the returning signals will be disproportionately stronger (dB is logarithmic...don't ask me to do the math...) So yes, it will be much better
Your other consideration is 18" vs 24". The bigger radome has a narrower beam and will give you much better target separation

As a small boater, you're main use is for close range, 2 miles or less, so you don't hit stuff in the dark/fog. So, are you going to miss that extra power?..probably not.
The Doppler features are the same and thats what makes Fantom arguably better than the xHDs.


reading the Garmin site, the new 50W versions may have fully automatic MARPA tracking now. On mine I have to choose targets to track

I like the Fantom for its ability to track boats and them being in different colors, showing you if they’re coming toward you or away from you. In all of the years I’ve been fishing or boating there have only been two times where I’ve used radar and once on one of my boats where I wished I had it but didn’t. I think the only time I would ever use it would be trolling in the fog while fishing. It seems like the 40w Fantom 18 would likely be more than I’d ever need out of a radar. I’ll have to think on it a bit more. Thanks.

 

[levi]

great find! How often does this happen? I was planning to buy new electronics for my grady but wasn't sure if there are deals during the holiday seasons or not (blackfriday / xmas)

 

[fishbadger]

I've had that Fantom 18 radar for a few years now and have loved it, it's a really sweet unit,
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[Mustang65fbk]

great find! How often does this happen? I was planning to buy new electronics for my grady but wasn't sure if there are deals during the holiday seasons or not (blackfriday / xmas)

I'm not exactly sure. I'm assuming maybe a couple of times a year? I know this is a sale for BOE Marine and I believe after tomorrow it'll go back up in price but even their "normal sales price" looks to be $1759.99, which the Garmin website is $1999.99. As I and SkunkBoat mentioned above, this likely means they're coming out with a new/newer unit and have the 50w version out now, as well as the black colored radar dome. When doing a quick Google search, it seems like most companies are still priced at the $2k msrp and about a handful of those are in the high $1500 to $1600 range. And I think those are the more competitive companies out there. I'm still debating on whether to buy or not, luckily I still have another day to think about it. I'm sure they'll probably go on sale again between now and next summer when I really need it, that being said, if they do continue selling them and for the $2k sales price, it would be a shame as you'd save over $400 buying now, and that's before tax. Which would be right around $600 in total savings.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I've had that Fantom 18 radar for a few years now and have loved it, it's a really sweet unit,
fb

Anything you don't like about it or wish it had but doesn't? I've heard mostly all positive reviews about the Fantom units.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

reading the Garmin site, the new 50W versions may have fully automatic MARPA tracking now. On mine I have to choose targets to track

The Garmin site is a bit frustrating and confusing at times. When you click on the Garmin Fantom 18 separately it says "Mini-automatic radar plotting aid (MARPA) tracks up to 30 selected targets, helping you keep track of other vessels and avoid collisions." So yes, it seems like you have to be the one to select the targets or maybe the radar does it itself? In contrast, the Garmin Fantom 18x says "New mini-automatic radar plotting aid (MARPA) automatic acquisition allows for triggering and tracking of up to 30 targets with no user prompting on all returns, boundary zones, guard zones or MotionScope technology." But then when you use the comparison tool and compare the two it says "MARPA with Auto Acquisition" and then "Yes (Requires Heading Sensor, Sold Separately)" for both the Fantom 18 as well as the Fantom 18x. So maybe it just needs the heading sensor, or it's a typo? lol

 

[SkunkBoat]

The Garmin site is a bit frustrating and confusing at times. When you click on the Garmin Fantom 18 separately it says "Mini-automatic radar plotting aid (MARPA) tracks up to 30 selected targets, helping you keep track of other vessels and avoid collisions." So yes, it seems like you have to be the one to select the targets or maybe the radar does it itself? In contrast, the Garmin Fantom 18x says "New mini-automatic radar plotting aid (MARPA) automatic acquisition allows for triggering and tracking of up to 30 targets with no user prompting on all returns, boundary zones, guard zones or MotionScope technology." But then when you use the comparison tool and compare the two it says "MARPA with Auto Acquisition" and then "Yes (Requires Heading Sensor, Sold Separately)" for both the Fantom 18 as well as the Fantom 18x. So maybe it just needs the heading sensor, or it's a typo? lol

On Garmin site if you pick 50W it says it is "with no user prompting". If you pick 40W it is does not say that. So both have "Mini-Automatic Radar Plotting Aid" but the older 40W requires you to touch a target to place an "automatic track" on it. It would appear that the newer unit can be set to automatically place an "automatic track " on up to 30 returns

All of the MARPA will require an electronic heading sensor so it can do tracking and speed /course calculations at slow speeds. (GPS heading is not accurate at very slow speeds) If you have autopilot you probably already have one.


As far as Garmin and price drops....
NOBODY discounts the newest product. They sell at list price. However, sellers may give "reward" points or $.

When a Garmin product is superceded, they allow vendors to sell out the model with discounted pricing. So that means if you wait too long they will all be gone.

 

[RhodeI]

Hi Guys, I am noticing the garmin 18 radars priced from $1200-$1600 over the last couple of weeks at several retailers including Hodges. I am having Atlantic Towers build a hard top for my 208, for my over the winter project. There are the 18HDPlus and the 18 XHD models being advertised. One of the models seems to be at $100 more. Any opinions or recommendations? I was planning on the 4° wedge for the plane angle also a radar stand so that I could mount a halogen light just under the radar? I will be using the radar mostly for night/fog navigation. Thank you for your opinions and advice along with the heads up to buy now!

 

[SkunkBoat]

Hi Guys, I am noticing the garmin 18 radars priced from $1200-$1600 over the last couple of weeks at several retailers including Hodges. I am having Atlantic Towers build a hard top for my 208, for my over the winter project. There are the 18HDPlus and the 18 XHD models being advertised. One of the models seems to be at $100 more. Any opinions or recommendations? I was planning on the 4° wedge for the plane angle also a radar stand so that I could mount a halogen light just under the radar? I will be using the radar mostly for night/fog navigation. Thank you for your opinions and advice along with the heads up to buy now!

You don't mention which MFD you have. That matters because the older MFDs don't support newer Fantom radars.
All of them will do the job. The newer you go the better the image and features will be. The HD+ is oldest, then xHD, then 40W Fantom 18, then 50W Fantom.

 

[RhodeI]

Thank You SkunkBoat! I have a 742xs and a7607.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Those mfds will run them all. 7" screens are not ideal for radar though.
Given that you are a 20 footer I don't imagine you're planning 3 hour runs in the dark for tuna. You can stay at the low $ end of the choices. You might consider looking/asking around for used HD+ or xHD because a lot of the bigger boats are updating electronics. I sold off an old raytheon radar to a 20 footer.

 

[RhodeI]

Thank you again SkunkBoat!