For our test setup, we kept Garmin's components mounted on the board on which they were shipped, and Furuno's were installed in the console.

We're partial to the big screens, wide-ranging capabilities, and steadily declining prices evident in today's networked marine electronics. In recent months, a war has erupted over market share among these products. With several companies, including Furuno and Garmin, battling for position, things are looking up for the marine consumer. All indications are that prices should keep dropping, with continual improvements in quality, capabilities, and options.

The most advanced networked systems are capable of displaying radar, sounder, chartplotter, weather, or video data on multiple screens using up to four windows per screen. And control of each component is available from any display location. That's enough to get even the most seasoned…