Bay and inshore anglers who wish they had the helm space to accommodate those heavy-hitting, high-tech Furuno NavNet TZtouch systems: get ready to rejoice! Furuno has introduced two new lines, the TZMAP and TZTouchE, which bring that big-boat tech to small and mid-sized center consoles.
TZtouchE MFDs offer a streamlined TZtouch experience in 9” and 13” multi-touch touchscreen displays. These boast the full suite of fish-finding abilities, including built-in 230kHz/455kHz CHIRP side-scan and 300W/600W/1KW TrueEcho CHIRP sonar. TZtouchE also offers full compatibility with Furuno’s fishfinder modules including 3D Multibeam sonar, the entire DFF series, and even CSH10 Omni Sonar. System expandability options also include compatibility with NavNet DSR radar units. They come pre-loaded with a full suite of NOAA vector charts for the entire U.S. and you can beef up your bathymetric views with TZ Maps charts including satellite imagery, community-sourced data, and hi-res BathyVision. When Furuno says “hi-res,” they mean it—BathyVision can take you to a contour resolution of three inches, three times what any other bathymetric chart can deliver. Navigation will also be easier and safer to boot, because the TZtouchE has the ability to run advanced tools and AI including AI Avoidance Route and Risk Visualizer.
With the new size availability cobia anglers with tower boats and/or trollers with aft stations behind a pilothouse now have the ability to get TZtouch tech running through their boat’s veins at multiple stations. You could have a 13” unit or maybe two at the helm, and a 9” unit up top in the tower or at an aft console module where larger MFDs often won’t fit.
TZMAP units, also in 9” and 13” sizes, are designed for slimmed-down stand-alone systems where complex integration isn’t necessary. Onboard fish-finding abilities include the 230kHz/455kHz CHIRP side-scan and 300W/600W/1KW TrueEcho CHIRP sonar, and these units have the same digital chart enhancement abilities. They can also run Furuno’s solid-state Doppler DRS2DNXT and DRS4NXT radar.
We tried playing with these units at the Miami International Boat Show this winter, and found that all the edge-swiping, icon-tapping ease of use translates directly from those big-boat NavNet systems to the TZtouchE and TZMAP. Every manufacturer says their system is the most intuitive, but do some swiping and tapping of your own and you’ll find that TZtouch delivers truckloads of tech in a system that’s shockingly easy to adapt to. Plus, the TZtouchE and TZMAP deliver all that tech and all that ease of use for a surprisingly low price point: $1595/$2195 and $2395/$3095. Visit Furuno to touch more tech—and to catch more fish.