Why Winter Is a Smart Time to Upgrade a Boat’s Electronics
The display is usually the first decision in an electronics upgrade, since it determines what can be added later.
October 22, 2026
Written in partnership with Furuno
Once the boat is shrink-wrapped and the last trip of the year is a memory, most Canadian boaters don’t think about their electronics again until spring. That’s often a missed opportunity. With the boat on the hard, there’s easy access to the helm, the hardtop and the hull. There’s also time to look back on last season. A display that washed out in bright sun, a Radar picture that was hard to read in fog, or a Fish Finder that never showed the bottom clearly are all good starting points for an upgrade plan.
The display is usually the first decision, because it determines what can be added later. Furuno offers three families of multi-function displays (MFDs). The TZMAP9 and TZMAP13 are stand-alone units with a built-in TruEcho CHIRP Fish Finder, suited to boats that need navigation and fish finding on one screen. The TZtouchE and TZtouchXL are networked systems for boats that will connect to more sensors, with the TZtouchXL available from 10 to 24 inches. Because TZMAP uses the same menus as TZtouchXL, boaters who move up later don’t have to learn a new system.
Charts are part of that decision, and they’re also something an owner can work on from the couch. Canadian waters are covered by TZ MAPS, Furuno’s cartography, which can be purchased and unlocked directly from the MFD. Charts unlocked on the display are also unlocked in TZ iBoat, TimeZero’s navigation app for iOS and Android devices, so there’s no second purchase. Over the winter, boaters can use the app to plan routes and trips for next season and save them to TZ Cloud. Once the boat is back in the water, a TZMAP, TZtouchE or TZtouchXL at the helm can download those plans, so the first trip of the year starts with routes already in place.
Radar is one of the easier upgrades to tackle during the off-season, since mounting an antenna on an arch or hardtop is much simpler with the boat out of the water. Furuno’s DRS2DNXT and DRS4DNXT Solid-State Doppler Radars work with all three display families. Paired with a TZtouchE or TZtouchXL, either Radar adds two AI tools aimed at collision awareness. Risk Visualizer shows a 360-degree view of which nearby targets carry the highest collision risk. AI Avoidance Route then suggests a path around a flagged hazard, using both the Radar and TZ MAPS chart data.
Below the waterline, haul-out is the simplest time to install or replace a transducer. TZMAP, TZtouchE and most TZtouchXL models include a built-in 1kW TruEcho CHIRP Fish Finder, so for many boats the main decision is choosing the right transducer for the hull. For anglers who need more power, Furuno’s DFF3-UHD Fish Finder can be added to a TZtouchE or TZtouchXL for 2kW or 3kW performance. It’s also a great Fish Finder option for the larger TZtouchXL displays and the TZTBBX, which don’t have one built in. Above deck, the SCX20 Satellite Compass supplies heading data to TZMAP, TZtouchE and TZtouchXL, and boats with older NMEA0183 equipment can use the SCX21 version.
Wiring deserves a look as well. Corroded connectors and aging cable runs are common causes of mid-season electronics trouble, and replacing them is easier while panels are already open. Many older boats also mix NMEA0183 and NMEA2000 devices, which is worth sorting out before new equipment goes in.
Timing matters, too. Marine electronics dealers tend to get busier as spring approaches. Booking an installation in the fall or early winter gives owners more choice of dates and more time for parts to arrive before launch.
More information on Furuno’s recreational electronics is available at https://www.furunousa.com. Authorized Furuno dealers in Canada can be found at https://www.furunousa.com/en/company/find_a_dealer.
