Opinions on total-package electronics brands?

Then I would recommend either the Raymarine or Garmin setups. You'll get networkable plotters (enabling you to share routes and waypoints), depth, speed, wind, AIS, VHF/DSC, fishfinder, radar, weather, etc. I would recommend the newer Raymarine stuff if you go with Raymarine - the ST70 displays and either the C series wide screens or the soon to be released E series widescreens. I would also recommend that you go to your local West Marine that has the Garmin stuff in stock, and compare the use of a touchscreen display vs. a hard button display. I like the touchscreen, but in heavy seas I think I would prefer my hard button display I have now. The new Raymarine E Series allows you to use both capabilities in a single unit. I think you'd probably be happy with either manufacturer. I would like to point out that the Raymarine C series uses only Navionics chips, so if you want to go to the Bahamas use either the Garmin stuff or the Raymarine E-Series with cMap chips (both include the Explorer charts, which are the gold standard for the Bahamas). I would also like to suggest that you look at a handheld Garmin Oregon GPS as a spare. You can carry it to the bow to set an anchor alarm, and then place it next to your head in your berth for when you sleep.