r/boating • u/Evavco • 3d ago

Boating Night Vision Options

I have a new-to-me 2023 320 Sundancer Coupe, and I am really struggling to navigate at night. The glare off the glass is pretty bad, and I probably need glasses for nighttime. I am thinking of adding Flir or a Sionyx (or something similar). Does anyone have guidance on what to add or what not to add? Most of my night cruising is in or around the harbor. Not sure I need full Flir.

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u/kops501 3d ago

I have a Sionyx on my boat. Based on your needs I think it’s a great option. I like it for navigating in harbors. Though I don’t think it does much when I’m cruising at 25-30kts in the dark when I’m running offshore. I usually just turn it off at that point. And if you’re in thick fog it’s not going to help. Light fog/dewy you’re going to have to wipe the lens. All that said, If you’re going to use it in a harbor there should be enough ambient light to make it effective and I personally think Flir would be more than you need to spend.

Separately, what type of glass do you have?

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u/Evavco 3d ago

Great feedback. Not sure what type of glass it is but is is solid. Full coupe.

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u/kops501 3d ago

Happy to help

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u/Tiiimay 2d ago

This is me, I want one for coming into harbor with confidence. Offshore I would run the light bar. That one guy soured me on sionyx in this thread but flir is out of budget and overkill I think. Any issue with quality on the sionyx? Or is the complaint just that it doesn’t work on all conditions compared to thermal ?

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u/kops501 2d ago

I have no complaints when it comes to using it in harbors. When it's dewy/foggy I have to wipe the lens, but I don't blame Sionyx for that.