[dgax65]

The West Marine warranty is worth the money. The one year factory warranty that you get with most products just covers manufacturing defects. When the extended warranty kicks in, it covers everything, including accidental damage. Its like having a Craftsman fish finder. Stick your gaff through the screen....no problem. I've used the extended warranty on two Humminbird fish finders already. I'm sold.
I just picked up a Standard Horizon HX850S VHF/GPS and got the three year warranty with it.

The HDS-5 is a very nice unit. Worth the money in my opinion, but I'm not the one who has to convince your wife. The only downside that I see with the HDS line is that they replaced the thumb screw closure on the chart card door with a magnetic closure. My 527 has gone through a lot of surf and I've never had to worry about water getting in it. I'm not so sure with the magnetic closure. I'd probably just put some electrical tape over it.