Those things are absolute junk. Not worth having on board. The field
of vision is so small you might as well look through a 1/4 inch tube.

This is clearly someone who hasn't used much NightVision. FOV is actually wider
on the NightOwl. I've used new Gen 4. The main difference is that the Gen 4
provides far better detail and usable range. For boating a good gen 1 from
Night Owl or Newcon will give you 600-1000 feet of very illuminated night
vision, capable of showing objects in the water, moorings and so on.
I tested several of these units. While the Gen 3/4 are awesome, the average
coastal sailor will be fine with a generation 1.

RB