Internal
I've had an internal on my 2005 vintage Navman 5500i (no longer manufactured) and it's worked fine for the past 6 years. It was mounted on my dashboard with a clear view of the sky or with the bimini extended. Never had any problems finding satellites. I imagine they've only gotten better through the years.
On my new boat, I decided to go external so I could do a flush/surface mount installation on the dash. It doesn't really have a good spot for a dash mount. I got a CP180 (out of production).
One option for you may be the new Standard Horizon CP190. It has an internal antenna, but has a port for an optional external antenna to be added if needed. So you could try to get away with the internal, and protect the investment, and only add an external if needed.
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