Fishfinder

[wayne johnson]

depends when you want to buy it, bass pro lowers the price on
last year units by up to 50 percent, this way you can get twice
as much a unit for the same amount of money. We also use
lowrance and ray marine, its all we ever used. this usually
happens in jan. to first part of feb.
Wayne reel sport charters

[gregnwtf]

Yes, there are several choices out there with options that some will never or seldom use. Figure what you want to spend then get the best unit you can buy. Lowrance is what I use also, they came out with a new combo unit series. They are called the "Elite" series. Nice unit for the money. I have the HD series and its great for what I do. I prefer all color for ease of seeing what is what even from a short distance. Garmin has a few nice units also. Do the research since you have a few months before you need it. Do you already have a GPS ? Eagle is made by Lowrance if you didnt know, basically the same product. How much will you be using your boat is also a deciding factor. I wouldnt spend $1000 on a unit and only fish 4-5 times a year. Dont forget a good compass if your unit ever quits on ya while out there. Done that one already. I sent in my old non working unit to Lowrance and they sent me a nice discount off a new Lowrance unit. Just some food for thought. Good luck !

[SmilinEd]

Jack,Wayne and Greg

I will be hitting lake erie with a 1992 thompson 240 Hardtop hopefully next yr 2012.. Just bought the boat this fall, having some upgrades done as we speak. Trim tabs, epoxy floor with wash down, 2200 gpm bilge with alarm, 5yr bottom paint with some other extras.

Been reading alot on the Lowrance HDS systems. LSS-1 add on also. I see where Lowrance has a dvd to help you with learning curve.

What i can gather is the hds model whether it be the 8 or 10 in screen they are the same as far as functions.

I think they all have built in gps.

My question would be what bells and whistles i need and can live without.

Just a thought on the raymarine fogging up the first hr of use. Maybe put plastic bag over unit after using it. Sounds like moisture is getting into unit, seal broken..? plastic bag and rubber band. just a thought.

Watching Pro Bass, Cabelas, and Amazon. I love Al Gore. Lol

I hope to use the boat 2-3 days a week after april 15.

Boat came with the standard black 3 or 4 in compass. But know exactly what you mean..!

I'm also in the market for a broken mid range lowrance fish finder. Thanks for the heads up.

Thank you all for the ideas and what to look for.

Any other thoughts are welcome.

Thanks

Ed

[SmilinEd]

back up GPS,


http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-eTrex-V...pr_product_top

[ebijack]

the seal on the raymarine is fine. not sure how it gets moisture inside. the fog would NEVER clear up to where you could see the screen at all till I took it apart and drilled some vent holes in the bottom. now it take a good hour to clear up. been like this for 2 or 3 yrs. almost did a 6,000lb truck test on that sucker. from the day I got it. it has been like that. the factory said nothing wrong with it. won't be buying raymarine again. buddy has 2 of their top of the line units on his boat. he removed on and replaced with a lowrance. he won't be buy raymarine again either. he has other problems that they say aren't there/can't fix.
here's another spot to watch for electronic's.
http://www.jollyannsales.com/
and fishing stuff
http://www.ffo-tackle.com/

[pap]

I go on cabelas web sites go to boating, then electronics pick the the unit I think I want then read the products reports that other customers rite in, there not bashfull to tell you that the unit is junk or great. Then you have some kind of idea what decision you might want to make. Good luck PAP!!!

[SmilinEd]

I think the 2 separate unit gps/charts and fishfinder makes good sense.

After reading up on the different combo units for 2 wks i have to say it was a little confusing. Thought there were many good options.

I think right now I am leaning towards the Furuno 585 and the Standard Horizon CP190i 5" color chartplotter.

Going to give it few days to digest...

Talked with the boat shop today, should have boat home by next saturday.

Just want to say thanks to everyone for their help/advice in this.

Any other last minute thoughts are still welcome.


Thanks again

Ed

[mkalink]

I have always had seperate fishfinder and gps, I really never liked the thought of switching back and forth on the same screen. My brother had a fishfinder/gps and I didn't like it too much (I gave him my Garmin unit and bought a new furuno unit) I like to know where I am going and I also like to watch for fish and different structure as I am going. The best day walleye fishing I ever had on my own boat could have never been if I was switching screens. I was running from north west of rattlesnake and just came around about 1 mile south of South Bass and right in the middle of the Miller Ferry Line I marked a bunch of fish. I shut the boat down and we started casting, 1 hour 15 minutes and 38 walleyes later we were heading back to East Harbor. This was a few years back when the limit was still 10. I always tell this story when somebody asks me whether to buy a multi unit or buy 2 seperate units.
I have a fishing buddy in the marina that has a standard horizon gps with a 10 inch screen, it is a very nice unit and very easy to see and operate. He also has a furuno 620 fishfinder too.
The transducer I have for my furno 620 is the SS60-SLD. The boat wasn't mine 24 hous yet and I drilled a 2 3/8" hole in the bottom of it, but it work great at all speeds. This same transducer can be used with the 585 also.

[SmilinEd]

Boat is home,

Feel like a boat owner now. Bought it 2 months ago, had the upgrades done. brought it home friday night. Just cleared the 10ft door with an inch to spare. lol Told the wife I didnt know what we were going to do when we add the Furuno DRS4A NavNet 3D 3.5' 4kw digital Open Array Radar on the hardtop, lol

I'll post pics next week.

Best to all

Ed

[gregnwtf]

Jack,Wayne and Greg

I will be hitting lake erie with a 1992 thompson 240 Hardtop hopefully next yr 2012.. Just bought the boat this fall, having some upgrades done as we speak. Trim tabs, epoxy floor with wash down, 2200 gpm bilge with alarm, 5yr bottom paint with some other extras.

Been reading alot on the Lowrance HDS systems. LSS-1 add on also. I see where Lowrance has a dvd to help you with learning curve.

What i can gather is the hds model whether it be the 8 or 10 in screen they are the same as far as functions.

I think they all have built in gps.

My question would be what bells and whistles i need and can live without.

Just a thought on the raymarine fogging up the first hr of use. Maybe put plastic bag over unit after using it. Sounds like moisture is getting into unit, seal broken..? plastic bag and rubber band. just a thought.

Watching Pro Bass, Cabelas, and Amazon. I love Al Gore. Lol

I hope to use the boat 2-3 days a week after april 15.

Boat came with the standard black 3 or 4 in compass. But know exactly what you mean..!

I'm also in the market for a broken mid range lowrance fish finder. Thanks for the heads up.

Thank you all for the ideas and what to look for.

Any other thoughts are welcome.

Thanks

Ed

The HDS options are many, speaks for the 1500 price range. I have the Serius weather option which I like but has monthly fee. I could have the sidescan but its basically a different transducer. I have the radar option but dont have a radar. I probably dont use half of the options yet. I new a guy that was a salesman for a large outdoor supply place and knew the electronics very well. He liked Lowrance and Garmin equally, but that Garmin was easier to use. Lowrance, you have to open a few windows to make a change, not easy when running in 4 ft waves. For instance when I hit the manoverboard icon, but of course nobody fell over thankfully. Lowrance gives alot for the money if you want to use all the options, but if you just want to know where you are and can see fish on the bottom, you decide. Of our 2 boats, I have Lowrance and the other is Garmin. The use of data chips ( Navionics ) is good option that Lowrance has. Pop out the Lake Erie chip and enter a Gulf of Mexico chip.
More food for thought.