Fishfinder

[SmilinEd]

Looking to purchase a fishfinder for my boat over the winter. There seems to be many options.

I want to buy it right the first time.!

Any advice would be Greatly appreciated.

Best to all, tia

Ed

[ebijack]

that's like picking a boat. everyone has their favorites. I've been running lowrance for over 30 yrs. I also have a raymarine which when it works is great but it fogs up every single time it's turned on for over an hour! factory couldn't find a problem. but it does work great. the toughest part for me would be learning a new product to where I can control it like I want to. just takes alot of time. if you don't have a top/bimini color units can be a pain. I have 3 color units and one monochrome. I'll take a monochrome for GPS ( which you didn't mention) anyday as I can always see it. but color tells you alot more about the structure and fish size than monochrome. you'll have to decide what your expectations/needs are. down imaging? side imaging? how much do you like working with advanced systems. there are dvd's and classes that will help with your learning curve depending on the manufacture/unit you pick.
probably didn't help you any. but just some things to think about.

[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

[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.

[rscotfish]

i also have a lowrance gps fishfinder combo hds series i love it cost was high but had it 5 years with no problem. has a lot of things on it i dont use but it is fun to play with .when i bought mine i went to lowrance .com and downloaded a simulater for my model to my computer got out the owners manual and played with it over the winter. and was ready to go i use mine for fishing waypoints and the fishfinder and use the trails when trolling it is loaded with functions that i dont use

[mkalink]

I have had them all,Garmin, lowrance, hummingbird, and raymarine just to name a few. I now use Furuno except for my autopilot, it is Raymarine. I have the Nav Net II series 10.4" screen with radar and GPS and I have a seperate fishfinder it is Furuno 620. I love this set up and works well for me. If I were to change anything I would get the Furuno 585 fishfinder. Its the same as the 620 but a larger screen. The Radar/GPS unit was expensive ($4000 +) with raydome and sensor, plus an electronic compass so the radar can be overlayed the GPS. The fishfinder and transducer was around $1000. I did like the garmin unit I had, it was very user friendly. This Furuno equipment is much more difficult to figure out. I spent days at the dock just going through the manual and learning how to use all the features. I also prefer C-MAP charts over Navionics, C-MAP more accurate and better detail. Just my 2 cents worth on marine electronics. There are a lot of deals out there now on electronics. Check out thegpsstore.com, defender.com, tuppensmarine.com, boe.com, just to name a few, if you know what your looking for you can find some great used equipment on E-Bay. I avoid Bass Pro and Cabelas for electronics, great places to purchase tackle but when it comes to electronics they don't have a clue. One more thing I have a good amount of cash wrapped up in electronics, but I did also purchase a top of the line compass and a good set of charts learned how to use them.

[SmilinEd]

Mkalink,

The Furuno 585 looks very interesting. I will call gpsstore tomorrow. What transducer did you go with.? Even though the unit does not have gps/charts. i'm not against 2 pieces of electronics on dash.

Anyone for the pros and cons of have 2 separate units, one fishfinder/sounder and one for gps/charts..?

Thanks for everyone's input.

Best to all

Ed