GPS/Plotter recommendations

J

Joe Sink

Member
I have a 12' Roy high boat and hunt all over NJ, I find myself constantly pulling out my smartphone to mark locations and use the GPS to find my way in and out of winding creeks and marsh's. With that being said I recently started looking at the Garmin echoMap 44dv, it's a GPS, plotter, and fish finder combo with a small and compact size, I figured it can't hurt to have the extra features and it beats pulling out my phone everytime I want to see where I'm at. Does anyone have any experience with this unit or can recommend another? Also does anyone have any experience in one of these in a duck boat? I know it's probably overkill but compared to a lot of guys who
gun my area, I make some big runs from the boat ramp and cover a lot of ground. Thanks
 
Academy has Lowrance Elite 4HDI Sonar/GPS with map card on clearance right now for $199. That's a steal, I paid that much for my handheld Garmin 76 on clearance a few years back.
I use an older model Lowarance like this one on a boat at work and I like it.
I think they may have free shipping deals going on as well.
 
Cool thanks for the info I'll check it out. Only thing that concerns me is drilling the transom for the transducer and ripping it off in the mud. My local waters I'm pretty good at navigating and know the area well but if I travel I thought it would be cool to have the option to plot points ect.
 
Joe there is always the option of a thru the hull transducer or a mounting plate that glues to the outside of the hull. I used a mounting plate because my boat is aluminum and the thru the hull would not work but I would have rather used thru the hull setup so it didn't catch on milfoil and grasses.


I use a Lowrance® Elite-5 HDI Sonar/GPS and love it. It is simple to use. The map upgrades available don't help me because they don't provide any more detail for the lakes I hunt. On coastal waters they may be a good thing. On the mornings when the lake is covered in fog, the GPS is worth every penny.
 
Good point on the through hull transducer, that'll be best i think cause like to run the boat up and beach it in the summer or if I'm gunning marsh's. I'm going to look into that unit you mentioned and shop around. Not doing anything yet till I re-do the boat this summer. Thanks!
 
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