Sonar/GPS

Phil Nowack

Phil Nowack

Well-known member
I have always gone with out the luxury of this little feature... Please give me your advise as to the best economical combo. I would like to be able to move this between the Honker and Scaup...


Thanks
 
Lawerance Mark 4. If you want to have the ability to transfer from boat to boat just buy second transducer and mounts. The only problem is that you get what you pay for when it comes to chartplotter/fishfinder. But the mark 4 is on the low low end of cost.

Regards,
Kristan
 
I have always gone with out the luxury of this little feature... Please give me your advise as to the best economical combo. I would like to be able to move this between the Honker and Scaup...


Thanks
Click to expand...

Can you give us a few more bits? Will you be using a navionics chip? What depths are you going to be in? Is this for fishing, or navigation? If for fishing, do you need to be able to distinguish species? How much space do you have (side consol, walk through double, center, tiller?). Color or black and white? Waypoint storage needs?

Lots of good economic options but need a few bits to narrow it.
 
I bought a Garmin 440s to use between boats. Only required buying a separate power cable and transducer. Cheaper for me then buying two complete units. Now's the time to start looking as they usually go on sale before the season starts.


Mark
 
Kevin this is for navigation only. Mississippi River, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Rathban, and hopefully many other bodies of water.
 
a humminbird 598 combo. (im pretty sure that is the number for the combo gps/fish finder, not the side scan)

they are easy to install, wicked easy to use and work great.

i put one in Nikki's brothers bassboat and a buddies center console
 
The most economical is to load Navionics Boating on your smartphone for $10. Works great and the charts are the best available on many lakes.
 
Kevin this is for navigation only. Mississippi River, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Rathban, and hopefully many other bodies of water.
Click to expand...

Then I would look into a hummingbird combo like mentioned. I have one on my erie boat that I use for navigation and chart plotting. Mine is black and white and does everything it needs and more. You can frequently find them used for a very good price.

You can set the screen for navigation or mapping only. It comes with maps or you can get more detailed maps in a navionics chip. It will also come with the GPS beacon. You can add way points which would be darn handy in the dark negotiating the big river I bet!
 
The most economical is to load Navionics Boating on your smartphone for $10. Works great and the charts are the best available on many lakes.
Smartphones don't do sonar very well...
Click to expand...
 
The most economical is to load Navionics Boating on your smartphone for $10. Works great and the charts are the best available on many lakes.
Smartphones don't do sonar very well...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Depends on how long a string you have on your phone :)

Seriously, I have a Lowrance on my Lund side console and would not go out on a big lake without it. Get caught out on one of the Great Lakes in the fog miles from shore just once and you will be a believer. I do put it on my BB3 when out on the Mississippi but just to follow a well documented stump avoidance trail. It's been a while since I shopped for them so I don't know what's new on the market. I suppose they all come with navionics charts now and I found that a great addition as all the navigation aids such as bouys, are on them.
 
Lawerance Mark 4. If you want to have the ability to transfer from boat to boat just buy second transducer and mounts. The only problem is that you get what you pay for when it comes to chartplotter/fishfinder. But the mark 4 is on the low low end of cost.

Regards,
Kristan
Click to expand...

+1 (will never buy another Humminbird, long story about equipment that doesn't work and service that is worse)
 
Phil-I run a Lowrance HDS-7 on my Alaskan18'. I use the Chip for north region which covers Mn, Wis, Dakotas, and maybe more. What I like about this unit is that you can run full screen GPS if you want only navigation. I put the unit in my Polaris Ranger for ice fishing and use full screen GPS. Works great. These units are a little more spendy, but whatever unit you buy make sure you get a large enough screen so you can read it when moving at full speed. Hard to read small screens with wind in your face and you're trying to navigate in dark also. If you want to PM I can get you name of a reasonable dealer in Minn that could put you in the right unit for you.
 
Phil another thing you could do is buy a cheap depth finder for each boat and just download navionics to your tablet or phone for around 50 bucks. A buddy set up his new boat with a USB port to hook his tablet up to use as chart plotter.

Regards,
Kristan
 
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Thanks....Jim, I read your reply when I was at Cabelas... They had it on sale... at $999!!!! choke....gasp!
Click to expand...


Phil,

That is the unit I have on my fishing boat, great unit. I agree on screen size being a very important aspect for your needs. I have used a small hand held sonar on the Mississippi to get me back to the ramp. It got the job done, but I would have been much happier with a bigger screen and hands free. You can find a HDS7 for a much cheaper price. Look for a Generation 1 unit. The current units are gen2 but a gen1 will do what you want it to do just fine.

There may be other units out there that will do what you want, I'm not up on what is available, I only know I am happy with mine. Again, screen size is your friend, but it comes at a cost. I'm not sure a low end , no bells and whistles unit, in any brand will be available in a larger screen. Screen size itself, as you well know, adds to the cost.

As an aside; I almost gave you a call earlier today to see if you were home. I wanted to look at you boat build. I was up trout fishing and couldn't have been too far from your place on my way home.
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I was in Iowa City getting a wood stove yesterday day. But next time you're in the area give me a call we'll see
 
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