Suggestions on Electronics

[SmallMouth Fanatic]

Hey fellows!  I am looking to upgrade my electronics on my boat. Do you guys recommend any particular fish finder? Curious what you guys are using on Beaver and what you like about a particular model. Thanks in advance!

[J-Doc]

That question is very hard to answer.  

You're going to get comments that equate to Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge vs...some new make on the scene that is getting good reviews. 

 

Check my thread in the General Discussion forum (flagged at top) for basic sonar understanding and then ask yourself what is it you want and just how far are you willing to dig into understanding the tool you are going to invest in.  I'm guessing you won't dig into it as much as some of the pros.  That being said, a 12" graph won't help you more than a 7" graph. Screen size is nice but sure expensive of you do not dig into understanding what it is showing you on a very thorough level. 

 

That being said I have Lowrance HDS units. The new Hummingbird side scan units are very nice.  Lowrance has improved theres also and Ray Marine has come on the scene very strong in recent years. 

Do the homework. 

Watch videos online. 

Buy a Dr Sonar DVD and learn how to get the most info from your investment on ANY unit you buy. 

 

And that's the best advice I can give you. Yes, I'm a bit sonar junkie. 

[jdmidwest]

And it depends on what you want the electronics to do.  Chirp, side scan, interface to a trolling motor, mapping.

Raymarine has some simple units that interface wirelessly to a phone that perform well also.

[moguy1973]

 

I am going to say that the Garmin units are probably the best bang for the buck right now as they come preloaded with 17000 lake maps. Plus you really can't beat the clarity of their displays.  

That being said they don't have any touchscreen units nor are they that easy to network together. 

[Stump bumper]

It is like your television at home you can invest as much as a new truck or just a couple hundred but the same show is going to be on. I always go for last years model on sale and save a couple hundred. I have down scan only on the front and an old black and white gps on the back. When I need side scan I fish within a 100 yards of JDoc and watch his 50 inch screen.

Seems to me that Lowrance people get used to the controls one way and Hummingbird people get used to theirs. I have an old Lowrance on the back and newer Hummingbird on the front and plan on upgrading to Hummingbird on the back just for the color gps. I will not spend more than $500 on a unit and from what I have seen Hummingbird gives a better map for that price. But with the Lowrance you don't have to buy the card because they come pre loaded.

If you are going to invest in side scan then make sure you get a 9inch or larger screen, I have seen side scan on a 5inch screen and it is a waste of money, the detail means nothing if you can't see it. UNless you want to record your trip on a card and take it home throw it up on the TV and see all the fish you missed.

As far as fitting in, from what I have seen about 80% of Beaver fishermen seem to have Lowrance units and spend between $1,500 to $2,500 on them, then turn them off while they beat the shore line because they never take the time to learn how to use them. I will never understand why they invest so much when they don't believe what they see. Good luck

[Deadstream]

15 minutes ago, Stump bumper said:

When I need side scan I fish within a 100 yards of JDoc and watch his 50 inch screen.

 

Ha!

[J-Doc]

2 hours ago, Stump bumper said:

When I need side scan I fish within a 100 yards of JDoc and watch his 50 inch screen.

Oh come one now.  You know it's only a 48" screen. 

[rps]

The Raymarine Dragonfly gets very good reviews and touts its ease of use. When I was shopping in January, the only knock I read on them is that 40' seems to be their limit. I have used both the Humminbird and the Lowrance side scan units. Both do an excellent job. The comment above regarding size is important. When you have three screens going (side scan, downscan, and sonar) the larger size leaves room to actually see the detail.

At the end of my research I bought the Garmin Echomap 93sv. Very positive reviews, maps for free, and substantially less expensive made the decision easier. As I begin to use it, I will report.

[moguy1973]

Someone needs to let Raymarine know about this. Lol

[J-Doc]

12 minutes ago, rps said:

The Raymarine Dragonfly gets very good reviews and touts its ease of use. When I was shopping in January, the only knock I read on them is that 40' seems to be their limit. I have used both the Humminbird and the Lowrance side scan units. Both do an excellent job. The comment above regarding size is important. When you have three screens going (side scan, downscan, and sonar) the larger size leaves room to actually see the detail.

At the end of my research I bought the Garmin Echomap 93sv. Very positive reviews, maps for free, and substantially less expensive made the decision easier. As I begin to use it, I will report.

I thought you bought an HDS10?  Change your mind?