an electronics question / poll ?

[oldbluesplayer]

looking at fishfinders and GPS units -

my past boat experience was primarily freshwater, on the big lakes in New Hampshire, this boat will be going to the coast fairly frequently, as well as the lakes (don't scoff at the lakes - they bring the off-shore racers up to Winnepesauki every year, I saw one go down one time, out in the Broads with the right wind it can churn up good)

anyways - have used Humminbird and Eagle in the past,(these were a decade ago) and don't have any experience with GPS -

What are you guys using? - likes / dislikes ?

thanks

Bill

[moonfire]

Bill
Have a look at this I just got mine yesterday.
http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/w...84&bct=t251412

[ScottM]

Bill,
I've got a Garmin GPSMap 162 (now 172) chartplotter and a Furuno LS6100 fishfinder. Both work very well, and even though they are not color, I like them just the same. The only complaint about the Garmin is screen size, and the Furuno won't read depth <5 feet. However, the price was right on both units.

It seems that Humminbird and Eagle/Lowrance are really popular on the sweetwater, maybe due to B.A.S.S. sponsorship (?). However, they both make good products so you would do just fine if you stuck with the names you know. My father bought a Lowrance GlobalMap 5500C color chartplotter and it has worked really well for him this season.

[peterb]

On my old boat I had a Garmin 185 (FF/GPS). Although it was not color I loved it, especially the Garmin maps.

When I got my 23 SF SeaCraft this past winter it came with a ton of electronics, including a Furuno 1610CF (color FF/GPS). I thought it was an upgrade from the Garmin unit. Boy, was I mistaken. The map graphics from navonics stink (no wrecks on the maps), and the unit is pretty flaky.

I am hopng to replace it this coming winter with a Garmin 178C. I see these color units going for a little over $600 on eBay. I spoke to a number of marine electronic guys and they say that Garmin now had most of the fixed mount GPS market share.

[Fr. Frank]

I use a Garmin Etrex Legend handheld, cabled into a Humminbird Matrix 15. Its a B/W display, but it tells me everything I need to know.

[oldbluesplayer]

Fr. Frank - that sounds like an interesting set-up - have to go download and check the op manual for the Humminbird-Matrix units -

I had a Hum LCR 2000 last me about 20 years, sold it with my last boat, and my bro is still running one he got, based on my experience, and it does just fine in the salt - would be interesting to try others, but I get antsy hearing reports of early failures -

thanks !
Bill

[oldbluesplayer]

I researched a little, following on Fr. Franks solution, and ended up with a Hummingbird Matrix 17 depth/fishfinder, and a Garmin GPSMap 76 handheld gps - a relatively small money outlay solution that put it in two seperate boxes, so you don't suffer complete failure, and two names I'm comfortable with, and these can be cabled together, should I choose to in the future.

Been out fishing the NH / Mass coast the last couple of weeks, and results are - I'm completely happy with both units out of the box performance - and both units have upgrade capability.

Bill

[Abe's Rocket]

that garmin is a slick unit....and excellent low-cost choice

[rockdoc]

http://www.brokenlegdave.com/Manufac...wrance/M56.htm

Lowrance FF/GPS for $250 or so. Unbelievable.

rockdoc

[CHANCE1234]

what about furuno or raytheon. aren't these better than those freshwater machines??