Depth Gauge or Fish Finder? Same thing?

midweste

Hello Gents,

I would like to add a depth gauge or fish finder to my bow rider. We are starting to fish more this season and my boat did not have one when I became the new owner. 

1. What would you recommend? 

2. Any brands to stay away from? 

3. Transom mount or through hull?

4. Is there a cup holder mount available so I don't have to drill and screw in a new mount? 

5. Color screen vs. black and white

6. How much juice do these things take to run?

Thanks!

MW

MarkB

1. Some very good brands out there, but the best value for money that I've found is Lowrance. They make the HDS series, really nice. If you can get a Generation 1 unit, they are cheap, as they came out with the Gen 2 last year.  The Gen 1's are still really great units.  If you don't want to spend a lot of money get the HDS 5. The HDS 7 is nicer, much bigger screen.  The Elite 7 is also a good unit (not the Elite 5, it has very limited capability and has a weaker sonar output). The HDS units and Elite 7 are both good for GPS chart plotting and sonar - so you can split screen and watch both.  It's important to have a good GPS chart plotter, as this will help you (a) locate structure at the bottom of the lake where fish could be, (b) allow you to waypoint where you catch fish, so you can see the hot spots and (c) plot a trail so if you hit fish, you can go right back to where you were and travel the same trajectory.

2. I would rather say stay away for cheaper models in any brand. There is a big jump in quality and capability if you spend that extra $200.

3. I would say transom mount, purely because the through hull is not the easiest install. Through hulls are great, but you need to install them with NO bubbles in the epoxy and you need to make sure they are water level, which is not easy to do, otherwise you will not mark fish that well and your depth measurement will be off.  Transom mount is way easier, but as you know, there will be holes to seal. You want the cable to come through your transom above the water line, and seal everything well, including the mount the transducer is on.

4. Look for a RAM mount. You can screw this into your helm dash, or into a cup holder. They make all kinds of shapes and sizes.  They are very strong, and adjustable, so you can position your screen optimally.

5. Color hands down.  Black and white is really old technology, and the unit will likely have limitations in terms of it's capability. Color also tells you how close something is to the transducer, with red colors meaning very hard returns (right under the boat) and greens being further away from the boat (weaker signal).  This helps you understand if the fish are below your boat or off to the sides.

6. Lowrances website says it consumes a peak of 0.7A.

midweste

Thanks for the detailed explanation Mark. I am going to order one today.  >-

midweste

Should i use 3M 4200 or 5200 for the holes? 

Cableguy Greg

4200 if you want to be able to remove the wire at some point, 5200 if you want it to be permanent.

midweste

Thanks Guys!