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Author Topic:   17-foot Hull: $200-$400 SONAR/Fishfinder

Mark Gallagher posted 02-11-2005 08:58 AM ET (US)
It's time to replace my old Apelco. The display has finally given up.
I'm looking at Garmin 120 or 250
Humminbird Matrix 17 or 27
Or, maybe Lowrance M68C S map combo FF GPS
Anyone have experience/comments on any of the above units or recommendations on any of the brand new units out there?
My goal is an economical, $200 to $400 fishfinder for a 17 Whaler.
Thanks for any tips or input.
Mark
Robob2003 posted 02-11-2005 12:37 PM ET (US)
Before you part with $200 check out the little Humminbird Pinanhamax 15 for less than $100.
I got one at West and put it on my Sakonnet. It has all of the alarms, fish icons, temperature readout and it's far more capable than I thought one of the little units would be.
Have fun shopping:-)
Bob on Tampa Bay
fairdeal2u posted 02-11-2005 02:52 PM ET (US)
How deep do you fish?
saltwater? only freshwater?
Do you have to have color?
The furuno lcd ls600 is selling really cheap now. around 200.00
The garmin blue series (160 blue has 500 rms) has more power but a smaller screen. its around the same price.
fourdfish posted 02-11-2005 07:45 PM ET (US)
I have a 3yr old Garmin and I'm not very happy with it. Had to send it in to be fixed after 16 months and had to pay for it. My Eagle gave me a lot of years of good service. Before that I had Vexlar 555 paper graph that was fantastic but you had to buy paper. They say the new Garmins are better!!
happypappy posted 02-11-2005 11:33 PM ET (US)
Just bought a new Eagle combo GPS/Fishfinder and opted to not go for the color as the pixel count went down and the price went up!
Eagle is made by Lowrance and over the years I have had good luck with Lowrance products. Hope this helps!
Richard Quinlivan posted 02-12-2005 12:07 AM ET (US)
Mark
I purchased a Garmin 250C last summer and installed in my 17 Dauntless. It came with a combined dual frequency transducer, speed sensor and thermometer. It has great depthcapability. I can easily see the bottom of Cauga Lake at 400+ feet while planing. It has a standard interface and I have my GPSMap 76S interfaced. The 250 allows me to display the GPS data on the 250 screen.
Dick
jimh posted 02-12-2005 08:52 AM ET (US)
There is really nothing specific about a Boston Whaler 17-foot boat that requires special accommodation in selecting a SONAR or Fishfinder, other than you will probably be best served by using a transom mounted transducer. The construction of the hull prevents use of an in-bilge or shoot-through type of transducer, and a through hull transducer is probably not a good idea, either, because of the potential for damage from trailering.
I would consult with the many published reviews of fish finders and select one in the price range. I think the tests and evaluations published by POWERBOAT REPORTS magazine are generally very good. They have recently conducted extensive side-by-side tests of dozens of these devices and selected some clearly superior products. I would rely on this type of recommendation more than anecdotal reports from individual users.
It is my experience that most of the time a person who has purchased a particular brand and model of device will generally be positive about it, unless the device is truly awful.
The only other limitation of a Boston Whaler in selection of a fishfinder or SONAR is the space available for mounting the display. On some boats there is not much open space on the dashboard of the helm console, so size may be a factor.

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Author	Topic: 17-foot Hull: $200-$400 SONAR/Fishfinder
Mark Gallagher	posted 02-11-2005 08:58 AM ET (US) It's time to replace my old Apelco. The display has finally given up. I'm looking at Garmin 120 or 250 Humminbird Matrix 17 or 27 Or, maybe Lowrance M68C S map combo FF GPS Anyone have experience/comments on any of the above units or recommendations on any of the brand new units out there? My goal is an economical, $200 to $400 fishfinder for a 17 Whaler. Thanks for any tips or input. Mark
Robob2003	posted 02-11-2005 12:37 PM ET (US) Before you part with $200 check out the little Humminbird Pinanhamax 15 for less than $100. I got one at West and put it on my Sakonnet. It has all of the alarms, fish icons, temperature readout and it's far more capable than I thought one of the little units would be. Have fun shopping:-) Bob on Tampa Bay
fairdeal2u	posted 02-11-2005 02:52 PM ET (US) How deep do you fish? saltwater? only freshwater? Do you have to have color? The furuno lcd ls600 is selling really cheap now. around 200.00 The garmin blue series (160 blue has 500 rms) has more power but a smaller screen. its around the same price.
fourdfish	posted 02-11-2005 07:45 PM ET (US) I have a 3yr old Garmin and I'm not very happy with it. Had to send it in to be fixed after 16 months and had to pay for it. My Eagle gave me a lot of years of good service. Before that I had Vexlar 555 paper graph that was fantastic but you had to buy paper. They say the new Garmins are better!!
happypappy	posted 02-11-2005 11:33 PM ET (US) Just bought a new Eagle combo GPS/Fishfinder and opted to not go for the color as the pixel count went down and the price went up! Eagle is made by Lowrance and over the years I have had good luck with Lowrance products. Hope this helps!
Richard Quinlivan	posted 02-12-2005 12:07 AM ET (US) Mark I purchased a Garmin 250C last summer and installed in my 17 Dauntless. It came with a combined dual frequency transducer, speed sensor and thermometer. It has great depthcapability. I can easily see the bottom of Cauga Lake at 400+ feet while planing. It has a standard interface and I have my GPSMap 76S interfaced. The 250 allows me to display the GPS data on the 250 screen. Dick
jimh	posted 02-12-2005 08:52 AM ET (US) There is really nothing specific about a Boston Whaler 17-foot boat that requires special accommodation in selecting a SONAR or Fishfinder, other than you will probably be best served by using a transom mounted transducer. The construction of the hull prevents use of an in-bilge or shoot-through type of transducer, and a through hull transducer is probably not a good idea, either, because of the potential for damage from trailering. I would consult with the many published reviews of fish finders and select one in the price range. I think the tests and evaluations published by POWERBOAT REPORTS magazine are generally very good. They have recently conducted extensive side-by-side tests of dozens of these devices and selected some clearly superior products. I would rely on this type of recommendation more than anecdotal reports from individual users. It is my experience that most of the time a person who has purchased a particular brand and model of device will generally be positive about it, unless the device is truly awful. The only other limitation of a Boston Whaler in selection of a fishfinder or SONAR is the space available for mounting the display. On some boats there is not much open space on the dashboard of the helm console, so size may be a factor.