posted 07-07-2006 04:25 AM ET (US)
Captain, unfortuantely we have already done our saltwater trip for this year but have several more freshwater trips planned.There is no other unit that compares to this 987c. Yes, I expect it's performance to be degraded in saltwater--sometimes more and sometimes less depending on the conditions of the day. Ask yourself is a fuzzy image is better than no image? The standard sonar is excellent in both frequency modes or in dual mode with a split screen. This is a superior unit, excellent legibility and it seems so far to function as advertized.
Things that may affect saltwater use:
-Aeration in the water column
-Plankton and other life, sediment, suspended material such as grass, seaweed etc
-wave action that rocks the boat side to side--short--steep waves that rock the boat rapidly show more image degradation that long period waves that gently roll the boat.
I wiah I had this a month or so ago when we were down in the Destin area for a real workout.