SONAR Display Size Relative to Boat Size; Transducer Location

[donroband]

Q1: does installing a SONAR device with a [10-inch] display on a 17-foot boat make sense?

Q2: where would [the SONAR transducer] be installed?

Note that some [HUMMINBIRD] models use a forward-facing transducer, which you'd want to use while fishing from the bow.


BACKSTORY
I may install a [HUMMINBIRD--not "hummingbird"] model [EXPLORE 10] fish finder that has a [10-inch display] on a Boston Whaler 170 MONTAUK center console.


ASIDE
I also will have an electric trolling motor.

[Moderator's note: I changed the diagonal length of the display to ten inches from the original dimension given as a ten-foot diagonal display, because a ten-foot diagonal display on a 17-foot boat would not make sense.]

[Jefecinco]

Q3: does the HUMMINBIRD XPLORE 10 fish finder include a GPS and electronic chart plotter?

If not that would be an excellent combination unit allowing for simple returns to previously fished hot spots.

I installed a 10-inch combination unit on a 16 Dauntless and loved it. Hoever, it used virtually all of the console real estate.

I have also used and liked a 5 inch Raymarine Dragonfly combination unit on a SPORT 13, and a 9-inch Simrad on a 190 Montauk.

I recommend your get the largest unit that fits your budget and available space.

[donroband]

Q3: does the HUMMINBIRD 10-inch Xplore fish finder include a GPS and electronic chart plotter?

Yes.

I think the common place to mount a fishfinder on a [center console boat] is the helm, but a common place to mount a forward-facing sonar model is on the bow.

I do have an older fish finder on the stern that I think I could keep to [display water] depth. But that SONAR just doesn't have the magic of the newer ones.

[jimh]

Q1: does installing a SONAR device with a [10-inch] display on a 17-foot boat make sense?

These days a display with a diagonal dimension of 10-inches is no longer particularly big, and generally is affordable. I don't see any impediment to installing a 10-inch display on a 17-foot center console boat, as long as there is space available at the helm.

Q2: where would [the SONAR transducer] be installed?

On a 17-foot boat, and particularly on a Boston Whaler boat with Unibond hull construction, the only practical place to install a SONAR transducer is on the transom.

[jimh]

Note that some [HUMMINBIRD] models use a forward-facing transducer, which you'd want to use while fishing from the bow.

Perhaps you are referring to the HUMMINBIRD Mega Live 2 Forward-Facing SONAR. That $1,500 device attaches to a trolling motor. The shape of the transducer prohibits it from being deployed while the boat is underway at normal speeds. The orientation of the transducer attached to the rudder shaft of a bow-mounted trolling motor will likely follow the direction of the trolling motor steering, so the transducer may not always be in a forward-facing orientation. In the case of this particular model, it appears the transducer assembly orientation can also be controlled while in use, and the SONAR beam can be also be directed downward toward the lake bottom if desired.

Cf.: https://humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.com/ ... cing-sonar

Due to the high cost, you probably should contact a HUMMINBIRD sales support specialist to get more advice. Before spending $1,500 I would not rely on anecdotal reports.

The principal attraction to the HUMMINBIRD brand of SONAR devices with GNSS receivers and chart plotter display results from:

• their emphasis in their SONAR technology for detection of fish;
• their proprietary electronic charts available for many inland lakes which provide details of the hydrology specific to angling and typically not found in other electronic charts, and;
• their ability to integrate with particular models of electric trolling motors to provide control of the trolling motor from the screen of the HUMMINBIRD display.

I do not see anything particularly prohibitive that would prevent installing these HUMMINBIRD products on a Boston Whaler 170 MONTAUK boat, other than the lack of an option for a through-hull or a shoot-through-the-hull transducer because of the Unibond hull construction.

As for the size of the display, I don't think anyone has ever bought a 10-inch display device for a 17-foot boat and then concluded that the display presentation was too big. This is particularly true when the display provides the feature of showing multiple screens at once. Generally the real limitation is the cost and the size of your pocketbook.

[msteinkampf]

One concern not addressed in this discussion about a helm-mounted multifunction display is the compass-safe distance, which is the minimum gap needed between a magnetic compass and an electronic device on a ship or vehicle to prevent interference, ensuring the compass points accurately to magnetic north by avoiding local magnetic fields from equipment. The compass-safe distance for a particular unit can usually be found in the installation or operations manual. I just completed a helm installation of a Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 93sv multifunction display on my 1990 Montauk 17. The compass-safe distance for this unit is listed by the manufacturer as 9 inches. I found this statement on page 2 of the Humminbird EXPLORE operations manual (available here: https://johnsonoutdoors.widen.net/conte ... Manual.pdf)

Compass Safe Distance: The control head must be installed at least 4 feet (1.2 meters) from the compass or other magnetic equipment
on the boat.

I would not recommend mounting a Humminbird EXPLORE fish finder on the helm of your boat if you have a magnetic compass installed there.

M

[Jefecinco]

Unless one has been well trained to navigate with a compass as the primary navigation tool it has limited value other than to provide the general direction of travel. The GPS/MAP is a far more useful navigation device. As mentioned, I mounted a 10" display on the console of a Dauntless 16. In order to mount it exactly ahead of the steering wheel It was necessary to remove the compass. I found the compass was a perfect fit in the console's drink holders so I placed it there. Before moving it I tried a little experiment. While the GPS/MAP was turned on I moved the compass by hand to positions near and far from the GPS/MAP. No matter the position of the compass the reading remained virtually the same. Perhaps a different compass and/or GPS/MAP would produce a different result. However, I suspect not.