n00b plotter/finder help

[tyroelite]

I am looking to buy a depthfinder/gps/plotter unit/combo unit but I'm not sure what would be my best option. Here's my situation.

I have an 18' speedboat use mostly for watersports and occasionally for fishing. I boat on the Susquehanna River (<150ft max depth) in Pennsylvania and on other local inaland lakes. I am looking for what would be the best unit keeping in mind that on the river, the channel changes pretty frequently depending on rainfall, etc. So I need something with a shallow water alarm. If there is a way to keep track of my location and depth as I'm on the river so if I find an area of shallow water, I can avoid it for the rest of the day, that would be excellent.

Boating on the lakes (<250ft max depth), I would only need depth finder when docking to the shore (no docks, just run up on sand/dirt) as the main body of the lakes are all petty deep.

I don't really need color display and I don't mind switching between functions of GPS and Depth if it will still allow me to know ahead of time where to avoid. Otherwise, I think a depth finder alone may be the best unit.

So basically, I'm looking for an entry unit recommendation that will suite these needs. I'm looking to get unit(s), antenna(s), transducer, etc for <$350 new/used. Thanks for the help.

 

[JB]

Re: n00b plotter/finder help

Howdy, tyroelite.

Welcome to iboats.

Finding a chartplotter and a SONAR for that budget is a pretty tough mission. . . combo or seperate.

I propose that you go to ebay and look for seperate units: an Eagle SONAR (with transducer) and a Garmin chartplotter (internal antenna). The Eagle Cudas are good Sonar and the Garmin 162 (monochrome) or 172c (color) are good chartplotters that should be inexpensive in the used market.

The only combos with screens large enough to read split (never turn off the SONAR when on the water) are big bux.

 

[tyroelite]

Re: n00b plotter/finder help

thanks for the suggestion. ill look into those units. as someone who has used both units how much do you really use gps beyond finding the way back to the dock?

 

[JB]

Re: n00b plotter/finder help

I use my GPS pretty much constantly to monitor speed and progress toward my selected waypoint. People who have been fishing my favorite lakes (Lake Of The Woods, Possum Kingdom) for years get lost regularly. I use my SONAR constantly for safety reasons.. .to monitor for upsloping bottoms, for example.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: n00b plotter/finder help

Unless I know a body of water like the back of my hand, otherwise I have to be purdy desperate to launch without it. Two advices for ya, #1: don't buy used electronic unless you can take it back to him/her and beat them on the head with it. #2: try to spend a little more money then 350 because cheap ones don't help much.

There is an old saying that really true when it come to this stuff "quality is appreciated long after high price have been forgotten" or something like that.