Fish finder/ GPS plotter

Vinnys

Seaman
Joined
Jul 17, 2011
Messages
67
Hey can I get some feed back on a FF/ GPS combo unit.
I am looking at Lowrance due to the side scan and the imaging. Price is also in my range, Simrad is not. I have been looking at the 7 inch models, possible touch screen, to start. I plan to get a larger display at a later date and couple the units. Larger display would be for RADAR, weather etc. I have a 26 foot fishing boat and do mostly ocean bottom fishing, some bay fishing and a little trolling. I have been using Ray marine old school CRT stand alone units. They are not functioning well and I can not find anyone to do repairs...

Any and all feedback will be welcome.

Vinny
 

blackhawk180

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
367
Re: Fish finder/ GPS plotter

I have a similar setup and love it. (2 Lowrance HDS 7's). Networking is easy with the NMEA 2K, though the cables are not included. I really like having all the viewing options and a redundant chart/GPS should one fail.
I also do considerable ocean fishing and mostly bottom fish so I did not purchase the side scan option since I don't know if they'd do much good at 150-300' but friends that use them for bass fishing swear by them.
I recently went out with a friend that had a single HDS 8 and was really impressed. It allows radar overlay and seems easier to use with all the programmable buttons but since I've got used to mine, the extra buttons would not be worth the extra $. The bigger screen was sure nice though.
Both the 7&8 built in GPS work awesome and are a huge improvement over my old puck. Fast and accurate. I've found crab pots in the fog that I waypointed (is that a word now)? by GPS and practically drove over the buoys before I could actually see them.
I've used the sonar to locate fish down to 160' (sockeye and kokanee) and can attest to the accuracy of the units.
Geeze, I sound like a Lowrance salesman! I'm sure the other brands would work equally well but Lowrance is what I have and would recommend to anyone.
Hope this helps....
 

Vinnys

Seaman
Joined
Jul 17, 2011
Messages
67
Re: Fish finder/ GPS plotter

Thanks Black Hawk.

I probably will be going with the 7 or 8 inch model. Now I need to look into transducers.
I like the side scan option for the inshore fishing...

Thanks again
 
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