Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

9632587410

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2002
Messages
28
Are there any out there that actually work at speeds around 25 knots ? This is my second Humminbird and the piece of $hit doesnt read bottom once Im up and plaining<sp?? . Its only a 30 HP / 14 ft. boat so Im not going a 100 miles an hour . I fish and travel up and down the river and its quite shallow , make that propeller shattering shallow in places . Tell me what works and what doesnt , thanks !!<br /><br />Jeff
 

Capt. Bob

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 14, 2002
Messages
308
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

I vote Garmin. I have a Garmin Fishfinder 240 Blue and it is flawless. Check out the site http://www.garmin.com/marine/ My boat runs 22 wot and the unit never skips a beat up to 1500 ft deep. Garmin is known for excellant support. I also have the 215 Chartplotter and it has performed flawlessly also.
 

JRJ

Commander
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Messages
2,992
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

In order to read bottom, let alone fish, at any speed, it appears that the tranducer plays a large part along with the sounder. Check out airmar.com for tranducer info. Furuno's LS-6100 keeps coming up as a good quality unit in the $300 range. I have the same problem you do. Good Luck :)
 

Craigw

Cadet
Joined
Jun 15, 2002
Messages
14
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

I can read the bottom at about 35 knots with the new hummingbird pirahana 1 it is supposed to be portable but I mounted it. I read the bottom unless I am crossing a wake. Walmart $99
 

6MISFITZ

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 16, 2001
Messages
290
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

I bought a cheap Hummingbird 100 at C.T.C. because the boat I bought had no depth finder at all. <br /><br />I followed the mounting directions to a tee making sure the sensor unit was OUT of the prop wash but still in the water at plaining speeds.(about equal distace from the outdrive as the speedo pick up tube 24" but on the other side of the hull). Mounted it sits about a 1/4 inch below the hull at the inside of the sensor. After some fine tuning (angling the rear of the sensor downward) it was able to keep the signal up to 33 knots. <br /><br />I set my viewer's depth alarm for 5 feet which is only aboat 3 feet bellow the hull at trolling speeds or when I drift. When at plaining speeds, I have the alarm set to 9 feet or more in less familiar waters and then slow down accordingly.
 

mellowyellow

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jun 8, 2002
Messages
5,327
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

just curiuos... if it were working and your<br />running at 25 knotts, by the time the alarm<br />sounded wouldn't it be too late? <br />for me, knowing the underwater terrain is most<br />important. buy a marine map of your area that<br />will show shallow areas and plot your course accordingly. just my .02
 

9632587410

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2002
Messages
28
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

MellowYellow<br /><br />I wasnt going that fast and there is a new ledge out there that wasnt visible a few days ago . The river has dropped almost 6 feet in the last 2 weeks and the channels and voids change yearly and I had the bottom alarm set but by the time it went off and I hit stop the prop already caught the rocks . I am fully perpared and have a bottom map but the river changes so much because of the fast current . Ive done all the tricks for mounting that transducer properly . Ive had a few boats now with Humminbirds on them and they seem to work good for a while then take a hissy fit and go south :rolleyes: <br /><br />Jeff<br /><br />PS . I also wanted to add that if the bottom would have been showing correctly like its suppose to , I could have noticed the quickly changing bottom and made a stop before the alarm went off and destroyed my propeller :eek:
 

mellowyellow

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jun 8, 2002
Messages
5,327
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

I stand corrected then.... 6ft in 2 wks. is huge.<br />hope you get the answers you need here to prevent<br />it from happening again. :eek: <br />good luck,<br />M.Y.
 

suzukidave

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 1, 2000
Messages
387
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

Jeff, if you are running a 14' boat maybe there is no point in your transom that is far enough away from the motor and still enough in the water. my humminbird won't read underway on my 16' either. I suspect wake turbulence because I've had to sit it too near the prop to make way for trim tabs. I've been thinking about an in boat transducer installation in the bottom of the bilge. There are posts here about how to do it --supposedly if you seat it in epoxy it works well but I'm worried there is no turning back once you do it!
 

KCLOST

Commander
Joined
Jun 22, 2002
Messages
2,095
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

I called Hummingbird today asking about the Pirana models, specifically the maximum boat speed at which the models will still measure depth. The rep. I talked with said, "depending on tranducer mounting and location, they will work up to 60 mph"...<br /><br />I assume they mean whether or not the tranducer is mounted inside the hull or out and how free of turbulence it is...
 

9632587410

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2002
Messages
28
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

Through information I have got from here and the Newsgroups and talking about the subject with other boat owners on the river I fish in . The Garmin models (i.e 240) do work without problems . This thing of mine would be good enough for lake fishing at trolling and just above that speed . Im going to buy the Garmin and sell this Hummincrap . Thanks for all your input , great as usual.<br /><br />Jeff
 

Arnold96

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jul 29, 2002
Messages
75
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

I suspect that it could be the way the transducer is mounted, but I really don't have a good solution other that making sure there is a smooth surface all the way to the transducer. I just installed a Garmin 160? last weekend on mine and it reads the bottom and fish at 40 mph. Just lucky on the mounting location.
 

9632587410

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2002
Messages
28
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

I moved the transducer down an inch and Ill test it tomorrow . One more chance for the ole Humminturd :) <br /><br />Jeff
 

Beernutz

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 14, 2001
Messages
287
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

Know where you're comin' from with those shifting sandbars. I got 'em on the way to my house, too. Ran hard aground on one last evening in a remote area at 30 mph at 7 PM. Had to sit there watching the approaching darkness and lightning storm, listening to the severe weather alerts on the VHF, until 1 AM when the tide returned and let me push 'er off this morning. Don't think I really deserved the treatment I received from my wife, though, after my ordeal and all.<br /><br />I have a Raytheon 465, but it's useless in avoiding sudden ledges. I'm told that the beam is less than an inch in diameter at depths of less that 10 ft. It reads the bottom great, though, at 45 mph.
 

9632587410

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2002
Messages
28
Re: Fish Finders/Depth Sounders Question

Ya I know where your coming from . Well Ive moved my transducer every way and angle I can think of and it still only reads at slower speeds in the river .I tried manual depth , going from 3 beams to two beams , tried every setting and that Humminbird is total useless JUNK , same as the one on my small boat . Today I went up slow as I could and some spots now are only a foot deep , no sand though , just rocks <br /> :( Might be seriously time to look at Jet propulsion .<br />Your wifey shouldnt have been mad at you . <br /><br />Jeff
 
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