new to a larger boat

[newbie123]

in the past i have had fish and ski boats, but recently i bought a 24 cuddy. my family enjoys going to serveral different areas, so i do not wet dock it. My question is which gps/chartplotter is the best for my basic needs. I have never had a boat set this low in the water and need to know about shallows and the surrounding areas in the locations we go. i would like it to keep me from the shallow areas and give me a layout of the different areas we do go. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.. thanks

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: new to a larger boat

GPS chart plotters reported chart depth in my experience is not accurate in shallow water. I have a 24' wellcraft that draws about 2' trimmed down. In SW Florida all the most all the waterways are shallow but navigable. When fishing in the estuary's there are oyster beds everywhere and lots of grass flats. The sounder is always on and calibrated for depth beneath the keel. So if it says the water is 1' deep, I've got 1 foot under the boat. (at the back)

My Humminbird GPS/Sonar with Navionics charts marks most areas correctly but there are many spots shallower than indicated. So using the charts and sounder in shallow areas is as a guide only but I need to proceed at extreme caution, especially in unknown areas.

I guess my point is the Chartplotter/sounder combo is a good tool but it doesn't make up for good seamanship.

 

[cribber]

Re: new to a larger boat

I would say it all depends on how much you're willing to part with for your setup. I personally have a Hummingbird puck mounted transducer in the bilge and a Garmin Nuvi GPS unit that costs around $250 out the door for both units. For an "all in one" chartplotter both Garmin and Hummingbird have really good units in the $500 price range and go north from there. Iboats has a decent selection and you can price compare.

 

[ziggy]

Re: new to a larger boat

need to know about shallows and the surrounding areas in the locations we go. i would like it to keep me from the shallow areas and give me a layout of the different areas we do go.

while i don't go to many new places, your notion can work, with a grain of salt...
i don't have a big boat like you, but i did use a gps w/lake maps when i went to a new lake. it was kinda interesting... when i got to the lake. it was notable that it was down. ya could see it on the shoreline. i est. 7' low. i took this into consideration as i motored around the lake. fwiw, lewis and clark lake at yankton, SD. a kinda big lake. anyways. i went back towards where it was noted on my gps that it was shallow. said it was 11' where i was heading to. well, i guessed it was 4' since i est. 7' low. well, i was wrong. but i was at idle because i didn't know one way or the other as i don't have sonar. while in the 11' area i ran aground. i'd miss est. by 2'. it was 9' low not 7'. so good judgement on my part saved my bacon. no damage done as it was sand. but i was in knee deep water... ended up walking it out for a couple hundred feet before i was deep engough to go again.
i just got a handheld gps. a h2oc. 'if' i'd have had sonar i'd likely have been hip that i was getting to shallow. i also give an extra margin of distance to be sure the map i'm using has me placed proper and i've found that it always isn't right on the money.
so whatever ya get, use good judgement and if ya can, use sonar in conjuction with your gps... between the three, you'll hopefully stay in deep enough water...

 

[brumbyvet]

Re: new to a larger boat

in the past i have had fish and ski boats, but recently i bought a 24 cuddy. my family enjoys going to serveral different areas, so i do not wet dock it. My question is which gps/chartplotter is the best for my basic needs. I have never had a boat set this low in the water and need to know about shallows and the surrounding areas in the locations we go. i would like it to keep me from the shallow areas and give me a layout of the different areas we do go. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.. thanks

I would go with a Garmin GPS w/sounder. I have the Garmin 430s and it includes mapping for all US lakes and rivers. The maps show known hazard areas, at normal pool, and you also have the sonar for real time depth.

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: new to a larger boat

If you know the chart datum you can calibrate the depth sounder to actual conditions. You should also know the draft your boat needs at full load. (Measure it -- don't rely on the specs.)

A phone call to the local authorities can confirm that a body of water is higher or lower than the chart. Those authorities include the USCG, the US Army Corps of Engineers, your state's environmental or parks offices, and especially the local pro fishermen.

Problem is, the bottoms of waterways are constantly changing.

Whenever there was any chance of running aground we sent someone to the bow with a telescoping boat hook or weighted line to measure the depth. At that point, you're pulsing the transmission to give you just a bit of forward movement.

 

[rbh]

Re: new to a larger boat

If you see grass and weed on top of the water it probably is very shallow, do you carry a pole to push you out?
rob

 

[ezmobee]

Re: new to a larger boat

If you see grass and weed on top of the water it probably is very shallow

And if the Sea Gulls are STANDING it's probably even shallower

Sorry, couldn't resist.