too touch or not too touch

crazycanuck

crazycanuck

Member
I got the go ahead to purchase a new plotter/sounder with a $2000ish budget, yippee cause my stuff is old. leaning towards lowrance gen2 9" touch is $2149 retail and the 10" non touch is $1949. I will be using unit 90% for fishing I don't think touch screen maybe the way to go.... slimy hands etc on the screen, I can see cruising or sailing being better. what does a fisherman want 1" bigger for $200 cheaper? pays for transducer... btw which transducer is recommended? Any insight is much appreciated. cheers
 
So I bought the Raymarine E7D. I like all the functionality, and the fish finder seems pretty good. The main reason I chose it is that you can display and control everything via wifi on a tablet (ie in the back of the boat). With tablets at $200, it's a slick way to have a portable screen (which you can full control) in the back.

That having been said, I got an early unit and had MAJOR problems with it. I am on my 3rd unit! The company has been pretty good about it, but it has been absolutely maddening have one after the other fail. It seems they have finally resolved their problems, although rarely the GPS fails to output a position for up to 15 minutes or more. I think I would recommend it under a few circumstances...buy it at least semi local, so you have a place to hold accountable. I bought mine online, so it means every failure is 2 weeks without a chart plotter. Most importantly make sure you check the hardware revision on any unit you buy. There is a recall on units form last year, and you'll want to make sure you get the very latest hardware version.

Generally it's been a slick unit with really cool capabilities and networking.
 
Garmin 1020XS or 820XS with a chirp transducer (Simple, easy to use, great resolution sounder, no touch). GPScity.ca, plus you get a $200 rebate if you buy a chart card!!! If you have mucky hands you don't want the touch! Go Simrad if you like the lowrance, it's same company but much better tech.


Raymarine is junk.
 
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I run a Lowrance 12 touch out back and love it. I use it mostly for fishing 2/3 sonar and 1/3 chartplotter split on the screen. It is way faster navigating than a button unit. I just keep a small spray mister bottle and lens cloth handy to wipe the screen occasionally through out the day. No problems with slime.

That said, I like the button units up front and have 2 8" Gen 2's up there. I like the buttons better for running in rough weather. Its more a sure thing pushing a button once instead of accidentally tapping the screen twice and having to scramble to tap it again to get back to where you want to be. Not fun when your trying to steer and throttle in the rough stuff. JMPO.

Both of those units are great units. I would go with the most expensive transducer you can afford. The Airmar P66 seems like a popular step up from the stock Lowrance unit.

Good luck with the purchase :).

Cheers,
Sculpin
 
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Standard horizon 10" touch free cmap 4d card, 1700$ c/w wi-fi, multi media etc
Sent from my C625a using Tapatalk
 
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