Time for new electronics

Birdsnest

Well-Known Member
Hi all.

Ive had a north star unit in my boat now for 8 years and I am thinking its time to up grade to something new and reliable with all the latest a greatest features. Well actually I would be happy with a fish finder that will work in deep water and maybe side scan but mostly a unite with radar overlay and touch screen and a screen that could be moved to the back deck or some similar option.

Any help is appreciated. Choosing this stuff is not my specialty.
 
dont overlook gps electronic in calgary.
prices cant be beat..as for brands ski s the limit. name yer price...!
 
I just went through this. I ended up going with 2 lowrance hds 7 touches. Harbor chandler has some of the gen 2 models from last year and they are significantly cheaper than the new gen 3. I bought one with a transducer and a chip and then picked up a second head unit. These units will share charts and transducer with just one cord between them. Sorry for the sideways pic I don't know how to flip it.
 

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It's my opinion that a touchscreen on a saltwater fishing boat is a bad idea. I don't know about you but I often have saltwater, blood, and/or fish scales on my hands at any given time and would rather not smear that all over my purdy screen.

I don't have a lot of experience with different brands so I don't have an opinion on which is best, but that's my 2 cents worth.
 
It's my opinion that a touchscreen on a saltwater fishing boat is a bad idea. I don't know about you but I often have saltwater, blood, and/or fish scales on my hands at any given time and would rather not smear that all over my purdy screen.

I don't have a lot of experience with different brands so I don't have an opinion on which is best, but that's my 2 cents worth.
I just ordered a gen 3 just for that reason......redundancy with the buttons
 
Birdsnest, I run a 12" Lowrance touch facing the back and a 9" touch in the front along with a broadband radar networked together with fuel flow and other sensors. When I turn my radar on and head from Critter to Esperanza I can count the Sea Otters heads on the way up along with every Seagull on the screen.

I couldn't be happier with my system.

Talk to Denise at Harbour Chandler and you won't get a better deal or service.

Codfather
 
If you are interested in great sounder performance you should consult the airman guide to transducers http://www.airmar.com/uploads/brochures/AIRMAR Transducer Guide 2009.pdf
Airmar makes the vast majority of transducers used by all electronics mfgrs.

I mention this because the transducer is the greatest determining factor in sounder performance.

I would also research CHIRP because you need this.

I bought a Garmin CHIRP GPS/Sounder combo based on the recommendation of Gil at semperfifishing (google it.) He is an ex - military SONAR engineer. Gil says Lawrence is a great fresh water technology but Garmin is better for Saltwater. I was able to do a side-by-side on the water comparison with my $2K Garmin against a $5K Lowrance with my Garmin showing twice the crispness & detail. Garmin also has optional maps called fishing maps with 1 foot depth contours.

FYI I bought a 840xs for use on a 14ft RIB. If budget allows, large screens hold more "history" of what went by in the past.

As for all the 3-d scan stuff, I'd get it of cost is no concern but i would put the money into a better transducer/larger screen if your goal is to hook more fish.

Talk to Gil
 
I just ordered a gen 3 just for that reason......redundancy with the buttons

Nice choice. I like how they added the buttons back on the gen 3's. My two up front are gen2 non touch with buttons. I couldn't imagine trying to operate the touch screen running in rough stuff. I like the solid feel of hitting a button. If I had to redo the back screen on my gal I would go with the gen3 touch.


Ryanb,
My back screen is a 12" gen 2 touch and I have had it for a couple of years now with ZERO issues from saltwater, fish blood, and slimy fingers. It cleans up really nice with some fresh water and a screen cloth. I leave it out there all the time and have had no problems weatherproof wise. This one has been bomb proof. I really like the touch screen while fishing and is super fast for navigating through screens etc. Simply awesome.

Birdsnest,
Like others have posted. I would go talk to the folks in electronics at the Harbour Chandler and tell them what you want / need. They have a full line of Simrad and Lowrance. They can order you in any Airmar transducer etc. I have found out that I would need at least a 3kw transducer for canyon fishing. Mines only 1 kw. The true chirp with black box is amazing for salmon fishing and banks fishing.

Good luck and happy electronics hunting.
 
If you don't already have one, a fuel flow sensor is a great tool. Connect it into a multi-function GPS such as the Lowrance HDS line and you can see your fuel consumption expressed in mpg. You can use that info to determine best cruising speed and fine tune boat trim for the conditions. The sensor takes minutes to install and costs under $100.
 
Nice choice. I like how they added the buttons back on the gen 3's. My two up front are gen2 non touch with buttons. I couldn't imagine trying to operate the touch screen running in rough stuff. I like the solid feel of hitting a button. If I had to redo the back screen on my gal I would go with the gen3 touch.


Ryanb,
My back screen is a 12" gen 2 touch and I have had it for a couple of years now with ZERO issues from saltwater, fish blood, and slimy fingers. It cleans up really nice with some fresh water and a screen cloth. I leave it out there all the time and have had no problems weatherproof wise. This one has been bomb proof. I really like the touch screen while fishing and is super fast for navigating through screens etc. Simply awesome.

Birdsnest,
Like others have posted. I would go talk to the folks in electronics at the Harbour Chandler and tell them what you want / need. They have a full line of Simrad and Lowrance. They can order you in any Airmar transducer etc. I have found out that I would need at least a 3kw transducer for canyon fishing. Mines only 1 kw. The true chirp with black box is amazing for salmon fishing and banks fishing.

Good luck and happy electronics hunting.
Birdsnest

RPM will match any price you get from Harbour Chandelry

Sly Karma

He has a new Merc which comes with fuel management just like i have
 
Last fall I upgraded my electronics to HDS 7 Gen 3 with P66 ducer, 3g Radar, and created NMEA network to overlay radar. Very happy, very user friendly.
 
Thanks for all the feed back. A good start to my homework.
 
Don't want to hijack this thread, but would you guys say RADAR for occasional use on the West/Central coast during premium salmon fishing times (July/August) is necessary and worth the expense?
 
Lots of guys go without, but going out to Swiftsure and off Victoria it is really nice to have. What risk level are you comfortable with and would you mind cancelling a day or weekend of fishing? For slow trolling in most spots you will not need it, but if you want to run in the fog, to get out to the bite or are crossing shipping lanes or fishing very busy spots on weekends, then buy a radar.

I have friends coming to the Island to go fishing with me, I know I will end up going fishing, even if there is increased risk of a collision, so I bought a radar.
 
It isn't called "Fog"ust by accident. June and early July fog isn't too bad and most times you do get fog it tends to be light and burn off, always exceptions of course. Second half of July and August you can pretty much count on fog if fishing more than a couple of days so it comes down to your comfort level running/fishing in moderate to heavy fog or risk of losing fishing days because of it. I don't have radar so tend to fish Ukee early and late and avoid August (ok, to be honest, my wife having lived there for many years won't give up any of her hot sunny Interior summer days to be in the cold, damp Ukee fog so I don't really get a say in the matter …. life is compromises!! lol!).

Cheers!

Ukee
 
I run Raymarine, Radar, GPS and fish finder. Very happy with this system, I hear the new Fire Fly is not bad either.
 
I've used my radar on every trip I've ever done to Nootka Sound during July and Aug over the last 9 years. Some times you are drifting in and out of fog areas on the fringe, other times you are in a hot fishing area, you see it moving towards you and you say to yourself....its not that close is it...... just give me another hour to fish. Then, before you know it, particularly offshore, it sneaks up on you and you are caught. I have to say, I don't get as worried about getting caught in the fog now as I used to...... now that I have some knowledge of how to use the tool and the fact most GPS's leaves bread crumbs to give you a sense of where you have been. I do worry about the "other guy". I don't travel fast in fog. I do see some people going too fast sometimes in my view. In short, I think its a useful tool to have anywhere fishing the Island. It keeps me out fishing longer and safer. Its not a big cost today either.
 
I think it's crazy to not have radar. All the idiots that run at 20 knots on their gps thinking they are safe is mind boggling to me. I like seeing them coming at me
 
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