Need new electronics $1000k budget. Help!

[RiverBoy]

title says it all. i need to upgrade my
fish-finder /GPS unit. i’m looking to spend around $1000. I have my eye on the Lowrance Elite 7 ti as that fits the bill and i’ve had Lowrance products on my previous boat and have had no major problems but i’m open minded to different brands. Any pros, cons and any input on your electronics is also appreciated!
I have a Double Eagle 185 which are quite accessible so it should be fairly easy to install on my own.
Thanks

 

[Corey_lax]

I don’t know that unit but just suggesting to you to keep your eyes peeled for people selling HDS 7 gen 2. Quite a few people selling them lately with transducers for around the $500. Extra beer money!

Or even better, get two used hds 7’s for under a grand!

 

[Pineapple Express]

Whoa...when I saw your thread title I was thinking that $1,000,000 ought to buy a decent fish finder...maybe even two!

 

[UkeeDreamin]

Garmin now owns Navionics so that advantage Lowrance products had over Garmin is now gone and many of the big boating and electronic sites regularly rate garmin products very high and their sonar, particularly their downscan imaging, as industry leading.

Radioworld.ca has last years Echomap series (w/ the pre-Navionics lake maps preloaded) on clear-out with an Echomap 75cv, which has both a touch screen and manual buttons, on sale for $650 (the 75sv, w/ sidescan sonar is $100 more at $750). The elite 7ti is $925 at Radioworld and says comes preloaded w/ US lakes maps, while the Echomap comes preloaded w/ the older, non Navionics, US and Canada lake maps. So in both cases you’d have to buy west coast mapping separately. On both units you should look at the transducer and make sure you choose a model in the series, Lowrance, garmin or whomever, that best fits where you’ll be fishing ( lakes vs ocean, nearshore vs open blue)

I checked and the new BlueChart G3/garmin maps, w/ Navionics info incorporated w/ garmin mapping, is $225. The Lowrance C-Map charts for the west coast are $300.

Cheers!

Ukee

 

[Barman]

Check out the Lowrance HDS 7 Carbon, a very powerful capable MFD, discontinued, but being cleared out at $950.00 which is a big discount.

https://www.radioworld.ca/lowrance-hds-7-carbon

 

[UkeeDreamin]

Good site to help your research:

https://www.sonarwars.com/best-fish-finder-for-the-money/

Cheers!

Ukee

 

[pescador]

https://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/gpsmap-742xs.html

 

[jeffywestcoast]

Not sure where you are located but Denise at Harbour Chandler in Nanaimo can help you with all your Lowrance needs.

 

[Unreel]

I think harbour chandler has some old stock hds 7 carbons for around $1000.

 

[Corey_lax]

https://www.harbourchandler.ca/shop...lowrance-hds7-carbon-chartplotter-fishfinder/
On sale!

 

[Fishalot]

The Carbon HDS7 with Airmar P66 would be effective setup

 

[sudsy]

Love my carbon 9 and p66 setup, highly recommend the above post (carbon 7)

My carbon 9 was 2400$ so that's a great price at HC

Good luck

 

[RiverBoy]

So I ended up staying with Garmin on this boat.

Picked up a Echomap Plus 72CV (7” screen)
with a CV23M-TM transducer
w/ Bluechip 3G map card for all Can /US plus west coast. can’t believe the quality of the map.
I’m in the process of pulling off the old transducer and prepping surface for hole repair and layout for new transducer. I HATE drilling holes in boats especially transoms. Luckily newer DE transoms are composite but still i wanna barf...

Many of you posted several links to articles which helped me do my homework, so thanks for that!

 

[Fishalot]

Get a piece of starboard then use a piece of cardboard to make a pattern of transom area for transducer and poke cardboard where transducer holes are currently on your transom, transfer pattern holes to starboard and screw the starboard to transom. Then you can mount new transducer to starboard rather than more holes in transom. Easy solution to the problem.

 

[RiverBoy]

Get a piece of starboard then use a piece of cardboard to make a pattern of transom area for transducer and poke cardboard where transducer holes are currently on your transom, transfer pattern holes to starboard and screw the starboard to transom. Then you can mount new transducer to starboard rather than more holes in transom. Easy solution to the problem.

Yes thanks for this. good idea

 

[pescador]

Yes thanks for this. good idea

I glued my starboard mounting material to the transom. No need for more holes by screwing on starboard.

 

[casper5280]

I glued my starboard mounting material to the transom. No need for more holes by screwing on starboard.

What glue did you use? Starboard to Fiberglass or aluminum? I was told glue doesn't stick to Starboard.

 

[pescador]

3m 5200. Starboard to fibreglass. No one told me I couldn’t do it. No fear if you don’t know I guess. It’s been a couple of years. It seems solid.

 

[RiverBoy]

There’s an old video somewhere on here about gluing starboard. Basically you have to heat the piece of starboard with an open flame say from a propane torch to remove the “sheen” . Not so much however that you would melt or warp the starboard. the way to test is to pour water on the piece at an approx. 45 degree angle and it should “hold” the water. if it beads still like freshly waxed fibreglass, you haven’t heated it up enough. it will then adhere way better.
@casper5280

 

[Fishalot]

What I did as stated above is use the screw holes already in transom from previous transducer.