Fish Finders

[thingsthatgobumpinthenigh]

Re: Fish Finders

It's a team baja boat, 18 feet, fiberglass.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Fish Finders

18rabbit, gonna have to disagree strongly on you putting Garmin in the low end catagory....They've been used by U.S. military for many years before they were ever allowed on the civilian market...not to mention the fact that 75% of the high-tech avionics in some small, and mostly all corporate and commercial aircraft including all military aircraft, are Garmin, and shadowed by no one. You obviously have no knowledge of Garmin....Lowrance would not be in the low end either.....You aren't comparing apples to apples when listing the brands-2 different uses, off-shore and inland waters.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Fish Finders

Walleyehed - my ranking of the fishfinders (sonar) is based on function/flexibility, not quality. I think there is quality in all marine electronics. I strongly believe the consumer (with the purchasing dollar) will weed out the crud and it will rapidly fall from the market place.<br /><br />Garmin appeared (via GPS) in the shadow of Magellan, which introduced the first handheld GPS receiver in the late 1980’s, about the same time Garmin (as a company) was being conceived. Both of these companies trailed behind Trimble, which spearheaded the whole consumer GPS product market, but lost ground to Micrologic early on. All of these companies have enjoyed contracts to supply GPS receivers to the military. Although I have no first hand knowledge of it, I am guessing you will find very limited, if any, use of Garmin fishfinders in either military or corporate aircraft. <br /><br />Garmin’s product line of fishfinders does not/cannot compete with either Raymarine or Furuno’s product lines. In that regard, I am standing by my ranking. However, when comparing specific models, there is some overlap. Powerboat Reports (they are like a Consumer Reports for boating) tested and rated the Furuno LS1600 over the Garmin 240 Blue, but not by much.<br /><br />FURUNO LS1600 bottom line: “A brawny machine with all the bells and whistles of a much more expensive fishfinder. It’s our top pick and Best Buy.”<br /><br />GARMIN 240 bottom line: “The Garmin lacks some of the features found in the Furuno unit but is a robust performer, and our second choice. If you don’t have the room for a Furuno, this is the machine for you.”<br /><br />All the recommendations for the Furuno LS1600 are dead on for value and performance.

 

[MIKE F]

Re: Fish Finders

18rabbit,<br />I assume you're talking about the Furuno LS6100?<br />Another Furuno offering, is the LS 4100. Cheaper than the 6100, smaller screen size and doesn't read quite as deep, I believe. Last week I replaced my Raytheon L365 with a Furuno LS 4110. Haven't been out yet to see how it works.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Fish Finders

Yeah, the Furuno LS6100. Thanks, Mike.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Fish Finders

Raymarine is Raytheon (BEECHCRAFT), again avionics masters, that follow in the shadow of Garmin.<br />GPS was "old news" to Garmin..."WAAS" is a different story, and Garmin (& Raytheon) build equipment for surface to air missiles, and Radar-about the same as SONAR, so, yes, aircraft all over the world have high-tech fishfinders in the nose

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Fish Finders

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with the Raymarine product line; will it improve? (and there is room for improvement!) Or will it scale down into the high-volume, low-end market? I think it will be a little while longer b/4 we see any major changes because Raytheon is contracted to supply several $million in parts to Raymarine, based on existing technology. Raytheon had good product name/recognition. Raymarine’s name???<br /><br />Raymarine is the marine products division of Raytheon spun off into it’s own, privately held company 2 or 3 years ago, hence the new name. The new owner is a money management company, something not exactly known for their support of product research and development. I am wondering if they plan to capitalize on existing technology and an association with the Raytheon name just long enough to realize some projected profit margin, then sell off the depleted assets.<br /><br />Thingsthatgobump - Don't buy a Raymarine ff.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Fish Finders

Walleyehed<br />I agree with you that Furuno, Lowrance, Garmin, and Raymarine are all top of the line units.<br />Furuno is tops in deep salt water but for shallow water like like on a bass boat Furuno would be below Lowrance and Garmin. How many Furuno units have you seen in a bass tournament. I have fished many and even won one but never seen a Furuno on a bass boat. In deep saltwater Raymarine has features that Furuno does not have like a 8 times zoom.<br /><br />Bottom line to me is they are all good units but the best unit in the world may not be best for you or me. So much depends on how you are going to use the unit and also if person will take the time to learn all the features. For some the simplest unit is best. One of the reasons I still have an older unit is it has a true keyboard and you can adjust every thing. The one feature I really like is Bottom track. I can set it for the bottom and up 10 feet to see bottom fish or any number of feet over 10 feet. Furuno has bottom lock and also Raymarine but with that you can not see structure or depth changes.<br /><br />I am not a fan of Hummingbird

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Fish Finders

These fishfinders in the $300 -$400 range in an unbiased evaluation by Powerboat Reports:<br /><br />Furuno LS6100<br />Garmin 240 Blue<br />Humminbird Legend 2000<br />Lowrance X71<br />Navman 4200<br />Raymarine L470<br /><br />Note: this reprint is at Furuno’s website. They require cookies be enabled.<br /><br /> http://www.furuno.com/FURUNO/Doc/0/V6J1KE5JQM44D49TSVN69TQR72/Powerboat+Reports+10-02.pdf

 

[flatsman]

Re: Fish Finders

The truth is most folks don't fish in 1500 ft. of water or leave the boat in storage most of the time . Technology moves so fast and folks don't read the manuals , that buying a very expensive unit that will draw more dust that water is not really all that smart. Most newer depth finders are good. Hummingbirds are easy to operate and not all that expensive. Learn to use one and mount/ wire it correctly , store it inside when not in use and the service should be just fine. Don' t buy a semi tractor truck just to haul your trash.