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Author Topic: New fishfinder/charters. Can I have it all on my boat and still be portable?  (Read 3998 times)

pikie

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My Lorance X67c caught fire in my basement while charging this winter, thinking of making the leap to modern technology finally.  Looking for advice.

Here's what I'm looking for. 
- Good fish finding abilities, even at modest speeds.
- Good charting/mapping options that I don't have to pay for year after year (at least not more than $20 per year)
- Map making abilities.  I fish in the Adirondack mountains most of the time....much of what I fish is not charted, or is charted very badly.  I'd love to end each day with a better map than I started with.
- Portability and quick switching...I have a 16 ft aluminum with a 20 hp that I'd like to hook up and leave a permanent transducer hooked up to.  But I also fish a ton out of canoes, and rowboats and like to have a softcase with suction cup transducer that I can switch on and off from. 
- I also icefish a lot.  I've got a Vex, so this isn't that important, but it would be nice to use my custom maps still on hard water.
- I like the looks of the new side imaging stuff...I'm willing to pay more for it, but within reason.

I really like the options of the Humminbird Helix 5 series, especially Autochart live.  Problem is their extra transducers are REALLY expensive.  Almost so much so that it would be cheaper to buy a whole new unit.

I'm weighing options of buying one unit, and then adding on another portable transducer, soft case and zero lines card.  Problem with this option is if I get the Side imaging option, that another SI transducer runs around $260!  Would a SI unit work with a cheaper non SI transducer when going portable?  I don't think I need side imaging when in my canoe, but I do want the maps.

Other option would be to go with the SI unit for my boat, then buy a cheaper portable unit without DI or SI.  But then, could I just swap the zerolines card from unit to unit and have my custom as well as purchased maps on either?

Lots of text, sorry, but any thoughts?


stripernut

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Garmin Echo GPS/Finder, the largest you can get...

stickhick86

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I am fond of my Garmin Striker. Haven't got to use it on soft water yet.

pikie

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thanks guys, I haven't really considered Garmins yet.  Does it make maps automatically based on live readings?

stickhick86

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I'm not sure about maps but you can save waypoints so you can always find the right spot, through the ice or on the boat

stripernut

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Yes the EcoMap will make maps and it comes with charts the Striker does not have charts...

pikie

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Ended up going with Garmin's echoMap Chirp 53dv.  Went to a real cabellas store and actually got to see these things and play with them.  The transducer for the side imaging was HUGE, way too big to ever go portable with for me.  Plus, it just seamed like too much to be hanging off the back of my little boat.  I then bought a portable kit, an additional transducer, an additional mount kit, an 8 to 4 pin converter, and finally a SD card.  So for about $800 I think I'm where I want to be.  Looking forward to trying it out, but still on the ice up here!

Thanks for the info.

stripernut

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Good luck, I have been very happy with mine.

 



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