MyFishFinder Tips and Techniques > Fishing Equipment

New fishfinder/charters. Can I have it all on my boat and still be portable?

(1/2) > >>

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

stickhick86:
I am fond of my Garmin Striker. Haven't got to use it on soft water yet.

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

stickhick86:
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

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page