[180diablo]

OK guys ... I'm sure there are some posts on here about decent combo units and some info on that Iboats webpage... but I wanted to see what you guys suggest.

I was at the Toronto boat show yesterday and I was focused on looking at fishfinders, gps, depth sounder combo units for a relatively cheap price. My compass unit that normal sits on my dash sprung and leak and the compass oil was dripping over my dash. So either I replace the compass AND get another unit for depth/gps etc ... .OR scrap the whole compass and rely solely on the unit for compass/gps/depth etc.

FYI- Even when I had the compass in there.... I never looked at it anyways. Fishfinding ability is useless to me. I'm not a fisher"person". Depth is mainly all that im looking for, water temp, GPS, compass etc etc ... are all bonuses.

I know I can buy a depth sounder only from Humminbird for $150. But for the price im better off to buy a combo unit which would give me more features.

Some of the models recommended to me:

Eagle Cuda 250

Eagle FishEasy 320c

There was some models from Humminbird that were recommended to me. But I dont remember exact model names. I think the 700 series and colour and some 500 series which are black and white etc.

I'am looking for small sized unit, small enough to fit SOMEWHERE at the helm. See below photo. If I could fit it between the windshield and the dash in that little area, that would be best. Then it will be behind the gauges. Unknown of how much room is in there tho.




Fire away .. suggestions .. recommendations ... take your time. Its going to be about 5 months before I see the boat anyways ...

[mikeyt]

How 'bout a ball of string with a weight on the end of it? You could mark the string in 5' depth intervals and have the gf operate it while you toodle along.

[ShabahZ280]

I'll make a suggestion, but remember, it's just my opinion!

I can't stand it when people put these big obnoxious GPS chartplotter fishfinder units on the dash of a great looking boat. It just doesn't look good at all, plus it usually ends up blocking some important gauge. Just about every other member on BABC and TBF have these huge Navman units mounted on their dashes and they look like total a$$. If you're just looking for a depth finder, just get something simple like This, the Hawkeye unit pictured at the top Left. I'm helping my friend install this unit in his sailboat this winter. It has the option for either a thru hull or a transom mount transducer, it's only $99, Plus, it would keep a nice uniform look for your dash. You could mount it directly where your compass is now!

But, if you want all the nifty stuff, I'd think about the Cuda 250. It seems to be fairly equipped for a low price! You'll just have to think about a good mounting location. Is there enough room next to your throttle lever to mount it there? Get the swivel mount (extra $15), and mount it out of the way but close to your dash. Or maybe mount it on that flat panel next to your battery gauge?

[180diablo]

Originally Posted by mikeyt

How 'bout a ball of string with a weight on the end of it? You could mark the string in 5' depth intervals and have the gf operate it while you toodle along.

ROFL ! That sounds like an idea.

I know my gf said to me ... " why do you need a temperature gauge on a fishfinder ... couldnt you just drop a thermometer overboard and tell the temp that way...? "

Gawd i love her .. hehe

[180diablo]

Originally Posted by ShabahZ250

I can't stand it when people put these big obnoxious GPS chartplotter fishfinder units on the dash of a great looking boat. It just doesn't look good at all, plus it usually ends up blocking some important gauge. Just about every other member on BABC and TBF have these huge Navman units mounted on their dashes and they look like total a$$. If you're just looking for a depth finder, just get something simple like This, the Hawkeye unit pictured at the top Left. I'm helping my friend install this unit in his sailboat this winter. It has the option for either a thru hull or a transom mount transducer, it's only $99, Plus, it would keep a nice uniform look for your dash. You could mount it directly where your compass is now!

I agree whole heartedly about having an oversized nav unit on the dash and making it look "cluttered". Which is probably what mine would turn out to be no matter how small it is. Unless of course I had one that was removable (hand-held). Install the depth sounder and then buy a separate hand held gps unit. No clutter and I get GPS .. hehe.

Originally Posted by ShabahZ250

But, if you want all the nifty stuff, I'd think about the Cuda 250. It seems to be fairly equipped for a low price! You'll just have to think about a good mounting location. Is there enough room next to your throttle lever to mount it there? Get the swivel mount (extra $15), and mount it out of the way but close to your dash. Or maybe mount it on that flat panel next to your battery gauge?

http://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

There is me "chill-ax'in" as I cruise up the river on the north end, you can see where the compass used to be on the dash area and how much room I really don't have above it.

Hmmmmm, maybe I would be better to go handheld GPS and separate depth sounder and not waste the cash on a combo unit...

[180diablo]

Oh I should now ask ...

Suggestions on hand held GPS units? Garmin? lowrance? Magellan?
Model numbers etc, why its decent ... etc etc.

At least w/ the GPS unit I could purchase that and play with it before I get on the boat ...

[ShabahZ280]

OK. Here's an idea. Do what I did. I had an old GPS I used to use for my Jeep when we'd go trailriding in the hills of Tennessee. It's a Garmin GPS III. It's a portable unit that's very small and can be used either horizontal or vertical. Mine is is very primitive as far as modern GPS goes, however there is a newer model, the GPS V that uses WAAS for accuracy up to around 9ft. And it does many of the nice things the new GPS's do, like "trackback", which is like a digital breadcrumb trail so you can find your way back! It also allows you to download area maps into the GPS via a PC and an interface cable. It doesn't have fancy features like color displays, but would almost fit your purpose perfect. Plus if somebody decided to jack it from your boat, you'd be out less than $100, vs the new units costing much more! But all us Mariah owners know better than to leave stuff on our boats, right?!?

See the attached picture of me "chill-ax-in" from about 16 months and about 50lbs heavier, when I first dunked the boat in the Ohio River. You can see the GPS mounted on the dash.

There's a few on ebay. Here's One

And if you decide to go that route, I'll hook ya up with a mount, as I have an extra one brand new, in the package just sitting around collecting dust!

[Z 202]

I have the Uniden model on the west marine page mounted below the stereo in my Shabah. It works well. It's only good to 200' so where I boat it can routinely read "---" It has an adjustable shallow water alarm.

I bought a handheld GPS at the boatshow. A Garmin GPSMap 76Cx. My wife thought I should go for one of those big screen jobs, but I wasn't going for it. (I'm also a big fan of the uncluttered look...) Now all I have to do is find a decent mount. I also wanted one that I can take with me hiking, in the Jeep, or on the boat. I've got the BlueChart software on order, so I'll have accurate Marine data by the time boating season rolls around. In the mean time it's a great toy. Used it to track my route back from T.0. last night...

[mikeyt]

I've got the Uniden depth sounder in mine also and i'm going to buy a separate GPS. The Uniden gauge blends right in with my other gauges and it seems to work just fine.

I had an Eagle Matrix 15 fish finder/depth sounder/water temp/speed reader in my last boat & i still have it sitting here. I was going to install it in the Mariah but once i stuck it on the dash to see what it looked like i dropped the idea. As Ryan said, most of those combo units are too big and cover up other gauges when conveniently mounted. The other side of it was that i never believed the amount of 'fish' that unit kept finding. I never caught a one of them....

[bill.deweese]

180diablo/All,

I originally had a Lowrance unit in my dash. It went bad and when I replaced it I was right where you were, staring at all the options. Some of it depends what transducer config you have now and what you are prepared to install. I liked the idea of getting temp at first, then I realized that I had to poke a hole in my hull or run a external cord down the back of the transom - or I would only be getting the temp of the water in my bilge. Since the only bilge I get is cooler runnoff and drippy bathing suits, that temp would not matter much ;O)

So I scaled it all back to the same small round one that replaced the 2" hole in my dash. At the end of the day, I don't fish from my Shabah and all I really needed is depth an the depth alarm. One thing. I purchased based on price and ended up with the Uniden. While I liked the mineral oil mounting system of the "see thru hull", I am not sure it is the most accurate. My readings can be very bouncy. It could be time to check the mineral oil in the chamber. I cannot find the original reference but I was tempted to buy one from Boaters World that was for high speed applications. It was aimed to be forward looking and the system would anticipate the bottom coming up on you at high speeds. I did not buy it and now I cannot find it online so perhaps that's a good thing.

One last thought. I would jot down the type of compass you need and replace it when you stumble on a good deal. GPS are nice, however you never know when you have to go old school if you are in strange water. We rent from time to time when we go to the FL Keys as I don't like to pull my camper and my boat, the boat we had last June had a simple compass and with that and a chart you can get home in a pinch.

Thanks

Bill DeWeese