Do any Yachts use fishfinders instead of depth finders?

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carl170

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halcyon23.blogspot.co.uk
Might sound an odd question, but I don't ever think I have been on a yacht which hasn't had a standard depth display.

However, you get so much more with a fishfinder, eg bottom contours, fish etc

Just wondered if any readers here might have one on their yacht? It would seem to make sense on a cruising yacht?

Any thoughts?

Regards

Carl
 
Yes, have a Navman 4430 on Zara, with transom mounted transducer.
Gives depth, water temperature, speed, fishfinding and bottom contours.
Only problems are 1: the paddlewheels seem to fail at least every other year ( they break up into small pieces?) 2: paddlewheels nigh on impossible to buy in the UK (but recently found 3 in Australia and had them shipped over for about £30 inc P+P) 3: what you see on the screen is what you have already gone over (in relation to bottom contours and fish shapes)
Plus points are the paddlewheel never fouls up (dead easy to clean) speed is fairly accurate, interesting to watch the bottom shapes. Also has depth alarm so good to set up for min depth below keels.
Cost was about £125 6 years ago, I think they go under the Northstar brand now (if you can find one)
 
We almost always anchor, and find the fishfinder invaluable for finding good, clean bottom conditions for anchoring.
 
Yes, have an Eagle Magna II on my Westerly Berwick, mainly because that is what came with it and I'm too miserly to change it unless it breaks :-) We had wondered whether it would help anchoring, and it was reassuring to be sure there was nothing but flat ground underneath
 
carl170 said:
Might sound an odd question, but I don't ever think I have been on a yacht which hasn't had a standard depth display.

However, you get so much more with a fishfinder, eg bottom contours, fish etc

Just wondered if any readers here might have one on their yacht? It would seem to make sense on a cruising yacht?

Any thoughts?

Regards

Carl
Click to expand...
When our depth sounder became temperamental we replaced it with fishfinder mounted forward, internally and are happy to have the extra info. as well as accurate depth.
 
We have a combined depth/fishfinder thing as part of the garmin 'backbone'. I rarely use the fishfinder for anchoring as I generally just look over the side of the boat. The charts and guides tell me what to expect and then I judge it on depth and the look of the water. I occasionally use the fishfinder for fish but it is not used that much. I like the look of these new 3D fishfinders that seem to show an almost photographic image of submerged objects. Would be fun to explore wrecks and dumping grounds.
 
I crew on yachts with all the "proper" yacht instruments including depth. But the depth readout only shows depth in numerals and no other info...

On my own boat i have the cheapest possible Garmin fish-finder. It shows depth and a trace of the bottom and sometimes, is deadly accurate as far as i can tell, has alarms for shallow water and tells me battery voltage and water temperature. All for a good deal less than just the cost of the display on some of the "posh" units.
Like many things in the yachting world, you can pay whatever you want. If status in the yachting world is important to you then get the most expensive of everything - there are plenty of companies who will gladly assist you in relieving you of the burden in your wallet.
Fortunately for most of us there are also cost effective alternatives..

Good luck.
 
I have had a garmin fishfinder (160? monochrome) 12yrs ish in my little Cobra, installed in a pod under the sparyhood
It gives depth in big digits and so much more.
approaching shallows the firstalarm at 2.2 wakes me up.
second alarm at 1.2 is the last dight before I run aground at 1.1, but in between, watching the gradient, I get a feel for whether the bottom is continuing to rise or settling, so can tack at the last minute in channels ir creep over a bank.

It has been 100% reliable, using a "transom mount" transducer araldited into the hull (inside face no hole) about amidships.
 
Yes you do get a little advance warning of shallowing water but only just ahead of the bows with afishfinder but the more recent dual frequency finders, still cheap, can do a 60 degree cone for shallowish water which give even more warning of the bottom state in front of the boat. Invaluable if you plan to dry out as the ff will pick up isolated stumps, rocks etc,
 
We use a Garmin fishfinder as depth sounder and also have a cheap Lidl battery fishfinder, cost about a tenner, as back-up (that we've never actually needed, but nice sometimes to use from the dinghy). Both work very well and seem pretty accurate.
 
I have a Garmin GPS with a fishfinder, I'm not much concerned with finding fish but I found that the depth readout was better (more accurate, more reliable) than with my original depth sounder.
 
I am all for better information about what is under my boat.
On a previous boat, a French Fishing boat there was a large Furuno Fish Finder with a screen as big as a 12" tablet turned sideways and I liked the image showing the historical data of how the seabed had risen and fallen and the various heights. Perhaps 20 years old but worked perfectly.
On my last boat, another cabin cruiser I fitted a Garmin 551S This was brilliant as the Plotter was perfect and the glue to hull transducer provided accurate depths and you could see the fish. Unfortunatly they have discontinued the 551S and I am looking for a replacement for my 23ft Motor Sailer, an outstanding Colvic Watson (or it will be when I have finished it)
Although the boat has a NASA Target Transducer I can connect it to a NASA Clipper Echo Sounder its only got a single number display, and at around £120 its too dear, especially as you cant get a mounting kit unless you get the double one. They also sell the NASA Stingray Echo Sounder £90. which looks identical to the 1977 Echo Sounder which "Space Age Electronics" produced. but things have moved on since then and I want a display of information.
I did consider a Lowrance Elite Combo Sounder Plotter at £121.00 until I found that the chart which is not included was £199.00 and an inhull transducer was extra.
Certainly having a Fish Finder/Plotter on a yacht is the way to go rather than having just an Echo Sounder with a single digital display with no historical data.
 
Yes. An old humminbird 3d fish finder. I use it whilst anchoring so I can see what in dropping my anchor onto. Greek harbours are littered with old chain, fishermans anchors, and tie line lumps. Wouldn't be without it,
 
Yup, had fishfinder on my last boat (Vivacity 20). Fixed up to work through hull (no holes -I hate holes in my hull :) )& worked really well. Also great for guests / kids (& to be honest, the skipper) who loved watching all the little fishes swimming acroos the screen. Depth gauge & virtual aquarium rolled into one!
 
I have an old Eagle monochrome that came with the boat. The display was fixed in the cabin so I moved it under the sprayhood where I can see it from the helm. The transducer is glassed in under the v-berth. I've looked at the modern colour ones but find them more confusing than my old black and white. I have to go out over a sand bar and the reading is very accurate.
Sailorbaz
 
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