Fish finder or Depth sounder

[PBrook]

Hello,

It's time to show my general ignorance. I have been happy bumping into sand banks for the last 4 years but I have decided that it is time to buy something that will let me know how much water is under the boat. My current method is by prodding around with my boat hook which isn't great once I'm in more than 3 foot of water.
I have been looking at depth sounders but have noticed that Fishfinders are available fairly cheaply and appear to show both depth and some kind of visual representation of the bottom.

Can anyone tell me the benefits, if any of buying a depth sounder over a fish finder.
The products that I have been looking at are:-
Garmin 140 Fish finder. (Depth, obstructions, fish)
Nasa clipper duet. (Depth and log)

 

[alahol2]

I have had a fishfinder for the last 5 years (it came with the boat). I must say I now prefer it to a normal echo sounder as it shows the 'trend' in the bottom profile so you get a bit of warning before you actually run aground. It's also fascinating to watch the fish go by sometimes, assuming they are fish and not just lumps of weed.
Useful 'extras' are deep and shallow alarms. I suspect, because of the screen size, the fishfinder uses slightly more electric.

 

[dylanwinter]

Hawkeye

I bought a Hawkeye from ebay - it came from america

it worked for a while and then packed up

after long discussions and placing a short video on the web

they sent me another

that too packed up now got a nasa - works a treat

I did learn to use a pea stick - ala shoal waters

it worked beutifuilly

much better than a boat hook once you get into the rhythm

Dylan

 

[Bodach na mara]

I have had a rotating neon type since I bought the boat but bought a Garmin 140 Fishfinder three years ago. Now we rarely turn the old one on. It was good only to a depth of about 60 feet anyway and the Garmin reads up to around 300 feet.

I also like the portrayal of the bottom profile, which can let you know when you are running into shallow water. I also have used it to locate wrecks on the seabed, which can be useful if you are into fishing. Or avoiding getting your anchor fouled.

 

[planteater]

Nasa clipper depth draws 20mA while the Garmin 140 draws 500mA.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Have you considered the Garmin 90, Phil - cheaper, no difference in the technical specs other than the size of the screen, so should chew less power???

 

[PBrook]

Thanks for the replies, Looks like it's down to power consumption. I think I'll go for the fish finder and charge the battery more often. Also I won't have to cut holes in bulkhead.

Cheers Phil

 

[PBrook]

It needs to be the 140.... Size matters apparently!
Dylan, I've been having a look through some of your vlogs... They're really good and I'm very jealous. What a great way to see our coastline.
It's nice to see that you don't need £10's of thousands to enjoy sailing.

Cheers Phil

 

[Haven't-a-Clue]

Fishfinder!

Another vote for a fishfinder. My first boat had a Garmin f/f on board.........I never did any fishing.......but I never took the ground either, which is why i got it. Garmin are good, I've had two now and would recommend them without hesitation. No connection, just a satisfied customer etc.