fish finder or sounder? GPS or log?

[onleyb]

Hi, my cruiser has a planing hull with stern drives and previously fitted transducer one or both of which power a whirly gig depth sounder. This is getting tired so I'm going to get a replacement instrument, but fish finders do exactly the same thing as well as find fish! They are however transom mounted but I dont think that this is a problem, in fact it may be easier to keep clean. The other thing is I require a log, but again a GPS would tell me my speed over ground and my position! So has anybody encountered this dilemma? I like the idea of keeping through hull transducers but the paddle wheel would be difficult to maintain. Cheers Bob

 

[sarabande]

Please don't rely on having a GPS as your sole navigation system. There's been lots of debate about this recently, in relation to the possible loss of GPS signal, and there is almost universal agreement that is is prudent and "best practice" to have an alternative navigation process available and operational. There is understandably a matter of opinion how nearly "matched" the two systems should be.

Enjpoy the search for locationalised perfection of tri-dimensional certainty, which also concurrently identifies the world's last three haddock !

 

[Talbot]

Navman do a combined plotter and fish finder, which may provide what you are after. I wont go quite as far as the previous popster, but do recommend having more than one system for navigation.

 

[pcatterall]

have been told that you can 'glass in' the transducer from a transom mounted sounder.
My next sounder would be a fish finder as I like the sea bed image and as you say fish spotting as well.

 

[srp]

Yes - with my Garmin 140 I stuck the transducer onto the inside of the hull with a big blob of thickened epoxy (thickened with microballoons I think, didn't use glass cloth). Works a treat, even at very shallow depths.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Bob,

Fishfinder + GPS.

A fishfinder will give you the depth as well as fish (if any) but more important it will also indicate the type of bottom, mud, sand, rock and so on.
Check when purchasing if it can be mounted internally, some sell a separate transducer for internal fitting; but don't just plonk it in what you think is the best spot. Drop the transducer into a plastic bag with water and wet the hull floor, then move it around and find the find the spot with the best signal before mounting. Sikaflex poly caulking compound will hold it in place, just make sure no air is trapped in it or between it and the bottom of the transducer.

A GPS will give you speed over ground but this will include tide + or - so your speed through the water will not be correct, this might effect your fuel consumption if you like to run at the same speed in all directions.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[Graham_Wright]

[ QUOTE ]

G'day Bob,

Fishfinder + GPS.

A fishfinder will give you the depth as well as fish (if any) but more important it will also indicate the type of bottom, mud, sand, rock and so on.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes;- but it may not give depth warnings. Raymarine say their's doesn't.

 

[duncan]

bob

get a simple fish finder like the Eagle Accura at under 100 and install the transducer insode your hull at a suitable point with epoxy, sikaflex, whatever but avoiding air bubbles and finding a nice area of single skin grp.

any half decent GPS will include a trip function/log function. I reset mine everytime I fill up the tank as a cross reference to the fuel gauge! the log function here will be signifiacntly more accurate for 'distance travelled over the ground' than any other available combination of paddlewheel log, tide table etc etc

ie i think you are on th eright track with your thoughts but you don't need to mount the skimmer transducer on the transom.

good luck

 

[gjgm]

if there is one marine product I have bought that was astonishing value, its a fishfinder. Its called a fishfinder so our USA cousins can feel they are a-huntin/fishin and shootin.Just a marketing name.Brilliant. £100 is ample.
Bear in mind that bubbles cause misreading, so stay away from any area likely to cause that- ie props! hence the suggestion to practice with a plastic bag of water to find "clean" water underneath.Dont forget to offset your keel depth if thats the way you want to read. Some say araldite, but use slow cure.Its damn runny stuff, so you need to make a little bath to contain it of plasticine or whatever, and obviously you dont want to choose part of the hull thats at 45degrees to the vertical! You will wonder why this toy is not a legal requirement!!

 

[nyx2k]

ive been looking at a cheap fishfinder for a while now. i only have a small boat i use for inshore fishing in the thames estuary and id like to know the depth of water and if there are any fish in the water around the boat. at around 100 pounds i think ill give it a go.