fishfinder navigation

[capel679]

forgive my lack of everything but when one reads about nav equipment a fishfinder seems to be mentioned with regularity.
is it as says just for fishing or has this another benefit, ie. depth.
i cant beleive all the boaty`s are fishermen but lots have this piece of equipment.
we are in the process of "looking " at various nav stuff and just wondered if a fishfinder would be ideal for depth navigation.
A HAPPY NEW YEARS SAILING TO ALL MY READERS.

 

[stephenmartin]

Dunno about Navigating by one but I dive a lot and its handy to know what the sea bed looks like and how deep it is....I use a GPS to get to the wrecks and home in by Fishfinder....old wrecks look a lot bigger than a titchy fish/'s

 

[Solitaire]

There is no reason you can't use a fisfinder to depth navigate - after all it should show the depth and the "undulations" of the seabed. Just be careful though not all fishfinders will work if you are on the plane, the water turbulence affects the readings. But if you are having to navigate using contour lines then I would suggest you are in fog, and it will be unlikley that you are on the plane! Also if you are going to use it for navigation just check exactly where the depth is being measured from. If it's transome mounted then remember your leg will be "deeper" than the depth sounder is registering. Oh, just make sure you have tide times for the area you are going to operate in and suitable tidal curves.

 

[roger]

I found the practical points important.
Can you fit the read out conveniently? Some of them stand well proud of the mounting surfaces and can catch ropes.
Can you fit the wet end? Some are advertised as transom mounted. In my caseit would be out of water a lot of the time and very vulnerable in harbour.

 

[capel679]

i havent got one yet, just looking at the options but ta for your reply.

 

[bruce]

most good finders will show how much mud may be on the bottom, very important in anchoring, and depth alarm can be set to help keep you out of shallow water or warn of tide changes. most can be mounted in many positions, not just sticking up on top of cabin etc.

 

[karlh]

So are you all saying that a fishfinder is as good as if not better than a traditional depth sounder. I am also considering buying one.

 

[brianrunyard]

Better, here are 3 advantages straight off the top of my head.
1. You can see a trend at a glance.
2. You can check around where you intend to anchor to see if there are any obstructions.
3. You can determine how hard the bottom is.

 

[machurley22]

So why does anyone still buy a traditional depth sounder?

Dave

PS - first yacht I ever sailed on was Figment II - any relation?

 

[duncan]

good question; suspect the answer is based around -
(1) historical price of units
(2) current draw - small units aren't high but are relatively a lot higher
(3) habit
(4) getting a head unit to match all the others.......

Note if you get a Lowrance (or Eagle) unit you can have it overlay your voltage on screen too - others may have the same function - which some find a usefull addition on a small craft.

 

[whisper]

Other than to easily fit it in with other instruments in a panel, I've no idea. Our present boat hasn't got one and I miss it badly. Will buy a FF in very near future even if it's only for the upper/outside helm position.

 

[aitchw]

Better for lots of reasons. Visual indication of bottom type and shape is the biggest advantage for me. It is also a great way to keep youngsters interested when out on the water trying to spot wrecks and big fish and they learn a lot without realising it.

 

[oldharry]

[ QUOTE ]
So why does anyone still buy a traditional depth sounder?

[/ QUOTE ]

Because nobody has told them how much more useful a fishfinder is