Fishfinder V traditional echo sounder

[Paul_T]

My echo sounder is playing up and often "flashes" which tends to make me nervous when it's getting shallow!

As a keen angler I am thinking of either adding a fishfinder or replacing the echo sounder with one. Does anyone use a fishfinder instead of the traditional simple depth readout?

The hull is twin skinned GRP so I suppose the transducer will have to have it's own hole in the hull?

Any comments/advice would be appreciated.
TIA Paul T

 

[Guest]

I am guessing from what you say that the sounder you have is a 'digital read out' type, because they do flash about a bit in shallow water.
Fish finders from say £250 upwards can find FISH because as the price goes up so does the degree of 'discrimination' filtering. The cheaper ones 'lie' by identifing any bubbles as fish. But they do give good read outs of both depth and bottom contours. For purely depth indication the old fashioned LED analogue [clock face] are best because they are so easy to read like a clock.

eg 5 past the hour =3ft
10 " " =7ft
15 " " =15ft
I have mine fitted in the cabin on a hinge so that I can read it from the helm even in bright sun light or at night by just seeing at what o'clock the red LED is at.
This has not stopped me running into the mud of Poole Harbour at least onc a year!!!!
Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Guest]

When my depth sounder was lost after a lightning strike I bought an "Eagle" fishfinder and strapped the transducer to a broom handle which I then fixed to the aft quarter. This arrangement carried my 1.9 meter draft through 500 miles of the US Intracoastal waterway without incident. The only part of the display of use was the big digital read-out of depth - the occasional passing of mid-depth objects, presumably fish or debris, may have been of interest to more piscatorially inclined skippers. I gave the device to a friend who now uses it in a power boat - the transducer sits in his bilge in a water bath made from a piece of pvc pipe and it looks very successfully through his GRP hull, so I wouldn't go drilling holes. I've never been good at interpreting those analogue displays - I prefer my depth sounder to state, in big black letters, the depth under my keel and most modern depth sounders seem to do this very reliably.

 

[Guest]

Do it!!
I have a Garmin FF100, the confidence it gives in the validity of the depth shown and the visibilty of trends is amazing.
While you are at it get the speed sensor too and have speed, depth both on the one display. PBO July features an article on the major ones and I agree with their findings.

 

[Guest]

Paul,,do it, if your a fisherman then you know the benefits already, not least of which is getting the greyline feature which shows an indication of bottom type. Which no old analog or straight digital type can do.Your double skin would be a problem,as I think you would have to go right through the hull with the transducer, but providing you know the problems you should be able to avoid the worse of them.
BTW I have an eagle f/finder and its brilliant. Best of luck

 

[Guest]

Bubbles!

Fish finders are designed to detect air in the fishy's swim bladder. They therefore have to detect bubbles.

 

[Guest]

Do you have any other instruments or equipment which accept NMEA sentences?

 

[Guest]

Re: Fishfinder

Hi Paul.
Most digital sounders flash to indicate an error. Is your transducer mounted through the hull, if not, check for air trapped under the bottom; if it is, is it reasonably clean on the outside. If both the above are ok and you still want to replace it, go with the fish finder, you will be getting the depth read out and hopefully a feed of fish.
You may not have to put the new transducer through your hull, check with your supplier; most units will work well through GRP. All you need to do is set it in resin taking great care not to trap any air under it, or making too much resin at one time and generating enough heat to form bubbles in the resin. An alternative is to place the transducer in oil, if you have a yacht this has the advantage of giving you the correct depth if suspended so it can hang perpendicular when the yacht heels over.
Heaven is a soft rock……Old Salt.

 

[Paul_T]

Thanks for the replies & info given. I'll definately go for a fishfinder. I've bought Julys PBO (quite a coincidence that they have covered this issue)

My main concern is the double skin on my boat so it looks as though the transducer will have to go through the hull. I had hoped to avoid that but I'll get some expert advice on that.

Thanks again for all the comments.
Paul T