Live Sonar - What do I need?

[goeasy123]

I want to be able to nudge my 2m draft x 12m yacht into uncharted or poorly charted shallow water. What is the latest in live tracking sonar to do this? Also, is there an option that gives me a indication of the nature of the seabed for the purpose of deciding where to drop an anchor?

 

[robmcg]

Never bettered ?

 

[salar]

The Navionics app has an option to link to an echo sounder via Wifi and you can then plot your own charts. Garmin now own Navionics and the latest chartplotters include the ability to build your own chart layer. If you learn how to intepret the return signal from the echo sounder on the screen you will soon be able to distingush hard from soft bottom. It will show how hard the bottom is but not what it is made of, but if you are looking for anchoring potential rather than a bathymetric survey that is probably good enough. Here's a video that shows the basics.

 

[Tintin]

Echopilot - pricey but worth it for what you want to do.