Fish Finder

[Murdock]

If you folks were going to purchase a new fish finder and had to operate on an under $300 budget which one would you buy and why? All opinions welcome.

 

[beetlespin]

I would buy a Garmin 178c fishfinder/gps that beetlespin will sell you for $300!

 

[SpurHunter]

How old is this unit BS? And does it come with transducer?

 

[beetlespin]

i have had it four months. It includes a transducer if we can get it out.

 

[SpurHunter]

beetlespin - 5/16/2008 11:23 AM i have had it four months. It includes a transducer if we can get it out.

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Is it a hull shoot-through??</p>

 

[mallardecho]

I would just rent EricM or Rsimms for the weekend. They seem to be good fishfinders.................
If you are looking for finders only, no GPS, then find the highest wattage one you can for the money. I had a X-96 that I bought for $199.00 last year, it did very good for me. I believe you can buy a X-135 for $300, not sure about that, the 135 has 4000 watts and really good defintion.

 

[beetlespin]

It is a shoot thru hull type.

 

[beetlespin]

It is a shoot thru hull type.

 

[Murdock]

Still not much help offered. I can't believe hardly anyone has an opinion about this. Help

 

[SpurHunter]

The subject may be too broad. If you have a model or two in mind, you would at least get opinions from the folks that have those. Heck, I cant even tell you which model I currently have on my boat, just dont think about it. The guys that can tell you what they have off the top of their heads are really serious about thier sonars, and spend ALOT of money for a unit, up to 3K dollars.  Just my .02

 

[Murdock]

Let's try it this way. What about opinions about Eagle 480 vs Hummingbird 565 vs Lowrance X96?

 

[mallardecho]

Murdock - 5/19/2008 9:09 AM

Let's try it this way. What about opinions about Eagle 480 vs Hummingbird 565 vs Lowrance X96?

Of the three you mentioned I would go with the X-96, more wattage than the Eagle and a bigger screen than the Humminbird. The 96 is a solid unit that is affordable. My .02 worth.

 

[fishinvol]

For 300 bucks, that garmin is a great deal.

 

[Gator]

Danny

Will you mount it on the front for trolling motor use or on the dash board to use when running? I'm not an expert but the Humminbird 535 is what I have on my trolling motor and it can do more stuff that I even want, Actually it's probably overkill for a trolling motor as all I'm looking for is depth and fish. I like one with a depth alarm on the dash to keep me from tearing out another lower unit. My old Humminbird 4ID has been on my dash over 20 years and still works. Sportsman Whse and Boaters World both have good selections and knowledgable folks.emoScratch

 

[Murdock]

I have an Eagle that I will use for the trolling motor. The Hummingbird 565 has 2000 watts, I was wondering about the durability of Hummingbirds.

 

[beetlespin]

The Humminbirds are built much better. Since Johnson Controls bought them out a couple of years ago they are the best units on the market. If you are worried about durability stay away from Lowrance. See if you can get a good deal on a 700 series bird.

Lance

 

[Kingfish]

I have 2 eagle 480's on my boat. One located at the front and one in the back. Have had them for about 2 yrs. absolutely no problems. Screen is easy to read. I bought them at Sportsmans Whse for $189 each. Would buy them all over again. KF

 

[Guest]

Danny I got a Humminbird 747c2 on my new boat. It is color and a super unit for the money. If you shop around you can get it for under $350. I love this unit and the Humminbird like BS said is one of the best sonars available. Look hard at the color units. If you ever see the difference you will never want a grayscale again. You can see the screen no matter how bright the sun is.