GPS / Fish Finder

[Duduk]

ok i'll be asking many questions

just got a boat, it's an older one.

need to know what GPS /Fish Finder will be good to use in Saltwater
is it better to get all in one unit ? like GPS & Fish finder or separate GPS and separate fish finder

Thank you all

[Joey805]

Separate GPS and fish finder are the way to go in my opinion.

Best GPS would be a Garmin unit, color is possible with a plotter.

Best fish finder would be a color Furuno with a through hull transducer and high speed fairing block.

[Carnivore]

Ya my boat came with the Garmin combo and the FF sucks heavily! I would have never bought an all in one I like multiple screens but with a 10" one I thought it would be nice. Now for the most part I am stuck with one I don't care for(FF that is I LOVE the GPS). My suggestion if you have the room is just as joey said. If you want a combo I have heard real good reviews on the Lowrance combo set up.

Thru hulls: I know joey and I don't see eye to eye on this but I am not for them unless your stern comes out of the water on lumpy days. Mine so far has never lost bottom even on the roughest days I have been out in. Just take the boat out for a shake down with what ever you have an see how you like it then determine how much you want to spend and go from there.

[phishy]

i think i beat this one to death..but i disagree with both these guys...spend some money on good electronics and you wont have those problems.
I have the 3006c carnie...works great..its network, not like yours. Basing your assumptions on electronics 5+ yrs old is unfair. Todays stuff is trick
Far as thru-hull verses transom mount. Im trying to find this article that i read recently. But it proved that thru-hull out preforms all others.

All depends on your budget...spend less then 1k on it..and your going to get what you pay for. Todays good electronics are well over 2k. Big difference. If your serious about fishing its chump change...go look at your rods..how much do you have in that? why skimp on something thats even more important..your ability to find fish?

[phishy]

one other things..PLEASE ask questions, before you make a decision you will regret. Get as much input on something before diving in. Find out all the facts.

[Duduk]

Originally Posted by Joey805

Separate GPS and fish finder are the way to go in my opinion.

Best GPS would be a Garmin unit, color is possible with a plotter.

Best fish finder would be a color Furuno with a through hull transducer and high speed fairing block.

Thank you Joey

have been using Garmin GPS for long time i do love them, but this is the first boat and first GPS

as for the through hull transducer, i';m not sure if i will DIY it my self such unit will need to be installed by a Professional, if i'm not wrong

Thank you

[Duduk]

Originally Posted by Carnivore

Ya my boat came with the Garmin combo and the FF sucks heavily! I would have never bought an all in one I like multiple screens but with a 10" one I thought it would be nice. Now for the most part I am stuck with one I don't care for(FF that is I LOVE the GPS). My suggestion if you have the room is just as joey said. If you want a combo I have heard real good reviews on the Lowrance combo set up.

Thru hulls: I know joey and I don't see eye to eye on this but I am not for them unless your stern comes out of the water on lumpy days. Mine so far has never lost bottom even on the roughest days I have been out in. Just take the boat out for a shake down with what ever you have an see how you like it then determine how much you want to spend and go from there.

Carnivore thank you

i'm not sure if i have enough room or not, will take me 3 to 4 more days to get the boat in LA, only then we will know ...

Thank you

[Duduk]

Originally Posted by phishy

i think i beat this one to death..but i disagree with both these guys...spend some money on good electronics and you wont have those problems.
I have the 3006c carnie...works great..its network, not like yours. Basing your assumptions on electronics 5+ yrs old is unfair. Todays stuff is trick
Far as thru-hull verses transom mount. Im trying to find this article that i read recently. But it proved that thru-hull out preforms all others.

All depends on your budget...spend less then 1k on it..and your going to get what you pay for. Todays good electronics are well over 2k. Big difference. If your serious about fishing its chump change...go look at your rods..how much do you have in that? why skimp on something thats even more important..your ability to find fish?

i did look in to GPSMAP 3006C and 3010C
it's looks good and has been on my list since the day one.

Thank you phishy

[Carnivore]

Just a heads up, I have the 2010 and the 3010 doesn't work any better for the FF. The graphics are low detail an the scroll is miserably slow. Just me but double check an make sure you will be happy with it. Mine won't keep up with the water speed and I miss good structure from just going past it before the screen can catch up. I like the 4010 but damn they are expensive. Good luck either way you go.

[phishy]

to what carnie had to say.
far as your sounder problems your using a discontinued model gsd-20(black box), and a probably a very old transducer with the 2010. For the era that it was first released it was pretty trick and cutting edge. Think at how far we have come in 5 yrs. With what garmin has to offer today as well as Northstar and Furuno it looks like crap.
The newest black box GSD-22 offers digital display with a very fast refresh rate. For the 2010 i believe the best you can get is a GSD-21 which is still analog but at a much higher refresh rate. Transducers have progressed by leaps and bounds, even the side scanning has become affordable to the avg joe.

BTW in my experience ive learned its not really nessary to go at planing speed to find structure but the detail on the structure. Being able to see the fuzz and distinguish what it is im looking at. This is where the detail is crucial. Telling the difference between fin bait and squid and what kind of fish marks im looking at. Granted all that comes with experience but having the right electronics makes all the difference.

When it comes to all on one units. It comes down to how many screens you want to pay attention to at any given time, how much room you have and at what point it becomes a distraction to navigation.
You can have a screen for GPS, one for your sounder, and then your radar. Running an overnighter looking for squid/seabass i use all. As well as a second gps that would make 4 screens for me in my 22' boat. I think i would have to stand up to see over all those displays. WHY? because of my paranoia that it will fail and i will be hopelessly lost at sea? Ridiculous...i dont get this thinking at all. Nothing takes the place of a good set of eyes and a sound backround on navigation. Should you have a total failure, contigiences should be made. Such as learning to navigate by compass and charts. How about a simple solution? your poaching device? a small hand held? why not always carry one in your ditch bag? Also another option...DROP ANCHOR, wait for daylight before you navigate. Now if you can find your way home in daylight, should really consider taking the Coast Gaurds basic safety course. Your a hazard to everyone around you and your putting these guys at undue risk to rescue your sorry butt for something so frivolous as i cant find my way home.
THINK.
And all in one unit is not the reason you have problems.
thats all i have to say about that....................


Ok back to the topic.
Thru-hull, drilling the hole isnt a big deal, installing the fairblock is extremely simple. Well within someone who is handy's abilities. If you dont want to drill the hole, contact Jephs422, he has drilled all the holes in my boat. He enjoys it.
but seriously, whatever your decision let me know I can help with your choices and installation. Everyone here knows my prices. Take me fishing and we are square.