Marine Electronics Forum - Best Stand-alone fishfinder?
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I've been waiting for the new raymarine fishfinder but since none of the thru-hull transducers are on the shelves yet, I'm going to have to go with another product. . . (The hull is painted, waxed, zincs replaced . . . .etc. The only thing missing is a fishfinder and I'm not going to wait another 2 weeks for that)
Anyhow, does anybody have recommendations for a decent fishfinder for under $1,000?
:roll
mitchfh
04-10-2004, 07:13 PM
Furono 582L........................................
crackerasscracker
04-10-2004, 07:24 PM
#1 Furuno 582 W/bronze thru hull $1399 / W/transom mount $1299
#2 Garmin 320C W/bronze thru hull $998 / W/transom mount $799
Sandpiper John
04-10-2004, 09:44 PM
Any Furuno :)
Tsunami
04-11-2004, 08:12 AM
I second or third Furuno
Kirk
Furuno it is!
I'd like to try the "in-hull" transuducer option first. Do any of you have any experience with "in-hulls"? Specifically, I think the M260 and the P79 units match up with the Furuno 600L that I'm planning to purchase. I don't understand why p79 costs $60 and m260 costs $600. Is the M260 that much better? How much "performance" will I lose by going the "in-hull" route? I am certain that I have a solid glass hull.
10-20% loss in performance might be accpetable but if it's 50%, I might have to suck it up and drill a hole in the boat. Which brings me to another question. Which type of thru-hull is recommended? I feel like that anything with a "pinwheel" or other moving parts is just an invitation for corrosion and erosion. Are my fears warranted?
Thanks for all your help! :)
RiptideCharters
04-11-2004, 12:14 PM
4000,
I just dropped the big $$$ for the M260 to go with my 582L. According to Airmar the diference is not 50% it's 50 TIMES better performance than a single element transducer. Now what that means in real life I'm not real sure. I talked with a buddy who does high end research for the Navy regarding sonar. He asked around his circles and the response to the tech data that Airmar provides was very positive. The word from an Airmar competator (not sure who) was "they really got that one right" So with all the hype and a positive impression from my sonar buddy I took the plunge.