deep water sounder

[Monsoon]

It looks like I will be taking a job in a far flung destination.

I will be bringing a boat with me but have a few questions regarding marine electronics.

The water in the area is deep 1500 fathoms with canyons going down to deeper say 3000 plus and sea mounts mstly coming up to 300 fathoms. It is very deep water. When I was there checking it out the sounder had no readings at all until we hit some of the inshore (500 meters off the coast) seamounts that came up to 40 fathoms.

I am bringing a bigger boat and want to fish the big mummas offshore say 20 nm offshore with the international tuna fleets that rape the area.

The power of the transducer is what will help me here if I am correct. I am thinking a 1 kw just wont do it. What would you reccomend transducer and display. I dont need fancy things like weather etc as there aint no radar where I am going or a caost guard, just need to know when I am on the sea mountains, kinks, etc.

I will get matching gps/chart plotter but my experience in these countries is that the info on the charts is very wrong for this part of the world.

Also want advice on a great sat radio so I can at least contact someone if the shit goes bad.


monsoon

[nicktg]

Get a standalone sounder and buy a separate chartpotter (best maps for the area).
If you want to "see" bottom at 1500 fathoms then get a Furuno FCV-295 paired with an R299 airmar xducer (inhull or throughhull).

However....

I also tuna fish in such depths (1500 fathoms) and I see no need to read all the way to the bottom of the sea. The upper say 200-300 meters max, where the bait schools and tuna hang out, is what I would concentrate on. You need a sounder that won't try to find bottom but will scan down to the depth/range YOU manually set (say 200m). IMHO a good 1KW sounder, like the Furuno FCV585 with a B260 or M260 will serve you fine. While trolling at 6 knots, I can see bait schools down to 50 meters with my flimsy Raymarine DS600X and transom mount 500W xducer, but usually they are no more than 20 meters deep.

[flatfishn]

monsoon, I just pulled a Furuno FCV 582L out of my boat that I'd be willing to sell (if you are considering a used unit).

[CaptWill]

Have you seen the HDS-screen shots, that have been posted here? HDS is new technology, so the old rule of needing 1kw or more, is not true. abbor and others have locked bottom at 2000' and even 4000', using an ordinary airmar p66 ducer. A multi-element like the B260 will achieve much greater depth. You should seriously consider it, as well as the new Simrad unit, which also uses that technology.