fish finder advice please

[beerbelly]

right me mrs has offered to buy me a fishfinder/depth gauge for me birthday I have an airfloor sib so was thinking something I could mount on a small box (to keep the battery in was thinking 12v house alarm battery) and some sort of g clamp arangment underneath to mount it to the seat as I allways kneel on the floor behind the seat . I haven't a clue about these things so if its a bad idea please tell me .if its a good idea can anyone recommend something for say up to £200 is it possible to get one with gps so I knew where I was /save good fishing spots ect.one that is an easy to get my head around using it and understand what I am looking at is a must.thanks

[whisper]

If you will use it a lot then you could get a Garmin 451s which is a chart plotter and a fishfinder with colour maps. Its over your budget and you have to buy a transducer but you will still get it all for under £300 if you look about.

Try Peter, Boats and Outboards 4 sale, he's a member on here and he often can do a good deal

However you can get a battery powered one that may be better for you?? and cheaper too

[whisper]

Not sure how good this is but they have sold 303 of them....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100M-Porta...item19d665ec80

[paintman]

Combined plotter/finder would be the way to go.
I've used a black & white Humminbird for years & whilst its good, the addition of a separate cheapie basic gps with chart was a revelation - even though I thought I knew the area very well & have the paper chart!
If its just a fishfinder you get, the bigger the screen the better.

[beerbelly]

cheers lads ill look into the garmin option

[stray]

Originally Posted by whisper

Not sure how good this is but they have sold 303 of them....

100M Portable Sonar Sensor Fish Finder Fishfinder Beam Transducer Alarm | eBay

They are utter rubbish, you get what you pay for. Have a look at at the Lowrance Elite 4 combo.

LOWRANCE ELITE 4 HDI Dual Imaging Fishfinder/Chartplotter 83/200 455/800 | eBay

You'll probably be able to save £50 if you import from the U.S.

[Peter_C]

There was a post in the SIB section a month or two ago discussing sonar units, and mounting. You might find it of interest. I have also seen people use battery boxes as mounts for their sonar units.

[beerbelly]

cheers lads I had looked at the lowrance model stray but it says for freshwater use only ???

[HughN]

Originally Posted by beerbelly

cheers lads I had looked at the lowrance model stray but it says for freshwater use only ???

Using it in saltwater might affect the accuracy of the depth (due to the speed of sound in fresh water being different to that in salt water) but other than that I can't see why it would be a problem to use it in salt water.

[jyasaki]

If you're talking about the Elite 4x HDI (retail is about $150US over here; street price maybe $125?) take a look at page 7 here:

http://www.lowrance.com/Root/Lowranc...0586-002_w.pdf

jky

[HughN]

Originally Posted by stray

You'll probably be able to save £50 if you import from the U.S.

Unless Customs get to it and charge you 20% VAT (and an £8 fee to Royal Mail for collecting the duty) - this'll probably negate the saving.

I found this out the hard way...

[paintman]

Even if you get someone to buy it as a gift they'll still have you:
HM Revenue & Customs: Tax on goods ordered from or bought abroad
"If you're receiving a gift from outside the EU, then you have to pay:

• Excise Duty on any alcohol or tobacco products
• Customs Duty and import VAT is payable if the value of the gift exceeds £36

To qualify as a gift:

• it must have been sent from a private person outside the EU to a private person(s) in the UK
• the Customs Declaration must be completed correctly – see guidance on the customs procedures for goods posted to the UK link below
• it must be for the personal use of either you or your family
• there must be no commercial transaction or trade element involved and it must not have been paid for by the recipient either directly or indirectly
• it must be of an occasional nature only - for example for a birthday or anniversary"

[matt h]

fish finder advice please

ye have to put it in the water to make it work!!

[stray]

Originally Posted by beerbelly

cheers lads I had looked at the lowrance model stray but it says for freshwater use only ???

I had the Elite 4 DSI and now have the Elite 5 HDI, you can change the settings to fresh or saltwater.

When I bought the Elite 5 from the U.S last year, I saved about £100 on the UK price even after paying import tax of around £80. And it took only 5 days to arrive.

[beerbelly]

thanks for all the advice. garmin 451s ordered today shes said its a combined birthday/Christmas prezzie and cant have it until Christmas. what will be the best battery I was thinking motorbike gell ??
stray you will have to show me some good marks off our coast next year

[stray]

A 7ah sealed lead acid battery should do, I got mine from Maplins.
If you fancy trip out pm me next spring when the weather starts to warm up.

[beerbelly]

Originally Posted by stray

A 7ah sealed lead acid battery should do, I got mine from Maplins.
If you fancy trip out pm me next spring when the weather starts to warm up.

cheers feller and I will be in touch in the spring