Mark II Fishfinder/Depth Guage

[ninjah]

Hello. I want to install either a depth gauge, fish finder, or both on the console or my Mark II. Attached is a picture of my console. I started to look into this but am a bit overwhelmed. Given I have the console, and have room on it, it would be pretty slick to install a depth finder there but given I also want a fish finder I'm curious if anyone has any experience with one that I could flush mount in the console. Or, any other cool ideas for things you guys have done for your boat. Honestly, the depth is the major thing I need but I figure a fish finder can do both, so why not. Thanks for any help.

[Peter_C]

You could sink one next to the tach, IF you can see past the steering wheel. Otherwise I would top mount it. I have a Garmin 441S and would highly recommend a chartplotter/Sonar unit. With fog it could be a life saver, having maps available. I have the finer detail Garmin Blue Charts, and it has allowed me to weave between the submerged rocks on the coast. The depth meter is used the most, and having a speed function is nice too. If I had to do it over again I would probably go a 551s but I am happy with mine. There are other brands that function very well too. I grabbed mine when West Marine was having a sale, and couldn't find it anywhere on the internet for the same price.

Since my boat is often used for scuba diving, being able to mark reefs and waypoints is very important.

[ninjah]

Thanks, I'll check that out.

[Peter_C]

Not sure what you are doing for your anchor and rode, but in my MKII I found a milk crate works perfect! Holds my Danforth (Hooker brand) from West Marine without it ever flying out.

[ninjah]

That's funny cause I already threw in a milk crate and float pad as a seat up front. I have the stock bow bag up front tho to hold some stuff.

[ninjah]

Curious if anyone has tried one of these on a rib/Sib.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0012ITCDK?vs=1

[Peter_C]

Any one of these should work. Typically West Marine has a BIG sale around Memorial Day
Combination Fishfinder & GPS | Fishfinders | Fishing | West Marine

This is the unit I have, but you have to purchase a transducer separately, which you can see under accessories.
GARMIN GPSMAP® 441s Chartplotter / Sounder with No Transducer | West Marine
GARMIN Standard Differential 50/200 kHz Plastic Transom Mount Transducer (8-pin) | West Marine

[Peter_C]

Got this in an email today. (Not saying this is a good unit, nor one to buy as I haven't done any research.)
LOWRANCE Elite-5 Gold HDI Chartplotter / Fishfinder Combo without Transducer | West Marine

There is a rebate available that will get you mapping software worth $99. Get two receipts from the store, if you do decide to purchase something with a rebate, so that you can have one for your records and warranty, and the other for the rebate since they typically want an original copy.
http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Produc...v14-en-us.aspx

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by ninjah

Curious if anyone has tried one of these on a rib/Sib.

Humminbird 140C Fishin' Buddy 3.5-Inch Waterproof Fishfinder:Amazon:GPS & Navigation

A friend bought me a Humminbird fishfinder with a sort of portable transducer. Total POS. Water ingress, corroding power pins, all kinds of problems. Never again.

My suggestion would be to get something along the lines of a Garmin or Lowrance. If you need to remove it, mount the transducer on a removable bracket that you can clamp to the transom.

jky

[Peter_C]

West Marine now has their Memorial "week" sales up.
Memorial Day - Electronics | West Marine

This unit might be worth taking a hard look at, as the size is good, not too big yet not too small, and most importantly it comes with the Blue Charts. I paid a lot of extra for them, which I believe was an extra $100. I have a Garmin 441s and am happy with it, but this Echo Map seems to be more modern with a better sonar projection. Do your homework as I have not done any myself.
GARMIN echoMAP 50s Chartplotter / Sounder Combo, WW Basemap and U.S. Offshore BlueChart g2 charts, with No Transducer | West Marine