Depth Sounder - Worth it for Bowrider?-gctid806161

[mercthunder]

Hi all,

I am a new boat owner and slowly getting familiar with the intricacies of boating, however i recently ran into a sticky situation on the water. Whilst cruising slowly down the Georges River here in Sydney Australia, the propeller struck a tree which caused a bit of panic. I was in the middle of the river, nowhere near the shoreline but i think it may have been something to do with the amount of rain that had fallen in the previous weeks, and the storms.

After this experience, i was advised by a few people to look into getting a Depth Sounder, to ensure the depth of water is adequate when travelling in unfamiliar locations. To all of those out there who are experiences boaties, is this worth it? I don't fish, so i don't need something like this to find suitable fishing spots. This would purely be to ensure i don't run into a situation where i am in shallow water therefore increasing the risk of hitting something down below. Also, i noticed many of these Depth Finders also can come coupled with a GPS as well. I know Lowrance and Garmin make a few.

Would appreciate any advice people can offer.

Thanks.

[Guest]

I dont fish either but i have one on mine. It helps and i use it all the time.

[Waking_Memories]

I never beach my hull so I use mine every time we anchor up near the beach so I know exactly how deep I am when anchoring close to the beach.

[FISHIN00]

Garmin,Lowrance and Raymarine all make nice color Combo Sonar/GPS units for under $300 US. You should be able to purchase a chart chips for your area.

I have a Lowrance Elite 4 Sonar/GPS(Same as Hook 4) and am very happy with it.

[dmcb]

A depth sounder wouldn't have helped with the tree. When it would have showed you it was there, you all ready hit it.

What it will do is show you the trending water depths and keep you out of trouble with shallow water.

It is well worth having.

Only your eyes can help in the situation you mentioned. And yes sometimes you hit something with the best of precautions.

I tow a 16.5' tender. I use it all the time as a go fast and fishing. I have a chart plotter as I boat in an area where once off the beaten path you can hit a rock in 100 feet of water. I want to know where they are. I also have a marine radio and actually 2 depth sounders.

Doug

[dlbhaas]

I would get a color screen. Much easier to see. I have one on my 185 and it is very useful.

[TenMile]

We picked up this little Garmin unit for the lake boat. I mounted the transducer inside the hull. Does a great job at picking up the depths. Cost was $200 Canadian.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[builderdude]

Had one like this on my 1800. Stuck the ducer in the bilge, worked great

[mercthunder]

Thanks for the help everyone. I am looking at the Garmin Striker 7SV. My Dad is quite old so i want a nice sized screen that he can read. Would this be a good unit? Do these units need to be professionally installed? I am not much of a handy man, so drilling holes in my boat is probably not something i want to attempt myself..

Thanks.

[CaptUgly]

Being as you don't think you would use it I would want one with an audible depth alarm. I don't know if that model has it or not.

I think you can probably install it yourself if you take your time. When I install them I usually mount the transducer on a heavy piece of plastic & then extend the mount well above the waterline before l put any holes in it. I still treat it as though it were below the waterline to prevent any rot in the stern.

[mercthunder]

Thanks everyone. I have been looking at the striker series by Garmin, and i know this unit says it comes with a GPS, but does not come with any maps. I this instance, how does the GPS function? It is just like a plotter? Is there a Boating GPS App out there that i could use that actually has the maps so i dont need to spend too much money for a unit that includes maps?

On another note, do i need to get a cleat installed at the front of my boat if i want to use rope to pull it onto the trailer when retrieving? Or can i just use the winch point on the front of the boat?

Thanks.

[builderdude]

Garmin blue chart app may be an option.

[TenMile]

"mercthunder" post=806295 wrote:
Thanks everyone. I have been looking at the striker series by Garmin, and i know this unit says it comes with a GPS, but does not come with any maps. I this instance, how does the GPS function? It is just like a plotter? Is there a Boating GPS App out there that i could use that actually has the maps so i dont need to spend too much money for a unit that includes maps?

.

The little Striker I have does not include maps and doesn't have this capability. It's like an older handheld GPS. You can mark waypoints and it shows the route you've driven so you can navigate back home again following the same route, but no chart details are available.

The unit is extremely simple to install. You simply connect it to power (includes the fuse) -- 3 screws to mount the base. I mounted the transducer inside the hull with 5200 but it's not hard to drill a hole through and run the transducer outside. All the screws and the grommets are included.

[FISHIN00]

Something like this would mostly likely work for you. Check with your local Marine/Fishing supply outlets to see if chart chips are available for your part of the world.

http://g.factoryoutletstore.com/deta...ransducer.html

http://lr.factoryoutletstore.com/det...gitemid=231032

http://rm.factoryoutletstore.com/cat...-4-Series.html

[6104696]

"dmcb" post=806183 wrote:
A depth sounder wouldn't have helped with the tree. When it would have showed you it was there, you all ready hit it.

What it will do is show you the trending water depths and keep you out of trouble with shallow water.

It is well worth having.

Only your eyes can help in the situation you mentioned. And yes sometimes you hit something with the best of precautions.

^^

This.