Depth finder recommendations?-gctid820859

[Doubled50]

So we went on a pretty shallow lake today and hit bottom a few times as I'm flying blind. I downloaded an app, but had terrible service. So I was looking at the Garmin Striker for about $100 on amazon. Has GPS and does depth, speed and water temp. I don't fish and could care less, just want to see depth, water temp and perhaps speed, GPS wouldn't be bad either.

Any other ideas or suggestion? What do you use?

[kiwi55]

Should work as long as you have a matching transducer but you get what you pay for

Cheers Murray

[Old_Man_With_A_Boat]

I am like you, I just wanted to know how much water was under me. I got a Garmin Echo 151dv. It came with a transducer that I glued to the inside of the hull. It transmits through the hull and works just fine. I have two units on board. One that was on the boat when I bought it and the Garmin. There is about one foot difference in the readings.

[FISHIN00]

If you want Basic current depth a low end unit will work. If your on unfamiliar waters, you need a unit that has maps to show you upcoming shoals,channels and obstructions. Many come preloaded with lake maps, chips with specific lakes or regions are available. Lowrance Hook 4,Hook5,Hook7 or Hummingbird Helix units are available $300-500. Chips with specific area maps run $99-$200.

[djhinca]

"Old Man With A Boat" post=820864 wrote:
I am like you, I just wanted to know how much water was under me. I got a Garmin Echo 151dv. It came with a transducer that I glued to the inside of the hull.

Old Man: this is exactly what I want to do as well. The generic transducers that come with these entry-level units are usually not designed for in-hull mounting, but I've read elsewhere that in a fiberglass boat, it usually works pretty well, so I'm ready to try. Would you please share a few words of wisdom regarding how/where you glued in the transducer. Specifically, what type of adhesive did you use.. Thanks!

[Doubled50]

Well I bought this Garmin Striker off Amazon. It should be here tomorrow. I'll post some pics during install and then I'll do a review. Figured $100 for depth, speed, temp and gps isn't bad.

[Old_Man_With_A_Boat]

I placed the transducer under the kitchen floor as close to the center of the hull as you can get it. I used liquid nail from Lowe's. I made about a three inch solid circle about a half inch thick. Stir it around and make sure there are no air pockets left in the glue. When this is done it looks like a hockey puck. Press the transducer into the middle and let dry. Air pockets left in the glue will cause the unit to give you false readings. Hope this helps.

[Doubled50]

My Garmin Striker arrived today. Easily mounted above the gauges and ran the power wires under the dash. I mounted the transducer where the previous owner had one. Used the old holes and some Marine sealant. Ran the wire through the engine area to the starboard side under the ski storage side pockets. Everything works, now to test on the water!

[bhawes]

It looks like the bottom of the transduce is well below your hull level. It needs to be below the hull level, but just below it. Also, I see what looks like to old screw holes that have been filled beside the new transducer. Make sure that those holes are well sealed with an appropriate sealer (not silicone). Any water that gets in those holes will soon destroy your transom.

Oh, the depth sounder will not stop you from running aground. The only way to do that is the know the area where you are operating. By the time that you're alerted to shallow water by your unit, you'll be grounded.