What depth finder / sonar should I get for my 3888

[Southern_Breeze_II]

I'd like to use the existing hull opening and upgrade to a sonar that will show me what the bottom looks like in shallower coves. It currently has a humming bird (prob stock).

[Southern_Breeze_II]

After having the boat out of the water, I found that they didn't put a through hull transducer on the 3888, its an in hull glued to the hull on the starboard side in the engine room.

[boatworkfl]

With a new sounder you probably will need a matching transducer.

[Southern_Breeze_II]

I think I'm going to put a Garmin forward view sonar with the through hull Panoptix transducer. Any advise on location? Seems like the keel would interfere with it if I go with the same area where the in hull ones are located

[Solandri]

After having the boat out of the water, I found that they didn't put a through hull transducer on the 3888, its an in hull glued to the hull on the starboard side in the engine room.

Unless you're fishing, or doing oceanographic bathymetry and need extremely fine detail or the ability to reach deep water (600+ ft), an in-hull transducer is just fine. Fiberglass has a density very close to that of water, so is mostly transparent to sonar. It just warps the "image" slightly (like heat waves rising from pavement on a hot day), which isn't an issue if you're only using the sonar to determine depth since that's a 1 dimensional operation.

The Panoptix's claim to fame is real-time 2D imaging (as opposed to traditional sonars which generate a 1D image and build it up into a 2D image by painting successive 1D stripes as the boat moves forward). The real-time nature is useful for finding and tracking fish, but because the resulting image is lower resolution and constantly changing, it isn't the easiest thing to interpret.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOjZMVBJlls

For simply seeing what the bottom looks like, some sort of high-resolution downs imaging or sidescan sonar will work better. Those usually operate at around 400-800 kHz (as opposed to 80-200 kHz for regular sonar), so have much better resolution (at the cost of less max depth).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i26UqTKDZr0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3BYkA4hyDg

But be forewarned that a down imaging or sidescan transducer is a lot longer than a regular sonar transducer (typically 10-12 inches). It's actually multiple transducers arranged in a row, and the processor uses the echo's arrival time at each transducer to better figure out what the bottom looks like. If you don't have enough clear space at the transom to mount it, you're gonna have to get a thru-hull fairing transducer. Two of them (one on each side) if you want sidescan.

The newer units combine the sidescan data with a 3D GPU to generate a 3D image of the bottom which you can swing around as if you were playing a 3D game. (You normally have to guess height information in sidescan based on shadows. Even though the sonar knows the exact height of each point, it can't display it on a 2D image. But a 3D video card can.) This can make it easier to understand what you're seeing. Resolution tends to suffer, but it's compatible with sidescan (in fact it's the same image data) so you can have both the sidescan view and 3D view displayed simultaneously if you wish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9kLyE6YEjo

These are really shallow water tools though. In deeper water, the size of items on the bottom are so small compared to the water depth that the image you get is for all intents and purposes flat.

[MacPhid]

I placed my Airmar p79 in the pumphouse under the galley sole. Have not had any problems with that location.

James

[boatworkfl]

Last year I placed my 3 Garmin transducers in the keel of my 3870, they work just fine, I just adjusted the bilge pump to keep enough water in it to submerge the transducers.
This summer I will mount them under the hull using a Garmin fairing, I bought transom mounted transducers as they are much less expensive, but they do not have the studs for bolting, I will epoxy then in after cutting the fairing to match the hull angle for a 180 deg view.
I am also going to mount a transom mount transducer in the bow for a 45 deg angle forward using epoxy.
My 12 inch Garmin has a 10 pin and an 8 pin plug so I can use 2 transducer at the same time.

[Woodsea]

Boatworkfi,
your idea of mounting a “forward” transducer is intriguing! What kind of image will you get? Wouldn’t you get the depth at a 45° angle?

[boatworkfl]

Boatworkfi,
your idea of mounting a “forward” transducer is intriguing! What kind of image will you get? Wouldn’t you get the depth at a 45° angle?

It should be the same only the angle will be different, you need to be sure not to point it too high or it will be looking up, also you do not want it to be out of the water when fast cruising while the transducer is on.
Just keep it low in the water but pointed at an angle.
An inexpensive way to get some forward looking, it will not be a Pantopix but it would be an asset, it is worth a try, some of Garmins transom transducers on eBay are inexpensive.

[Southern_Breeze_II]

Boatworkfi,
your idea of mounting a “forward” transducer is intriguing! What kind of image will you get? Wouldn’t you get the depth at a 45° angle?

I've been back and forth with the folks at gpsstore. They're really well versed in their equipment. Yes the panoptix forward view shows a 3D image of the bottom, 10x the depth you're in. Up to 300 meters they say. Also has depth and live view forward for fish as well as water temp. I hope it's as cool as they advertise. I got a package deal with a 942xs display and an 18HD radar (they upsold me!). I'll post back as I install it and try it out.

[Southern_Breeze_II]

I think I'll go with mounting it in the hull below the galley. It's a through hull with 20 degree x 90 degree view.

Garmin Panoptix PS51-TH LiveVu

[captharv]

Boatworkfi,
your idea of mounting a “forward” transducer is intriguing! What kind of image will you get? Wouldn’t you get the depth at a 45° angle?

No. The ducers have angles of 15 to 60 degrees.
For the OP, I have a Garmin Stryker depth/fish finder. It does operate at 3' and show bottom detail. As with any unit, you have to learn to decode what the display is saying.
The unit lists at $120, with a transom 'ducer and is user installable. It measures water temp to the 1/100 th of a degree. In hull mounting negates the temp reading.