Best Nav, it's time to choose

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Just a couple of related thoughts. First, I wouldn't go on he lake anymore without my depth finder / GPS. I find them to be invaluable. The depth finder is most helpful exploring back into canyons at slow speeds. Without minimizing in anyway the need to be cautious at all times i would argue that at very low water levels you are actually forced more towards the center of the main channel or riverbed and find fewer obstructions. It seemed to me that last year in early June as the water was rising I saw more whales than ever before and really had to keep a sharp eye out
 
We are explorers and constantly use GPS and sonar. Sonar is helpful when navigating into channels to check the progressive depth of the bottom. Both can be used to follow the main stream path where you should be safest. We always check the under structure for depth and hidden rocks before swimming and jumping into the water. If you are houseboating, it’s nice to have sonar on a scout boat to check out anchorages. It’s also nice to know water temperature which usually comes with sonar. It’s also fascinating just to see what is down there!
 
Mrs. BigDogGuy said:
This is all great info. Does one need down imaging when you're not fishing? We are campers, not fisher folk.
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Not really....

Just remember that the depth you see is below the transduce. If you are in a house boat there would be a lot of distance between the bow and the transducer.

As Slots R Us says, it’s nice to see what’s on the bottom with the Side Imaging and Down Imaging. I could totally see the advantage of the Side Imaging as it will show you what is happening on either side of your boat. The depth finder is looking straight down with a cone size of 20°, so in 10’ of water it’s reading a two foot circle on the bottom.
 
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I have Simrad glass touchscreen helms in my boats running Navionic chips. I also use IPads apps using Navionic and I love all of them, especially the lake surface offset - it is NOT perfect but 95% accurate. You MUST make sure your iPad has built in cellular and NOT the wifi only model - if you use wifi only iPads you need a nearby gps source like BADELF for it to bind for location. The iPad with cell capability does NOT need cellular signal or even an active account to operate the maps. Others have already hit the largest negative issue of IPad and that is brightness, the Simrads are BRIGHT even in direct sunlight, no joy with the iPad under same conditions. The built in glass is expensive for the larger screen sizes and dedicated to just a single task - at helm use, with the iPad you can use it daily for other things, even watching movies, photos etc. With that said I am 100% happy just using my iPad. Get a nice Ram mount, power cables and enjoy. The dedicated helm mount Simrad gear is 100% waterproof - I literally hose it off with the wash down - zero concern, don’t get your iPad wet. If you need active sonar you will need to add a wifi sonar module as the app is just mapping. With a portable sonar you can easily take the entire unit boat to boat...
 
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