Navigation unit recommendations

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I have 2 Echomap Ultras and the Navionics card with the subscription. I have owned Humminbirds with Lake Master and Lowrance with Navionics as well. They're all great but with some nuances. When I switched to Garmin electronics and a Garmin Force, I assumed that when I bought a Navionics Plus card that the maps would all be on the card; wrong. You still must download available maps that you want on to your phone by Active Captain app, then transfer those maps to your boat network, also by Active Captain. It's not as bad as I thought it could be once you understand how to do it, but it's not what I expected. The lake level offset is very useful at Lake Powell, but I don't don't think that the subscription renewal is all that important; you have 99.99% of what you need. I would NEVER be without Navionics or Lake Master on Lake Powell; they will save your life.
 
BartsPlace said:
This is not quite true - though I believe that is their goal. There are still many Garmin units on the market that do not (and cannot) use the Navionics maps. Also, not all of the Garmin Navionics maps have dynamic lake levels. I believe that's exclusively the Vision+ line mentioned above.

So choose wisely. :)
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Bart, respectfully, that is most definitely true. Garmin bought them for their cartography. The Garmin Navionics Vision+ is the product of this merger. IMHO, they have done a great job combining them. I had Navionics,( on a Lowrance ) and I had Garmin LakeVu G3, the combined product is an improvement over both of them in every measure. At least in the reservoirs I fish. Now, compatibility with your (or any other) unit is an entirely different issue. I have three Garmin Echomap Ultra's on my rig and none of them are compatible with a Navionics card. My post was specifically for the Garmin Navionics Vision+ card, which is the only card that supports the lake level offset. The LakeVU card does not. I would also venture a guess that making their units back compatible with pre-merger Navionics mapping cards is not a high priority. All that being said, electronics are expensive, and it pays to do the research.
 
Card compatibility is a concern with pretty much all fishfinders, especially older units. Research the fishfinder thru the manufacturers website for map cards that are compatible. The rapid advancement in industry is leaving older units in there wake in short order.
 
Coho975 said:
Bart, respectfully, that is most definitely true. Garmin bought them for their cartography. The Garmin Navionics Vision+ is the product of this merger. IMHO, they have done a great job combining them. I had Navionics,( on a Lowrance ) and I had Garmin LakeVu G3, the combined product is an improvement over both of them in every measure. At least in the reservoirs I fish. Now, compatibility with your (or any other) unit is an entirely different issue. I have three Garmin Echomap Ultra's on my rig and none of them are compatible with a Navionics card. My post was specifically for the Garmin Navionics Vision+ card, which is the only card that supports the lake level offset. The LakeVU card does not. I would also venture a guess that making their units back compatible with pre-merger Navionics mapping cards is not a high priority. All that being said, electronics are expensive, and it pays to do the research.
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I think we're saying the same thing. I only took issue with the "has merged all of their cartography" portion of your statement. It makes it sound like everything they're selling now is Navionics-based. They are definitely still selling non-Navionics-infused units and cartography.
 
Leardriver said:
I have a brand new ipad air in a box. Does it have GPS? My boat has a depth finder, not as sophisticated but shows straight down depth in a primitive way.

My reason for preferring not to have a transducer is simple. i don't want to drill holes in my boat. I could be swayed, though.

Meatwagon, you are on to something. I buy so many things used off of ebay. I just see better and fancier display on electronics every year.

Doesn't Navionics cost $249, and must be renewed ever year? That's what it looked like on the Simrad site.
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Hey buddy, hope you are well. I share your concern in more holes below the waterline. You can buy a piece of starboard and glue it to the transom, then screw the transducer into that. No holes in boat. I would recommend the transducer as it it provides good correlation to the depth on the chart. It’s also fun to see the crazy bottom at the lake, and of course…the fish.

TR
 
A penetration in the hull is a planned event during design and build. Look for the factory preferred penetration locations. A hole in the hull or water locker for a sensor is no problem as long as hole is in an approved spot, hole is drilled using approved tools and processes, and device is fastened using approved sealing processes, tools and fasteners. I have never ever had a problem with any below water line hole leaking. Keep the sensor area free of air bubbles and significant non laminar water flows. Pay attention to the angle of the plane at the intended speed you will be operating, and adjust with offset to provide a gravity down angle at that slope instead of a plane perpendicular angle - you do not always want sensor 90 to mounting surface. Also know where your steps are in the hull, well engineered hulls will actually inject air after the steps in effort to reduce surface friction. A hull sliding across a thin layer of air is more efficient than water. Any upstream protrusion will impact water flow down stream - pick a spot that has smooth water flow with zero air across hull

Take your time and make sure you are using the right tools especially for the drill cycle.

The transom bracket idea is common practice but lots of low pressure and rough water at that spot, no problem for speed gauge paddle wheels.

A Bead of 3M 5200 goes a long way…
 
I'm not worried about the boat leaking, or being unsuccessful in mounting something. It is just ugly, and this is a nice-ish boat. I may cave, though....
 
Boaters don't know what they don't know. I learned this lesson the hard way with my first Ranger bass boat without navigation maps. I was at Lake Havasu with my brother. We entered the lake from the Colorado River. It all looked the same to me...wide open lake, That's before I hit sand at 35 mph and ran aground in 6 inches of water, fully a mile from shore. Fortunately, I had an Ulterra, which I lowered 4 inches into the water and it allowed me to get out to deeper water, saving my wounded pride, but I was shocked by the experience. I bought full mapping software after that, and it's been a God send for safety and security ever since, Because if we own the boat, we own the safety of all on board. Buy the best mapping that you can afford. It is worth every cent. Trust me, it's true. Tight lines - Dex
 
I would say that I pad vs a GPS fishfinder, for me a dedicated fishfinder wether it has a transducer hooked up or not would be my choice.
1- it's built for the environment.
2- I pads have a tendency to heat up with limited battery life so charging comes into play as well.
3- visibility in the bright sun is superior with a fishfinder.
4- the opportunity is still there to add a transducer at anytime.
5- depending on the type of boat it's possible to glue some transducers into the bilge so no drilling.
 
I whole heartedly agree. It seems like about every trip I have an experience of “holy sh*t, it really that shallow”! The chart plotter ls are good, but nothing beats knowing what is actually under the boat…
Squirrel said:
Knowing where you are and what your depth is the first thing to keep your nice-ish boat nice. I’ve navigated Lake Powell for 20 years without a fish finder before I installed a fish/depth finder 20 years ago. It has saved my boat and butt many times.
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Leardriver said:
I looked at some models at Bass Pro yesterday, and I think the Garmin Echomap UHD2 7 inch is the ticket.
Allegedly, there will be a half price Black Friday sale coming up. They have Lakevu maps preloaded.
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I definitely wouldn’t jump on one. Those things go on sale for massive reductions every few months, like you said, maybe Black Friday. other outlets are the gps shop and the garmin wholesale website . You don’t need the latest and greatest and you can save a ton of money by getting last years that works just as well. I think it was said earlier but get the knobs in addition to the touch screen Or you will be hating life.

TR
 
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