I am looking to get a fish=depth finder. I have a 28' lancer. I believe iot is called a shoal draft. the draft is approx 3'9" from water line to the bottom of the keel. The only sailing I do is in the Delaware River fresh water. Any suggestions Thanks Mavourneen
depth guage & fish finder
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If you only need
If you only need depth, then I can highly recommend the little Hawkeye depth finder. If you want a fish finder, the Hummingbird Piranah is a reasonably inexpensive unit. I have no experience with the Hummingbird, but they sell a lot of them. Don't think it has a keel offset though. The Hawkeye is just a 2" digital readout. It does have depth alarm and I think an offset for the keel. Be careful about the keel offset, and if the unit you end up with doesn't have that feature, make a lead line and check the difference at the dock, so you know that what ever it's reading, you need to add x feet to the total depth, or subtract for the depth under the keel. If you get one with a keel offset, then just set it, using the same method, and you will get a direct reading of water under the keel. I like to have mine reading actual water depth, as it is no problem to figure the keel into the equation.
If you only need depth, then I can highly recommend the little Hawkeye depth finder. If you want a fish finder, the Hummingbird Piranah is a reasonably inexpensive unit. I have no experience with the Hummingbird, but they sell a lot of them. Don't think it has a keel offset though. The Hawkeye is just a 2" digital readout. It does have depth alarm and I think an offset for the keel. Be careful about the keel offset, and if the unit you end up with doesn't have that feature, make a lead line and check the difference at the dock, so you know that what ever it's reading, you need to add x feet to the total depth, or subtract for the depth under the keel. If you get one with a keel offset, then just set it, using the same method, and you will get a direct reading of water under the keel. I like to have mine reading actual water depth, as it is no problem to figure the keel into the equation.
I bump the ground in 4.5 feet of water showing on the depth sounder
I rather like the fish finder features because they show bottom contours. In this sailing area the depth can change from plenty to almost none in fifty feet.
I rather like the fish finder features because they show bottom contours. In this sailing area the depth can change from plenty to almost none in fifty feet.
Hummingbird Piranah 215 for $85
I have the piranah 215 and love it! It's got all the features you need plus water temp, which lets me know if I want to swim or not. Brian
I have the piranah 215 and love it! It's got all the features you need plus water temp, which lets me know if I want to swim or not. Brian
depth guage
I ALSO HAVE A HUMMINGBIRD AND HAVE PLACED THE RECEIVING UNIT INSIDE AND TOWARD THE REAR OF THE BOAT. WITH MY 5 1/2 FOOT SWING KEEL THIS CAUSES NO PROBLEMS AND HAS THE ADDED ADVANTAGE OF SEEING THE BOTTOM AS WELL AS ANYTHING UNDER THE BOAT. NOVELMAN
I ALSO HAVE A HUMMINGBIRD AND HAVE PLACED THE RECEIVING UNIT INSIDE AND TOWARD THE REAR OF THE BOAT. WITH MY 5 1/2 FOOT SWING KEEL THIS CAUSES NO PROBLEMS AND HAS THE ADDED ADVANTAGE OF SEEING THE BOTTOM AS WELL AS ANYTHING UNDER THE BOAT. NOVELMAN
Eagle CUDA 250
My choice is the EGALE CUDA 250. It not only is a Fish-Finder and Sonar, but it has a GPS built into it. Easy to operate and use to make new deviation card for your compass. Does all the GPS functions with Waypoints, routes, and tracks. Cost is about $199 at Cabelas. Chuck
My choice is the EGALE CUDA 250. It not only is a Fish-Finder and Sonar, but it has a GPS built into it. Easy to operate and use to make new deviation card for your compass. Does all the GPS functions with Waypoints, routes, and tracks. Cost is about $199 at Cabelas. Chuck
eagle cuda 250
Chuck I do like the Eagle CUDA 250. How does it attach to the boat. Does it go through the bottom or attach to the back of the transom? I am concerned about the effect of a outboard motor 9.9 that attaches to a cutout on the transom the rudder seems to be in the way.The boat that I have is a 28' Lancer. If any one has any pictures of how you have hooked up your fish-finder please post then on this site. Thanks again from a very inexperience sailor. Jim G
Chuck I do like the Eagle CUDA 250. How does it attach to the boat. Does it go through the bottom or attach to the back of the transom? I am concerned about the effect of a outboard motor 9.9 that attaches to a cutout on the transom the rudder seems to be in the way.The boat that I have is a 28' Lancer. If any one has any pictures of how you have hooked up your fish-finder please post then on this site. Thanks again from a very inexperience sailor. Jim G
I think depth finders are great but would
prefer the forward looking variety next time. When I was racing my T-Bird and playing the beach I had a std depth sounder and never used it. I drew 4'10" up straight and around 3+' heeled. I would look over the side until I could see shells or something else on the bottom, and tack: bouncing off the bottom more often than not. It was fun but not recommended. Joe S.
prefer the forward looking variety next time. When I was racing my T-Bird and playing the beach I had a std depth sounder and never used it. I drew 4'10" up straight and around 3+' heeled. I would look over the side until I could see shells or something else on the bottom, and tack: bouncing off the bottom more often than not. It was fun but not recommended. Joe S.
Manny
If i remember correctly ( which is rare), you can epoxy the sending unit to the hull. The only real requirement is that there be no air bubbles. Some of the antique models required a small pool approximately 6" diameter be filled with oil and the sender was placed in it. Same reason....no air bubbles. When I epoxied my last fish finder to my hull, I used cheap modeling clay to form a small pool just large enough to epoxy the sensor in place. Tony B
If i remember correctly ( which is rare), you can epoxy the sending unit to the hull. The only real requirement is that there be no air bubbles. Some of the antique models required a small pool approximately 6" diameter be filled with oil and the sender was placed in it. Same reason....no air bubbles. When I epoxied my last fish finder to my hull, I used cheap modeling clay to form a small pool just large enough to epoxy the sensor in place. Tony B
Fish finder not forward looking
Because Practical Sailor is so gung ho about fishfinders instead of regular depth sounders, I assumed they were forward looking. I was disabused of that notion by the fishfinder folks. Not sure I see the advantage if you are not fishing. The current PS has an article about forward looking sonar. $$$$
Because Practical Sailor is so gung ho about fishfinders instead of regular depth sounders, I assumed they were forward looking. I was disabused of that notion by the fishfinder folks. Not sure I see the advantage if you are not fishing. The current PS has an article about forward looking sonar. $$$$
Transducer
Mounting the transducer has been kicked around on here several times. I have installed three by epoxying them inside the hull, and I can tell no difference. Have done this with both straight depth finder, and a fish finder. Both work well. Do not know if a forward looking unit would work like this or not. You do have to find a good placement. Put the transducer in a baggie of water, turn the unit on, and move the transducer around to find the best placement. Then you can epoxy it in place. I use Marine Tex the last time, but I don't think it makes much difference, as long as you don't have any bubbles in it. Think I have read on here, that someone had one installed with 5200.
Mounting the transducer has been kicked around on here several times. I have installed three by epoxying them inside the hull, and I can tell no difference. Have done this with both straight depth finder, and a fish finder. Both work well. Do not know if a forward looking unit would work like this or not. You do have to find a good placement. Put the transducer in a baggie of water, turn the unit on, and move the transducer around to find the best placement. Then you can epoxy it in place. I use Marine Tex the last time, but I don't think it makes much difference, as long as you don't have any bubbles in it. Think I have read on here, that someone had one installed with 5200.
My Apelco/raytheon fish finder looks forward a little
enough that I can determine the slope of the bottom. In one case we saw the bottom slope as rather steep and tacked when we saw 8 feet indicated and had six feet when we finished. We draw 4.5 so it would be easy to get into trouble without the knowledge of the slope of the bottom. It won't show me rocks that are a boat length ahead.
enough that I can determine the slope of the bottom. In one case we saw the bottom slope as rather steep and tacked when we saw 8 feet indicated and had six feet when we finished. We draw 4.5 so it would be easy to get into trouble without the knowledge of the slope of the bottom. It won't show me rocks that are a boat length ahead.
Depth changes
Ross, I certainly know what you mean by going from 20' to 0 in a few feet. When coming home with the boat, somewhere south of HDG, we were poking around looking for an anchorage. The transducer I had installed, was behind the keel, as there wasn't enough cabling to get it forward, and time was a little tight. I had checked it with a lead line when installed, and it was dead on. When I hit bottom, the depth showed 14 feet. As I backed off, and spun around, I could see the bottom coming up, FAST. 14' behind the keel, and aground is something I had never experienced.
Ross, I certainly know what you mean by going from 20' to 0 in a few feet. When coming home with the boat, somewhere south of HDG, we were poking around looking for an anchorage. The transducer I had installed, was behind the keel, as there wasn't enough cabling to get it forward, and time was a little tight. I had checked it with a lead line when installed, and it was dead on. When I hit bottom, the depth showed 14 feet. As I backed off, and spun around, I could see the bottom coming up, FAST. 14' behind the keel, and aground is something I had never experienced.
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