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Simple Depth Finder |
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White Owl 
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Joined: 03/12/2012 Location: S. Illinois Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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 Topic: Simple Depth FinderPosted: 03/12/2012 at 6:52pm |
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Had a Lowrance fish finder on my pontoon and it went belly up. I don't fish but I would like to know the depths of where I'm boating. Can anyone suggest a simple depth finder for this purpose. Guess I could just go to Bass Pro Shop or something but I was just wondering if someone had some experience and suggestions.
Thanks all,
Ed
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Posted: 03/12/2012 at 8:55pm |
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Ed, cheapest depth finder gauge I can find is at GreatLakesKeeper on this page 3 of them all at 59.95. But I just checked and they don't include the transducer and you didn't say what your old one was. This is a Faria gauge. So it'll be up to you to determine if this will work with your transducer or keep searching for a cheaper setup. Are you normally in very shallow waters or you're just curious as to the depth you're in.
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White Owl
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Posted: 03/12/2012 at 9:06pm |
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Thanks! I'll give it a look.
Ed
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97 Sweetwater 24'
60HP Evinrude |
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Posted: 03/12/2012 at 9:28pm |
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Think Nightfisher might be talking about this particular one of Humminbird at 79.95 plus tax/shipping
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CajunDiver
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Posted: 03/12/2012 at 10:23pm |
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I would suggest, if its in your budget, to get a GPS capable depth finder. I use the ones on my boats more for the GPS features and the depth is secondary. They tell you accurately how fast your going, where you are located and the water depth. The ones with the map chips "one up" everything and make it possible for you to see most features on the lake, river, ocean, etc. You can also create tracks thru shallow water areas and backtrack on them to avoid going aground. I know some members,...eeggghhhmmmm....maybe even moderators?? here that could have used a GPS to avoid getting lost at the toon gathering.
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89 Tracker Party Hut rebuilt & modified for 2009
Excellent Member Of The Month Club 12/08 "Guns don't kill people the government does"--Rusty Shackleford |
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VaGent
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Posted: 03/12/2012 at 10:32pm |
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That must have been a BIG gathering.
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Les
"Atta Boy Award July 2010" "Excellent Member Of The Month Club 07/09" 1984 24ft JC 2011 E-TEC 90 hp 1993 Voyager 24ft Pontoon 2006 E-TEC 90 hp |
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Posted: 03/12/2012 at 10:55pm |
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Yeah, he was talking about me cause I WAS following him when HE got lost
 , had I turned with him going back out, I wouldn't have run outta gas My little GPS at the time was an auto one with a lake chip in it, but tracks were hard to see and I was relying on his better GPS in the dark - THAT won't happen again I assure you
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CajunDiver
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Posted: 03/13/2012 at 10:03pm |
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I didn't know how to use the track function at the time nor the zoom out feature on the map. All I can say is the Pontoon Stuff LED docking lights make good signal/locator beacons
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89 Tracker Party Hut rebuilt & modified for 2009
Excellent Member Of The Month Club 12/08 "Guns don't kill people the government does"--Rusty Shackleford |
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Kenny B.
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Joined: 03/16/2011 Location: georgia Status: Offline Points: 45 |
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Posted: 03/14/2012 at 3:10am |
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as far as a simple and cheap depth finder, i have used a long stick back in the day
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ken and sharon "lost in toon land"
1984 Party Barge 24ft 1972? Mercury 50hp |
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playbuoy
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Posted: 03/15/2012 at 9:06am |
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A piece of rope tied to a rock is very afordable and acurate.
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lakescraft
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Posted: 03/15/2012 at 4:06pm |
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I was looking at the Humminbird HDR 650, on Ebay it's about $85 with free shipping, but with the included 20' transducer cable, that will be too short, I need to find another 10' extension to make it fit in the partyhut. It would be nice to know how deep it is before jumping off the top deck
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Posted: 03/15/2012 at 4:30pm |
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I have to admit, I didn't take that into consideration about jumping off. Safety aspects you'd want to know its deep enough or end up with a spinal cord injury. Now if I was just motoring on, I wouldn't really care unless I'm looking for structure for fish down deep in the summer months |
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lakescraft
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Posted: 03/15/2012 at 4:54pm |
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I use the kid gauge, let one of the kids jump off and see if they stick. lol
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Woody
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Posted: 03/16/2012 at 9:43am |
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I hope that someone is swimming and checking out things before anyone jumps from the top. Most likely the area they jump won't be ther area directly under the transducers and sometimes stumps are close to the surface even in ten feet of water. Most any of the lowend fishfinders should serve well for a depth sounder. You can most likely buy extender cables for the transducers.
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Woody & Marilyn
Covington, LA Boating in SE Louisiana and Cedar Creek Lake, TX Excellent Member of the Month Club 6/09 |
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CajunDiver
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Posted: 03/16/2012 at 9:20pm |
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I had a Humminbird and had to buy the extender directly from them in the length I needed. They do make them.
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89 Tracker Party Hut rebuilt & modified for 2009
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Posted: 03/17/2012 at 12:39pm |
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True true, but a depth finder isn't gonna keep you from getting stuck on a mud flat if you're not paying attention. Depth finder isn't going to give you enough warning unless its a long sloping bank. Been on rivers where it'll just pop up outta nowhere. Fishing LA bayou's is about the same when the tide goes out, you better not be back deep in the marshes unless you got an air boat if you wait too long to get out. |
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CajunDiver
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Posted: 03/17/2012 at 10:55pm |
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This is one of the reasons I say get one with a GPS as well. You can go thru an area and create a track. Then next time you go thru it just follow that track and you won't get stuck. We have some narrow channels in the marsh and do this so that we don't wind up aground. Of course if your making a track and run aground delete it
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89 Tracker Party Hut rebuilt & modified for 2009
Excellent Member Of The Month Club 12/08 "Guns don't kill people the government does"--Rusty Shackleford |
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White Owl
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Posted: 03/22/2012 at 8:53pm |
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Well, I ended going with the Hummingbird 150 from Wally World for $80. Thanks for all the suggestions and the discussions were great!
Ed
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97 Sweetwater 24'
60HP Evinrude |
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belgique
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Joined: 03/25/2012 Location: Cedar Island NC Status: Offline Points: 11 |
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Posted: 03/27/2012 at 3:23pm |
Suggestion on which one(s)? Channels are illusive here on the OBX sounds also. I usually follow crab pots. Steve |
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Steve
Cedar Island, NC (Southern OBX) 1984 Godfrey Aqua Patio 24' 1995 Evinrude 70HP |
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Posted: 03/27/2012 at 4:20pm |
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which ones what? GPS's? More expensive the unit, the more features, but most have tracking abilities
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belgique
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Posted: 03/27/2012 at 4:48pm |
I can search...just wondered if the poster had one in mind that had depth and GPS...I should have added affordable...but that is a ambiguous term too. |
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Steve
Cedar Island, NC (Southern OBX) 1984 Godfrey Aqua Patio 24' 1995 Evinrude 70HP |
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Posted: 03/27/2012 at 6:52pm |
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ahhh affordable GPS - now that is something to look for. Are you thinking of a portable GPS so you can use it for multiple purposes? I haven't gone that route myself, I went with a combo fish finder/GPS and decided this time to spend the money for a good one (was 500+ and now its 600+ on BPS). briankinley2004 had a really good one I remembered and was impressed with it. You do want one that's water proof as the automobile types aren't but that was what I used initially cause it was cheap ($150). I used a lake map chip in it when I was on the water.
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belgique
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Posted: 03/27/2012 at 7:20pm |
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I'm a GPS and Gadget freak. I have a Gamin GPS MAP 76 and it works great....just hard for Old Soldier Geezer eyes to read in sunlight on a small screen. In our RV, I use a combo of MS Streets & Trips and Android Maps etc.
I like the depth (fish finder)/GPS combo idea because of bigger screen and dual utility: finding drop offs for fishing, remembering where the channel is in case the crab pots are pulled, etc. We are on Core/Pamlico Sound on the Outer Banks. Notoriously shallow (ask Blackbeard).  |
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Steve
Cedar Island, NC (Southern OBX) 1984 Godfrey Aqua Patio 24' 1995 Evinrude 70HP |
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Posted: 03/27/2012 at 9:38pm |
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Yep, I and a few other got the humminbird 597 ci HD di unit and some just got the 597 ci HD unit. Its easy to see in bright sunlight and at 63, this old Air Force vietnam vet can't see diddly
but I can make out stuff on it (had me worried though as it was a chunk of change). I put it on BPS's 6 month pay plan - so only about 100 a month for 6 months.
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Posted: 04/11/2012 at 10:39pm |
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Post a pic of the back of the toon so we can see what it looks like for mounting areas.
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Posted: 04/11/2012 at 10:46pm |
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Preferrably on the back end of one of the outboard pontoons if they have a bracket on them..
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briankinley2004 wrote: