Recommendations for Depth finder

[RookieHunter]

I need a cheap depth finder. I bought a boat with a small hummingbird strictly depth that is about 2" diameter but you can''t read the face due to age. I looked at the pirrahna 1 and 5 (spelling is off I''m sure) but don''t know the difference and don''t know if I need more. I won''t be fishing just need to know the depths. I will mainly be sailing in the bay and need to prevent the shallow spots before it''s too late.

Thanks,

[jklewissf]

I had a small standard horizon depth sounder on my last boat and it performed well and was inexpensive when I bought it.

[pirateofcapeann]

Is the Hummingbird otherwise functional? If so, try this. Rub the face with a damp cloth and toothpaste. You can work out a lot of the scratches that way. Clean it well with soap and water and wax it with a paste wax. You may even have to remove the face and do both sides. You could try placing the face on a flat piece of glass and heating it to around 250 degrees in an oven, which may close some of the finer cracks. But f you''re at that point, you may as well order a new face directly from Hummingbird. It’s a lot cheaper then replacing the unit and easier then having to put in a new transducer.

[waltzingmatilda]

Rookiehunter, I think you''re on the right track by selecting a fishfinder as opposed to an analog depthfinder. I purchased an inexpensive Garmin fishfinder and it works well. Fishfinders give you a lot more info without the extra cost, e.g., some idea of the bottom, and many will tell you boatspeed and water temperature as well. If you look around at some of the better known brands, e.g., Garmin, Raymarine, Lowrance, Hummingbird, etc., you should be able to find one in your price range. Mine also has a large and small readout, and the large one especially is plenty big enough. Good luck.

[RookieHunter]

I bought the Hummingbird Piranha 3. It is active up to well above what I have to worry about (I think 250 or 600-I don''t have the instructions with me right now) and it has the basic bottom detail and the fish information. Unless my daughter drops a line overboard I don''t forsee using that information. Since I will only be sailing local intracoastal and everyone here says sand anchor only, I won''t be using bottom type information. But looking at slope of land and contour plus depth seems invaluable versus the old digital readout only. My question is why would water temperature be important? I have only barely skimmed the installation instructions and I know it''s available but *may require additional purchases. My other question is that a inside hull mount is available. This is where you don''t drill a hole through the bottom but simply epoxy it to the inside of the hull and it measures through. Since I don''t need fish information per se, would this not be acceptable for measuring shallow bottoms (this is my only pertinent information to keep from running aground). Other question, I have a hummingbird digital now that appears to be several years old but it is a through hull transducer. Shouldn''t the cables be interchangeable at the extension point?

Bottom line, my current digital is unusable because of damage to the clear cover. I did not like sailing without any depth knowledge other than charts. From what I can tell everyone on the Panhandle of FLorida says the charts have sketchy information since our last two tropical storms (Aug). All this ramble leading to the following question----- many boats in my marina of similar size (i.e. <26 ft) don''t appear to have any way to measure depth, is this common or do they rely on experience and handhelds?

[richeber10]

I want to put a fishfinder in my sailboat (S-2, 7.6). I''m thinking of a Garmin 160 Blue. Can I mount it in a glob of epoxy (will silicone do?) INSIDE the hull? Which transducer to buy? Do I "float" the transducer in the silicone or push it down to contact the hull?

[maestro]

a friend of mine bought a depth sounder on ebay for $20
I bought a Standard Horizon depth for $10 at a local marine swap meet. Look and there are always inexpensive places to find one

[obiec]

silacone wount work it is rubery and will absorb the vibrations tha the transducer emits and recives to tell distanc. If your hull has any corring you must go all the through with yor transducer. the best way to figure this out and to see if yo have a good location is with a liquid like water or oil You can damm up a littal part of your hull and set the transducer in it and it will then shoot through yor hull but yo will loose some ofits sensitivity. you can even epoxi down a round container with no bottom and fill with salid oil. then suspent your transducer in it at any angle.

[Scurvy_Dog]

I bought a 24 ft Bayliner Buccaneer in the fall. As I was rumaging through the lockers I found a brand new Humminbird Wide Paramount Fish finder with the speed and temp sensor. This came complete with the orignal reciept and the instruction manual (a little musty). The manual says:

1. Find good location (Observe the outside of the boat hull to find the areas that are
mostly free from turbulent water. Avoid ribs, strakes, and other
protrusions as these create turbulence)

2.At the identified mounting location, lay the transducer body face down with the
pointed end towards the bow.Fill the hull with enough water to submerge the transducer body. Use a sand filled bag or other heavy object to hold the transducer in position.The transducer cannot transmit through air. The water purges any air from between the transducer and the hull and fills any voids in the coarse fiberglass surface. Power up unit and try it out

3. Permanently Mount the Transducer
a) Once the mounting location is determined, mark the position of the transducer.
b) Remove the water from inside the hull and thoroughly dry the mounting surface. If the surface is excessively rough, it may be
necessary to sand the area to provide a smooth mounting surface.
Ensure the mounting area is clear and dry.
c) Mix an ample quantity of two-part slow-cure epoxy slowly and thoroughly. Avoid trapping air bubbles.
d) Coat the face of the transducer and the inside of the hull
e) Press the transducer into place with a slight twisting motion to
purge any trapped air from underneath, keeping the pointed end
of the transducer body pointed forward Note: Proper operation requires the pointed end of the transducer body to face towards the bow.

The above is for the wide parmount, but the manual for your model should be on www.humminbird.com . Goodluck

[RookieHunter]

I bought the piranha 3 and read the part about mounting it on the inside of the hull. I first placed it in water in front of the keel and tested the sensitivity. It was spectacular. I dried out the water and attached it with slow cure epoxy. Apparantly slow cure has less bubbles to interfere with recording. The only thing I warn about is that I placed it in slow cure epoxy and weighted it in place with a board. With just general moving around the boat the board moved and the sensor turned before hardening. Fortunately it was still movable and I turned it back into place. There is a pointed side on the hummingbirds that MUST stay facing forward according to the directions but I have no clue why. It obviously works because after messing with the menu for a few minutes I sat it down and was relaxing in the slip when it began to beep repeatedly. I looked at the monitor thinking it was shorting out and it had several size fish swimming under the slip.