Fish Finder Questions - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dsafety · 12-27-2009, 02:50 PM

My nearly two year old Humminbird 215 has started having a problem. The good news is that I bought the extended warranty for an extra $10 which gives me a two-year, no questions asked replacement from West Marine.

They no longer carry the 215 so I need to select another model. The direct replacement is 160 which appears to be about the same unit with a larger screen. There is another model called Matrix 12 which is currently on sale at WM for $120, ($30 off). This model looks pretty good to me. You can add GPS plotting to the unit by attaching a GPS antenna, ($90). It is not color but has better resolution than the 215 or 160.

Does anyone have any experience with this unit? If so, please share your experiences. West Marine also carries Garmin. Is there something from Garmin in the same price range that would be a better choice?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Bob

Billy V · 12-27-2009, 05:06 PM

Get a better fish finder if you can afford it.
You will see much more at the $400 range.
West marine has a Garmin 440s on sale for 449.00

This link has a Video Demo. --Take a look.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...LTokenURL=true

Dan · 12-27-2009, 05:38 PM

i'd take the direct replacement and be stoked you got a free unit after nearly 2 years.....when that one tanks then you can either stay in that price range or just buy that sweet one that billy is talking about

dsafety · 12-27-2009, 06:17 PM

WM will apply my replacement credit to anything they sell. The Billy V autograph model is out of my price range at the moment, so that will have to wait for another day.

I guess my question is, do I gain much by going with the Matrix 12 for an extra $30? The next bump up costs about $100 more. The basic models don't do much more than tell the depth and occasionally find bait. The one I have now confuses bait and kelp all the time but the resolution is very low. The Matrix 12 has a higher resolution and the price looks good. Before I go for it, I would like to hear from someone who has used it.

Anyone out there?

dos ballenas · 12-27-2009, 07:47 PM

no not much gain... the gps option sucks... use a hand held garmin... good for many things besides fishing... buy a few irons instead.

robmandel · 12-27-2009, 08:34 PM

I have a matrix 12. it came on the prowler 13 I bought a couple of years ago. so, that ought to tell you it's an older unit. it has a bigger screen and good clarity, but lower resolution. I think it's like 320x240 which isn't that great on a 5" screen. you can plug a gps into it, but it doesn't have all the gps features available. big problem is that it's only a single beam, 20 degree beam. very narrow. you miss alot of stuff. get one with the dual beam. check humminbird's website, I believe there are several pirana models that do dual beam for under $150.

right now I have a humminbird 363. 4" b&w screen (I know some guys will swear by color, but I don't think it matters that much), dual beam, gps and all the gps features. it also has better resolution. got the thru hull transducer that fits the scupper hole on OK kayaks. that makes a HUGE!! difference, having the puck in the water versus inside the hull. great unit for under $300. and the new 300 series models also support navionics maps. (sucks for me, bought mine last year. might be time to upgrade!!!)

I need to learn to use the arches view instead of fish view. supposed to be much better once you understand it.

I really like the gps combo feature. especially with the mapping feature. what I really like is being able to put the map with spots marked side by side with the bottom view. so, if you want a gps model, the matrix isn't going to be the best option. in fact, the matrix is now discontinued.

hope that helps.

dgax65 · 12-28-2009, 08:18 AM

These are the specs for a range of Humminbird products.

Matrix 12 specs:

Single Beam
Display Size:	5.0" diagonal
Display Pixel Matrix:	240V x 240H
Display Type:	FSTN LCD
Display Colors/Grayscale:	12 Level Grayscale
Sonar Coverage	200 kHz / 20° @ -10db
Target Separation:	2.5 inches
Power Output (RMS):	250 Watts (RMS)
Power Output (Peak to Peak):	2000 Watts (Peak-to-Peak)

Humminbird 325

DualBeam PLUS
Display Size:	4.0" diagonal
Display Pixel Matrix:	320V x 240H
Display Type:	FSTN LCD
Display Colors/Grayscale:	16 Level Grayscale
Sonar Coverage	200 kHz / 20° @ -10db 83 kHz / 60° @ -10db
Target Separation:	2.5 inches
Power Output (RMS):	300 Watts (RMS)
Power Output (Peak to Peak):	2400 Watts (Peak-to-Peak)

Humminbird 161 Combo (specs for 160 not listed on website):

Single Beam
Display Pixel Matrix:	320V x 240H
Display Type:	FSTN LCD
Display Colors/Grayscale:	16 Level Grayscale
Sonar Coverage	200 kHz / 20° @ -10db
Target Separation:	2.5 inches
Power Output (RMS):	150 Watts (RMS)
Power Output (Peak to Peak):	1200 Watts (Peak-to-Peak)

PiranhaMax 220

Dual Beam
Display Size:	4.0" diagonal
Display Pixel Matrix:	240V x 160H
Display Type:	FSTN LCD
Display Colors/Grayscale:	8 Level Grayscale
Sonar Coverage	83 kHz / 60° @ -10db 200 kHz / 20° @ -10db
Target Separation:	2.5 inches
Power Output (RMS):	200 Watts (RMS)
Power Output (Peak to Peak):	1600 Watts (Peak-to-Peak

Humminbird 787C

DualBeam PLUS
Display Size:	5.0" diagonal
Display Pixel Matrix:	640V x 640H
Display Type:	256 Color TFT
Display Colors/Grayscale:	256 colors
Sonar Coverage	200 kHz / 20° @ -10db 83 kHz / 60° @ -10db
Sonar Optional:	QuadraBeam PLUS
Target Separation:	2.5 inches
Power Output (RMS):	500 Watts (RMS)
Power Output (Peak to Peak):	4000 Watts (Peak-to-Peak)

One thing to take note of is that the target separation (sonar beam resolution) on all of them is 2.5 inches. The sonar itself can only resolve down to 2.5 inches. The differences lie in the power, number of beams and screen resolution. Power is probably the least of your concerns if you fish in <200 feet of water. As long as you have a good transducer installation, even a low power unit should get enough signal return to see the bottom. Having a dual beam unit gives you greater coverage of the water column and bottom. The higher resolution screen will allow more detail to be displayed. On a 240X240 pixel screen in 120 feet of water, each pixel is going to represent 6 inches of the water column. On a 420 pixel screen, each pixel will only be 3 inches. The higher resolution screen will allow the data that's available to be displayed more clearly and effectively.
In my opinion, you should go with the highest resolution screen that you can afford.

12-27-2009, 02:50 PM	#1
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,121	Fish Finder Questions My nearly two year old Humminbird 215 has started having a problem. The good news is that I bought the extended warranty for an extra $10 which gives me a two-year, no questions asked replacement from West Marine. They no longer carry the 215 so I need to select another model. The direct replacement is 160 which appears to be about the same unit with a larger screen. There is another model called Matrix 12 which is currently on sale at WM for $120, ($30 off). This model looks pretty good to me. You can add GPS plotting to the unit by attaching a GPS antenna, ($90). It is not color but has better resolution than the 215 or 160. Does anyone have any experience with this unit? If so, please share your experiences. West Marine also carries Garmin. Is there something from Garmin in the same price range that would be a better choice? Thanks in advance for your help. Bob

12-27-2009, 07:47 PM	#5
dos ballenas Vampyroteuthis infernalis Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 585	no not much gain... the gps option sucks... use a hand held garmin... good for many things besides fishing... buy a few irons instead. __________________ ____________________________________________

12-27-2009, 05:06 PM	#2
Billy V Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bay Ho Posts: 1,382	Get a better fish finder if you can afford it. You will see much more at the $400 range. West marine has a Garmin 440s on sale for 449.00 This link has a Video Demo. --Take a look. http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...LTokenURL=true

12-27-2009, 05:38 PM	#3
Dan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,053	i'd take the direct replacement and be stoked you got a free unit after nearly 2 years.....when that one tanks then you can either stay in that price range or just buy that sweet one that billy is talking about

12-27-2009, 06:17 PM	#4
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,121	WM will apply my replacement credit to anything they sell. The Billy V autograph model is out of my price range at the moment, so that will have to wait for another day. I guess my question is, do I gain much by going with the Matrix 12 for an extra $30? The next bump up costs about $100 more. The basic models don't do much more than tell the depth and occasionally find bait. The one I have now confuses bait and kelp all the time but the resolution is very low. The Matrix 12 has a higher resolution and the price looks good. Before I go for it, I would like to hear from someone who has used it. Anyone out there?

12-27-2009, 08:34 PM	#6
robmandel Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 186	I have a matrix 12. it came on the prowler 13 I bought a couple of years ago. so, that ought to tell you it's an older unit. it has a bigger screen and good clarity, but lower resolution. I think it's like 320x240 which isn't that great on a 5" screen. you can plug a gps into it, but it doesn't have all the gps features available. big problem is that it's only a single beam, 20 degree beam. very narrow. you miss alot of stuff. get one with the dual beam. check humminbird's website, I believe there are several pirana models that do dual beam for under $150. right now I have a humminbird 363. 4" b&w screen (I know some guys will swear by color, but I don't think it matters that much), dual beam, gps and all the gps features. it also has better resolution. got the thru hull transducer that fits the scupper hole on OK kayaks. that makes a HUGE!! difference, having the puck in the water versus inside the hull. great unit for under $300. and the new 300 series models also support navionics maps. (sucks for me, bought mine last year. might be time to upgrade!!!) I need to learn to use the arches view instead of fish view. supposed to be much better once you understand it. I really like the gps combo feature. especially with the mapping feature. what I really like is being able to put the map with spots marked side by side with the bottom view. so, if you want a gps model, the matrix isn't going to be the best option. in fact, the matrix is now discontinued. hope that helps.