Your opinion on meters please...

[mtnbykr2]

Ok,
I have removed my 3rd Humminbird unit out of the yak, started w/a 718
went to a 365i for the internal GPS, this will be the 3rd 365i, I am done with the quick connect to the head unit, I will be looking at Lowrance an Garmin for the connections, hopefully they are better, I am bugeting about 500.00, your opinions and thoughts please, I am looking for reliability and quality of course, color not necessary but would be nice,
I am just done with Humminbirds design of connection at the head unit, the last 3 months I have had to mess with the meter more than fishing...thanks in advance....b

[YakMedic]

X 2 I can't count how many power cords I've corroded. Even with dielectric grease, it is a poor design.
I was actually looking to upgrade to the 385 but the connections have me hesitant

[RK]

Some great fishermen on here gave me some excellent advice after destroying my last unit....

NEVER disconnect the head unit from the cables...


ALWAYS disconnect the battery immediately after use...


example;

Use two dry bags, store the head unit in one and battery in another, attach the head unit to a ram mount or something similar once on the water..

Since switching to this method I have had zero issues.... that being said Ill probably break my unit on my next trip.

More important than anything else BUY YOUR WEST MARINE PLUS PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mtnbykr2]

connections are the same, I want to get away from that head unit connection

[mtnbykr2]

Originally Posted by RK

Some great fishermen on here gave me some excellent advice after destroying my last unit....

NEVER disconnect the head unit from the cables...


ALWAYS disconnect the battery immediately after use...


example;

Use two dry bags, store the head unit in one and battery in another, attach the head unit to a ram mount or something similar once on the water..

Since switching to this method I have had zero issues.... that being said Ill probably break my unit on my next trip.

More important than anything else BUY YOUR WEST MARINE PLUS PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

good idea on the West Marine Plus, what about surf lanches you don't remove the meter?

[RK]

Both the head unit and battery stay in dry bags in my hatch until I launch then OTW I remove the head unit and put it on the ram ball...

I NEVER DISCONNECT the unit therefore zero opportunies for even a drop of saltwater to creep in

[RK]

and the west marine plus is the only option for a kayak fisherman...
someone would be an absolute idiot to buy an electronic device use it in saltwater and not purchase a warranty

[mtnbykr2]

Originally Posted by RK

Both the head unit and battery stay in dry bags in my hatch until I launch then OTW I remove the head unit and put it on the ram ball...

I NEVER DISCONNECT the unit therefore zero opportunies for even a drop of saltwater to creep in

I usually hard wire everything in the yak so I would have to disconnect,
I may do a wet mount in the hull instead of goop mount, but all other wiring installed

[GregAndrew]

If your budget is $500, then I would recommend going with a color FF. They give you a lot more information that you can grow into interpreting. There is supposed to be some new technology coming out next year, so it might be a good idea to give it a few months though.

[mtnbykr2]

Originally Posted by GregAndrew

If your budget is $500, then I would recommend going with a color FF. They give you a lot more information that you can grow into interpreting. There is supposed to be some new technology coming out next year, so it might be a good idea to give it a few months though.

I can't wait that long Greg, I am leaning toward the Garmin due to the cable connects, but a few Lowrances look good too, I am also toying with getting one without GPS an gettin a hand held, what do ya think

[Kailolo]

RK--thanks for the advice not to disconnect the head unit. I've got an HB 597ci DI combo with GPS. nice unit. I now only disconnect the head on land after fishing--still a pain (very tight) to remove. I connect the battery on land before I fish, and disconnect afterwords. Pretty straightforward.

If "hardwired", then won't an in-line "off-switch" solve your problem?

The DI (down imaging) is a bit of an overkill, but I like the fine resolution it provides. Helps you learn what the sonar is telling you. Grass and ropes and trees and bushes look like themselves, not blobs.

But I son't appreciate the color yet. Perhaps I should try turning fish ID off, since the fish logos obscure the actual colored arc. But again, other than bait balls, versus kelp versus "a fish", which I could already see with grayscale, I don't really know what the color adds. Maybe someone can post a tutorial (or point to a link) on what color tells you with our local ocean and bay fishery. I also like its very high resolution.

FYI. I recently installed and tested a grease mount. It performed very well. It showed stuff in 120 feet of saltwater that I've never seen before. Used SuperLube, which some one else had suggested. It appears to be about the consistency of the lube provided by Humminbird in their in-hull mounting kits. I tried eco-friendly lithium grease from West Marine, but it was very thick and tended to get chunky.

I simply used foam to create a tight-fitting well for the transducer. Gooped it down. Coated the well bottom and transducer bottom and sides of transducer with thin layer of Superlube. Inserted transducer into the well, push down, jiggle. Press down with a plug of foam. I might glue velcro to the sides of the foam well to allow me to run a velcro strap over the foam plug to hold it in place. Signal is as good as when I hang the transducer over the side of the yak!!

[RK]

Not to thread jack....

Kailolo- turn off your fish ID and just become familiar with what the unit is showing you. The more you use the meter the more familiar you will become.... But what the hell do I know, I just use the rainbow power bait and a night crawler.

[GregAndrew]

Unless you are looking for features that a handheld GPS will provide, I would go with the integrated type. Much more convenient and probably cheaper too. I really like the HDS hardware if they can get a fully functioning software update. I have not had any problems with the connections on mine yet, and I connect and disconnect on each outing.

Mark Wisch (author of In The Grey) puts on a very good seminar on using your FF from his tackle shop (Pacific Edge Tackle) for 10 or 20 dollars. It is well worth it.

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by RK

Not to thread jack....

Kailolo- turn off your fish ID and just become familiar with what the unit is showing you. The more you use the meter the more familiar you will become....

Definately something that I need to do, I tried it once and got fed up with it so I switched it back

[kobra]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Definately something that I need to do, I tried it once and got fed up with it so I switched it back

Yeah, it's a lot cooler seeing all those little fishies swimming under you any ways.

[Handymansd]

I love my HDS. I got pretty fed up with Lowrance getting around to a fix for their missing maps, but they pulled thru, going above and beyond customer service by providing a fish-n-chip replacement map; I have it on pretty good authority that they should have a fix/ patch around the first of the year. Until then their parent company Navionics has provided me with a fish-n-chip which is very nice and has detailed mapping including bathemetry. If you are a true gadget guy or want a remarkable view of what is beneath you, they have the Structure Scan Imaging which combines the down scan technology, and the side scan technology, and it can overlay both to create remarkable imaging... combined with the color pallette of the HDS it blows away anything the competition has! kind of like looking at circa 1800 photos of the ocean bottom and structures. Even without the structure scan add on the HDS is the best bang for the buck on the market today. It is a little bit over $500 but well worth saving up a bit longer in my opinion.

[kobra]

Originally Posted by mtnbykr2

I can't wait that long Greg, I am leaning toward the Garmin due to the cable connects, but a few Lowrances look good too, I am also toying with getting one without GPS an gettin a hand held, what do ya think

For me, the combo unit is the only way to go. I'm constantly watching the screen of my hds-5. I always use the split screen,1/2 gps,1/4 ff, and 1/4 zoom. If I see some structure, rock pile, hard bottom spot, anything out of the ordinary, I'll enter it as a waypoint. You would be surprised to see how many "secret spots" you find doing that. Now mind you, that's just what works for me. Food for thought. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[dwntwnall4u]

If purchasing a HDS-5, where do you suggest buying from in San Diego to make sure I get everything I need.

[mtnbykr2]

Thanks for all the opinions, kinda looks like the HDS is the highest rated
out there around my budget, thanks for all the info, sent the old Humminbird in, we will see where that goes but in the meantime I guess
it will be the HDS 5

[Handymansd]

Originally Posted by dwntwnall4u

If purchasing a HDS-5, where do you suggest buying from in San Diego to make sure I get everything I need.

With no exceptions buy it from west marine! They have an awesome return policy and an even greater extended warranty, which is non existent in most retailers nowadays! If for some reason it stops working within the wm warranty period they replace it even if it is outside of the manufacturers warranty period. They will also price match any online retailer that has an actual store. They will not match nexttag, ebay, and other questionable sites. But I think I found one for $599 and they matched it! With the 2yr warranty about $80 if I remember correctly. Cannot beat that! Be sure to ask for the fish n chip from Navionics instead of the Nautic Insight maps though.