Soliciting Opinions on Electronics, etc to outfit new boat

[paskuls]

Name: Steve

Location: Franklinville, NY

Home Port: Mayville, NY

Boat Name/Type: "LOVE CHOP" (2011 Lund Baron 2150 Gran Sport)

I fish for: EVERYTHING

Hi,

I recently ordered a 2011 Lund Baron 2150 Gran Sport and am soliciting your opinions on what electronics you'd recommend. Obviously I'm going to put a chartplotter/GPS unit, a fish/depth finder and a marine radio. I'm looking for your opinions on whether to go with a 2-in-1 screen, seperate units or specific models. Color v black & white, screen sized HD or no HD, stuff like that. Also, I'd really appreciate any input on stuff to stay away from or relating any bad experiences you've had with particular units or companies whether it was during the purchase, warranty claims, etc. I'm planning on using the boat mostly (95%) on big water (Great lakes) and going after walleye and salmon. I have a smaller rig for small inland lakes that I'll use for panfish, etc. And lastly, any advise on electric trolling motors is appreciated. I'm not trying to turn this into a mud slinging event or a "Ford V Chevy" type argument post. I'm just looking to tap into the great weath of knowledge from all you fine folks....

P.S. I am NOT a new charter guy looking to steal your secrets.. I'm just a private citizen who likes to fish.. that's all.. if you want to PM me instead of replying in public, that's fine. ALL OPINIONS APPRECIATED.

Thanks,

Steve

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[LongLine]

Welcome to the site. Lunds are nice rigs. I'd suggest a unit that allows you to have a split screen. Sometimes you want to see two frequencies as they give a different picture. Definitely go with color if you can.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[RYE]

I current run a Furuno 585 w/ thru hull transducer. The detail is great, and very simple to operate, adjust. I myself like separate units for my electronics that way if something should go down your not loosing multiple units for repair, ie gps and ff ect. I would also suggest the fishhawk x4 if you want speed n temp. I upgraded last season, the probe ran the same set of batteries all season and there is no downrigger cable to mess with..... Good luck with the new rig,that lund will last a lifetime

[paskuls]

Thanks for the input. I think the Furuno 585 is a little more than I want to spend at this point. Maybe I'll consider it as an upgrade in the future. I've been hearing/reading about some negative experiences with Lowrance products. Does anybody have any personal experience with them? (Good or bad). I think I'm going to go with a separate Lowrance GPS and separate fish/depth finder. Perhaps a Lowrance HDS-7m chart plotter and an Elite 5X fish finder but I'm apprehensive about buying Lowrance products after the bad press I'm reading. I'm looking to spend $500-$800 on each unit so if anybody has any recommendations in that price range (Lowrance or otherwise), I'd sure appreciate your feedback.

Also, I'm about as "new" to LO Trout/Salmon fishing as you can get. (Never been but want to try/learn). What's the deal with the Fishhawk X4 rig mentioned below? I never heard of such a thing. Is this something that you attach to a downrigger to get a better "picture" of where thermo clines, etc are? Is this a "necessary" piece of equipment if I get serious about Ontario Salmon, etc?

[Gator]

Yup, the X4 is for measuring temp and depth at the ball versus the surface. Bunch of other tools do the same, Cannon and Moor both make 'em.

For a trolling motor, you can't go wrong with a MinnKota Terrova, either the 80-lb or 101-lb flavor (24 and 36 volts, respectively). Make sure that you don't end up underpowered, and get the longest shaft (66 inches??), you'll need it for the Baron. The integrated transducer is convenient, but I don't think as sensitive as the one that comes out of the sonar box. And the iPilot feature is the bomb. Just check it out...you'll want it.

As for sonar/GPS, we've run multiple Lowrance units over the years without issues. The latest high def units look great, but our lcx series do the job. It is nice to have separate units for GPS and sonar for both ease of viewing and in case one goes down, but worth the extra money? I am intrigued by the sidescan and downscan technologies that produce a virtual representation of what's underwater, but I would think that it would be overkill for trolling L. Ontario. Probably useful technology when trying to locate or visualize structure for targeting warmwater species, though.

My advice to folks trying to equip a boat is to purchase toys based on what you currently do the most, not on what you hope to do in the future. You can always jury-rig what you have in the short term to try something new. I guess this applies to most everything. I've seen too much wasted money spent on stuff that sits unused because people (myself included) think that they'd like to start doing something on a regular basis. Do first, buy later.

[rshubuck]

I have the Lowrance HDS 7 with Naviconics Platium chip. I run split screen between the map and sonar. It works great but I would love to have another HDS 7 to run each separtely. I truely believe 2 separete units is the way to go. When I have the money I am sure I will be buying another Lowrance unit. The only bad thing I heard about the Lowrance HDS units is if they get wet they won't work and have to be returned for waranty work. I have not had any problems with mine. The great thing about these units is that you can get other features later down the road.

Naviconics Premium chip is an absolute must. I would not buy Lowrance's maps. They are ok but nothing in comparision to what Naviconics has to offer. 1 foot contours and it is accurate! Its an incredible tool.

I run the Depth Raider for temp and speed. I have no compliants with it. When I get past a 125ft down I do have to put a damp rag over the antenna but I have lost a lot of coating off my downrigger cable.

I do not have a good marine radio yet. I'm looking to get one that links up with my HDS unit and I am open for suggestions.

Hope this helps.

[Mickey Finn]

I had a lot of trouble with the dual freq transducers on my Lowrance LCX15MT and with the 200 hz transducers on my Lowrance LMS520C but I don't recall hearing of problems with the HD units. Maybe some of the guys on here with them could confirm that? Lowrance had some problems with customer service for a few years there but they seem to have stepped it up lately. Another option is the Furuno 620. It's basically the exact same unit as the 585 but has a smaller screen. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

[paskuls]

Thanks to all ... Lots of great advise here. Here's a virtual beer for you all.. I'm headed to the boat show in Syracuse this weekend to talk with the vendors and see my boat for the first time. If any of you make it there.. Mine is the blue one on display for Martins Marina & Motel out of Cape Vincent. Stop by and check it out but please.. don't drool on it too much. HAHAHAHA I've printed out what you've all suggested and will be using it it make my decisions soon.. thx again..

See ya on the water..

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[YodaMage]

I was a tried and true Lowrance guy but the last two units I bought from them were troublesome to say the least and their customer service was less then I'd come to expect. Google Lowrance and customer service issues and you'll find a truck load. I bought my first Humminbird unit two years ago and I have to say I'm sold on their stuff. The 788ci packs a ton of features for less then $600.

[Mickey Finn]

As stated above I had troubles with a couple lowrance units and their customer service a while back, but in their defence, my last dealing with them was positive and from what I hear, they have stepped up their customer service. My troubles have been transducer related. Out of frustration over the transducers, I purchased the Humminbird 788C last summer and loved it until I lost the transducer on that unit as well. As you can imagine, I pulled out what little hair I had left. Billy V did some investigating and found out for us that there had been a bad batch of transducers with those units and a few of us got them. They assured us that they would replace them and the bad ones are supposed to be out of circulation now. Cabelas has a 60 day return policy on electronics, so I returned it on day 60. I just didn't want to wait for the replacemant transducer just to find out that wasn't the problem or to have another one fail and then be stuck with another unit that didn't work and couldn't be returned. I've been told that if you put an airmar transducer on those units instead of the stock ones, the tranducer failures will be over and the performance will be much better. I still have my Lowrance LMS520 on the boat which I use mostly for the GPS, but when the transducer fails again, I'm going to replace it with the airmar. I have a new Furuno 620 sitting in my basement waiting to be installed as soon as I'm done with my transom replacement. That will be my primary sonar unit. I hope its as good as the reviews say it is.

[mac150]

Looks like you want to run electric trolling motor, gps, sonar and downriggers. Sounds like a lot of juice, how many batteries? You might want a gas trolling motor that can help keep the batteries charged instead of running off them. Don't forget the vhf radio, you can wire it to the gps to send coordinates for a distress signal.

[CaliNick]

if you run the lowrance unit go with the Airmar P-66 transducer. It is a huge upgrade from the stock one. It will run you about 120 bucks. Nick

[Mickey Finn]

Some places like Cabelas sell the lowrance units either with or without a transducer. Without is usually $50 to $100 cheaper, so you could put that towards the Airmar.

[excavr]

I installed a MinnKota Terrova 80 trolling motor on my 17' Tracker last spring. I got the iPilot feature on it. The iPilot and remote control are awesome. It comes in handy when I am solo and I am landing a fish. Just hit the autopilot on the MinnKota and throw the gas engine in nuetral.

It has a transducer in the motor that causes a lot of interference on my bow FF when the trolling motor turns above a low speed. Not their best feature.

Don't plan on using the electric for trolling long especially if there is any wind. I get about 1hr of use when the motor runs on full speed trying to keep me at 2.25 mph.

I would have gone with the 101 model if I had the room for a 36V system. You will want the 101 on your 21' Lund.

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[rdebadts]

Raymarine and humminbird both put out good dual units. I have a furuno 585 that I absolutely love... I have a handheld how by garmin that is plenty sufficient for a rec guy if you wanna save some money

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[K Gonefishin]

A HDS-7 or HDS-8 and HDS-5 would be the ultimate combo (I like 8 inch screen difference is HUGE) , 2 units are always better than 1, the factory transducer that comes with the new HDS units will suite your needs well they haven't had any issues with them, 50/200 will work great for all the great lakes. Since you have an aluminum boat that rules out any shoot thru or thru hull ducers that would actually make a difference. I would recamend networking the two units together as well, you can view sonar and GPS on both from one transducer and share waypoints. Broadband sounder is amazing when fishing lake O we where able to mark out dipsys going down and mark our sliders, really amazing units.

[paskuls]

WOW !!! Thanx to ALL !! Lots of terrific advise here.. TWO virtual beers for you all! I am running an extended shaft 9.9 kicker in addition to the main motor (300 HP Verado) so I'll be using that for trolling. I was on the fence about the terranova with the ipilot but I think I'm gunna go for it. I'm running 3 batteries (dealer recommended) and so I'll go with the 36V. I was disappointed at the boat show. Although I DID get to see my new rig for the 1st time, there were no electronics vendors to talk with. I guess Cabelas, Bass Pro and the internet killed their participation in those types of shows. I was able to stop and "talk turkey" with the guy behind the counter at the Bass Pro in Auburn (very knowledgeable BTW) and after having seen the Lowrance HD units, I'm going to go with an HDS-8 at the dash, and an HD-7 at the bow. I may even pull the trigger and spend the extra $600 for the side view option.. it’s pretty cool. Thx for the transducer upgrade advise. I'll DEFINATELY do that too. If I find I'm switching too much between GPS and F-Finder on the HDS-8 at the dash. I'll get another HDS-7 and split the duty later on. Good luck to all on the water and I'll may see some (or all) of you at the seminar this weekend. Again.. can’t thank ya enough for al the advise.. (as a comparison, I posted a similar post on walleye.com and get 2 responses in 3 months)!! YOU GUYS (& GALS) ROCK !!!!

Steve

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[Jack]

For GPS I would look real hard at Garmin they seem to be the leader. I have a 541 I bought last year love it

If you are thinking of a combo unit you may want at least a 7"t0 8" screen the 5" screen is king of small after you split it.

Good Luck !

[Tall Tails]

It was a pleasure talking with you about your new Setup at LOTSA. Nice choice on Riggers for your new ride!

[paskuls]

Thanks to all for your advise and for relating your experiences.. It's all purchased and now I just have to spend some time setting it all up. To satisfy any curiosities I went with:

Hummingbird 1198 SI

Scotty ProPak 1116 36" - 60" Electric Down riggers

Minn Kota Fortrex 101lb thrust - 36V - 62" shaft

Speed Troll 900

Uniden VHF Marine radio w/ Shakespeare 8' antenna

Anglers Pal Rod holders

Big Jon Dual Planer board set up

And.. yes.. when I ordered the boat, I got a 9.9 hp (extended shaft) kicker with the factory rigged controls at the helm

Thx again & Good luck to all

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