Anyone try the newer 3d sonars like Raymarine RealVision

[vetting]

Anyone try the newer 3d sonars like Raymarine RealVision?  Looking to maybe add a new toy to the boat this year, so was thinking about adding additional sonar.  

[Rookie Fisherman]

I Have the Raymarine Axioms w/RV-100 Transducer. Very happy with it. Honestly I probably don't utilize the RV enough and find myself on 2D most of the time, old habits die hard I guess. 

Lots of You tube videos demonstrating the features & functions

 

[vetting]

If I pulled the trigger, I think I would go with the hull mount.  Then you have the choice to make to install the 1 ducer or the double.  

[mxwarren]

One thing to help out on the Real vision. By default fish are color coded by depth. So you don't know if you are looking at bait or larger fish. To fix this go into preferences and go to "Color targets by". Switch it from "Depth" to "intensity". Now bait will display as blue, and larger fish will display as red. Works great on Erie, haven't used it on Ontario yet. In the 350mhz mode it will work to around 300ft.

[vetting]

Anyone else start running realvision 3d since I originally posted?

[PD Buoy]

Hey Mike, how's it going? I have bought the latest Raymarine Element  HD12 inch screen, hasn't been installed yet. I feel I need new technology and better capabilities.......Pete

[skinny420]

I don't have any of the live sonars and they look amazing especially for ice fishing but for the price I just can't bite the bullet. I would like some feedback from anyone who has them that thinks there worth the money for someone who only trolls. I'm really thinking I would be better off upgrading my side imaging. If I can mark bait balls and pods of fish to the side and mark them with waypoints it would be more productive on the tough days to add a fish or to as apposed to live imaging where I'd really only see the fish in my spread. When the fishing is good it don't really matter what you got, when your searching for every bite being able to see off to the side has been good for me, just need a bigger better unit. Yankee troller probably has everything in there boat or seen it on the many boats they've done at krenzers marine and I'd pm them and ask there opinion before I dropped the coin on something that much. There opinion means more to me than my own opinion. They are the ones to beat.

[vetting]

4 hours ago, PD Buoy said:

Hey Mike, how's it going? I have bought the latest Raymarine Element  HD12 inch screen, hasn't been installed yet. I feel I need new technology and better capabilities.......Pete

Yeah its been forever.  I've been slacking with posting here and despite having a slip on Lake Michigan, I only took maybe 10 trips a year besides our big 10 day tournament.  Had some family health stuff going on with my parents so just didnt have the time to fish.  Then I lost my first mate (my fish barking dog) so just havent been as into it as before.  This year I'm going to get back into it and hit it hard no matter what the dock gas prices are.  

 

 

 

[vetting]

3 hours ago, skinny420 said:

I don't have any of the live sonars and they look amazing especially for ice fishing but for the price I just can't bite the bullet. I would like some feedback from anyone who has them that thinks there worth the money for someone who only trolls. I'm really thinking I would be better off upgrading my side imaging. If I can mark bait balls and pods of fish to the side and mark them with waypoints it would be more productive on the tough days to add a fish or to as apposed to live imaging where I'd really only see the fish in my spread. When the fishing is good it don't really matter what you got, when your searching for every bite being able to see off to the side has been good for me, just need a bigger better unit. Yankee troller probably has everything in there boat or seen it on the many boats they've done at krenzers marine and I'd pm them and ask there opinion before I dropped the coin on something that much. There opinion means more to me than my own opinion. They are the ones to beat.

 

I've heard side imaging isnt that useful for salmon fishing, but if you combine high chirp and the 3d stuff you can mark potential starting points to setup.  Plus it would just be nice to know what the heck is going on when you mark fish on a traditional sonar.  Right now I have an A series MFD running a standard non chirp thru-hull ducer.  I'd keep that one for traditional sonar and to network with my raymaine autopilot.  Then I'd get Element or Axiom and run it with the RV-100 transom mount ducer for all of the fancy sonar.  @Yankee Troller have any input? 

[PD Buoy]

9 hours ago, vetting said:

Yeah its been forever.  I've been slacking with posting here and despite having a slip on Lake Michigan, I only took maybe 10 trips a year besides our big 10 day tournament.  Had some family health stuff going on with my parents so just didnt have the time to fish.  Then I lost my first mate (my fish barking dog) so just havent been as into it as before.  This year I'm going to get back into it and hit it hard no matter what the dock gas prices are.  

 

 

 

Yeah same here Covid has been a blessing and a curse, bought a beautiful home on the Eastern shore of Lake Ontario and hoping to sell my business in the next 6-12 months and do what I've dreamed of doing for as long as possible. Hope this year is as good as 2018. On Lake O. it was nothing short of incredible!!!

[Yankee Troller]

9 hours ago, vetting said:

 

I've heard side imaging isnt that useful for salmon fishing, but if you combine high chirp and the 3d stuff you can mark potential starting points to setup.  Plus it would just be nice to know what the heck is going on when you mark fish on a traditional sonar.  Right now I have an A series MFD running a standard non chirp thru-hull ducer.  I'd keep that one for traditional sonar and to network with my raymaine autopilot.  Then I'd get Element or Axiom and run it with the RV-100 transom mount ducer for all of the fancy sonar.  @Yankee Troller have any input? 

 

Sorry, I'm not a Raymarine guy. Not many guys using that brand anymore that I know of. All the different types of sonar have their place on the Lake, but most people don't get out enough to understand when to use each. Traditional sonar is enough for 80% of the people out there. CHIRP is not recommended due to its narrow cone angles and price. People have enough trouble understanding/tunning traditional sonar. When you get into side/down imaging and live sonar they get much more complicated and require more settings adjustments. Most people don't have the time to dedicate to that.

[Zinger11]

I run the Raymarine Axiom on both my boats and have them tied to my autopilot. The main reason I bought them was not for the 3D though it's pretty cool

Sent from my SM-G970U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[vetting]

22 hours ago, Zinger11 said:

I run the Raymarine Axiom on both my boats and have them tied to my autopilot. The main reason I bought them was not for the 3D though it's pretty cool

Sent from my SM-G970U using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

@Zinger11 do you run the transom mount ducer?

[Zinger11]

36 minutes ago, vetting said:

@Zinger11 do you run the transom mount ducer?

Yes, if I have any issues with the set up is when I run a split screen with sonar and 3d I will mark fish in sonar directly under the boat that don't show up in the 3D screen

[vetting]

Well I pulled the trigger on RAYMARINE–Axiom 9 RV Multifunction Display with North America LightHouse Charts.  Got the unit for $899 with my West discount.  Now just shopping for the transom mount ducer.  So I'll be running an Raymarine A77 to run autopilot/chartplotter and  through hull traditional sonar.  Then use the Axiom with the RV-100 transom mount for 3d and high def chirp.  

[Rookie Fisherman]

They didnt have one bundled with the RV100? Usually cheaper to buy that way.

[vetting]

6 minutes ago, Rookie Fisherman said:

They didnt have one bundled with the RV100? Usually cheaper to buy that way.

Anything without charts and ducer starts at around $1600.  I got the display for 899 out the door.  So for some reason it was more economical to buy them separate.  

Edited April 13, 2022 by vetting

[vetting]

I should be able to snag a RV-100 for around $300 to $325 - so it will be around $1200 for a complete unit and will include lighthouse charts that would normally be another $150.

[vetting]

Just snagged the RV-100 for $280.  So total of $1179 + tax.  

[Rookie Fisherman]

Nice!

[Rookie Fisherman]

Yeah its weird sometime. BPS just had a sale on Garmin and it was actually cheaper to buy with their transducer. Go figure