Guest Jocool Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 I currently have a Lowrance X65 which has been great to use. It is starting to act up a little bit in that it sometimes doesn't show speed and temps, so I am considering an upgrade. My prelimenary research shows that the above listed units will more than likely be suitable for my application. I realise they are a bit up the tree as far as models go, but I want something decent that will hold its own in deep water situations as I am hoping to go further afield in the not too distant future. I also realise there are some that would advocate the use of sounders that are even higher up the tree, but I need to be realistic. I won't be able to afford some of the more expensive units, so there is no point in kidding myself. Listed next to each unit is the roughly what it will cost here in Australia. Bear in mind that some of these units will need an upgrade on the transducer to give me the deep water capabilities I am after. And some transducers are pricier than others. I haven't discounted buying overseas, but I am hesitant. If I can get a good deal here in OZ, then I will spend here in OZ! Another point for the more knowledable in these matters....Is a Thru-Hull transducer a viable option on a plate alloy trailer boat? Most of the higher powered transducers are NOT available in a transom mount. So if I can't thru-mount, then they will not be a likely candidate. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmac Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 joe most of the good high powered sounders usually have the option in both either transom mounted or thru hull it doesnt make that much difference i am looking at getting the furuno 582l the model up from the 600 u could do a thru hull on a platey but you gotta get it done professionally or you are opening the door to electrolysis at the end of the day it depends where you are going to need it. and i doubt you will need it to pick up bait in 100m of water or trying to pick up harpuka on the canyon floor below! search for some reviews on sounders, when it comes to buying get some yank prices and go to a few tackle shops you will be surprised how a few of them will match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocool Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Pete, I'm happy with B&W, but the 2 exy ones are colour. I chose them beacuse they are in the cheaper side of colour, and offer good usable features. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingy Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 I bought a Humminbird Matrix 67 which includes: 500Watt dual beam transducer (thin and wide beam) (power to go to 1500ft!!) GPS receiver comes with it Plotter and takes MMC cards of any area in the world for easy navigation Speed/Temp Heaps of other little great functionality - however it is only black and white - with really good resolution! In Australia approx $1800 incl GPS receiver In America (shop that uses Ebay) $650AUD DELIVERED!!!! I can gaurantee you you won't come close to matching that price for the functionality! I highly recommend it although you have to buy a seperate MMC card if you want, which I didn't bother and it only reads in Feet and Farenheit which doesn't worry me I know this is not in your list, but thought it was worth mentioning if you want awesome functionality at a crazy price. Let me know if you want the shops name and you can email them for a price or check out ebay if they are listing these at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bluecod Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Joe, I'm not voting on this one as I haven't got enough knowledge on sounders to give you good advice, but this thread may help your decision SOUNDER TEST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocool Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Thanks George. That was a great read. It has helped narrow it down slightly I think. Incidently, for those not too cluey on sounders...check out thatarticle. Some very good tips there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bashir Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Joe you can get a thru hull transducer for most sounders on the market through airmar. They can be fitted to alloy boats, but a properly fitted transom mount for the sounders you have listed should be fine for work up to 200m deep I reckon. I have the sounder that gongfisho has just bought and cant get much deeper than 120m, I have a beaut Simrad colour unit ready to be installed, still tossing up whether I should go for the thru hull or not. I prefer the bigger commercial brands like raymarine, jrc, koden, simrad, furuno - look at any big game or pro boat and you will be hard pressed to find any humminbirds or navman sounders. Oh and the raymarine would be my pick by far - very popular unit and you shouldn't need an upgrade for a very long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 (edited) Joe I had a Matrix 17 on my old boat and regret selling it with the boat. I would certainly buy another but go up to their 25 or 65 model. For many years I always had a Furuno and that would be my first choice. So much of their technology from their commercial units and top end units has filtered down into their more recreational models. Good luck with your purchase Joe. Let us know what you decided. Edited October 5, 2005 by Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hottuna Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 Oh and the raymarine would be my pick by far - very popular unit and you shouldn't need an upgrade for a very long time. 70640[/snapback] My pic too, I HAVE ONE. Joe i`ll have to take you out one day, Alot of fishos are quite impressed at the picture quality of the ds600x. Got it down to 200m at the canyons, on a very rough day Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocool Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 As much as I love the look of the Raymarine, justifying that price is hard. I have also seen the DS500X with the same pixel count and features, just with a smaller screen. So I may consider that also. I have also found out that the Furuno does not do speed, and that is important for me. The Legend unit seems to be a lot of hype going by what I have read recently, so that is of the list. I have had a closer look at the Lowrance, and its looking better as far as features go. Price is good, and it has a 2 year warranty whereas most of the others only have 1. Added to that is that I can get a chartplotter at a good price that will match the looks of the Lowrance so they will look good together. Still researching and taking tips...so fire away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bashir Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 joe the ds400x or 500x is really the same sounder, just different screen sizes. They are 500w, dual frequency, colour, pretty good stuff there They have all the features of big line sounders like the jrc ff50, furuno 582 etc... they just lack a gain control knob, which a lot of people prefer. Another option is the lowrance x107cdf. Some of the guys up in QLD are picking them up for under $900. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefin Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 Joe, Bought a Lowrance x107cdf, having fun getting used to colour after the b&w. but the clarity is excellent! The screen is crystal clear even in direct sunlight! Howard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUSTER 1 Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 Joe I agree with Bluefin I have a Lowrance X107C/DF, the DF stands for duel frequency witch gives a good showing in deep and shalow water the Lorance has high a pixle count witch gives a crystal clear picture even in broad daylight . It also is very user frendly ,once you have seen color you will never go back to black & white .you should be able to pick one up for around the 900 to 950 mark I think they are good value for the money Hope this has helped you a bit, would be glad to give you a demo any time :1welcomeani: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jewel Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 A mate has just upgraded his unit to a LOWRANCE LMS-337. I dont know how the price sits with you Joe but this bit of gear covers all our offshore needs very adequately as well as the insore stuff. It also has the GPS plotter and is very easy to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Pugwash Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Joe, I've just fitted the Lowrance x107cdf and it's sensational compared to the el cheapo hummingbird I had. As others have said the clarity is awesome. Cheers Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTHONY W Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 GDAY JOE JUST JOINED THE SITE BUT WE HAVE MET BEFORE IM BYRONS BROTHER IN LAW WEVE GOT NAVMAN COST OVER $1000 AND PRETTY DISAPOINTED VERY DIIFICULT TO ADJUST AND SEE ON OF MY MATES GOT THE 6100 FURUNO AND ITS AWESOME, BYRON ALSO HAS THE MATRIX 37 AND FOR THE MONEY PRETTY GOOD UNIT THE BOTTOM LINE IS HOW MANY PROS HAVE ANYTHING BUT FURUNO AND KODEN IF YOUVE GOT THE COIN IT WILL HELP THAT ARTICLE SOMEONE GAVE YOU ACESS TO THE OTHER DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD AND I THOUGHT SHOULD REALLY HELP YOU AS IT DID ME PERSONALLY IM LOOKING AT FURUNO GOOD LUCK ITS VERY CONFUSING MARKET Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocool Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Thanks for all the comments and pointers fella's. Looks like I will narrow it down now to just the Lowrance and Furuno. I will see how I go over the next couple of months, as I won't be getting one straight away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefin Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Joe, If you want a look at the lowrance 107 let me know! Howard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out n about Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Furuno is the way to go.. got one from my mates for my 21st a few months ago (so we can catch some lol) haven't tested it but will hopefully this week, but i heard nothing bar good feed back about the uni so i guess Furuno is the way... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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