NJ Saltwater Fisherman Forums
General Forum => Product Reviews => Topic started by: Luna Sea 5 on February 15, 2010, 05:58:01 AM
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I was always partial to the Garmin.
What is your choice?
Make and Model number?
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I have had several Sitex and they were all fine. Last year I bought a Raymarine C80 and it is unbeliveable compared to the old sitex. Maybe becuase it is digital instead of analog? I have heard a number of mixed reviews on the side scan models when used in the ocean with the negatives taking the lead. The transducer and its moounting are key to getting to top performance.
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I love my RM C120 same as the 80 but 12"
I think Raymarine is a step above Garmin
(http://boatingcampingandmore.com/store/images/uploads/Electronics/c120.gif)
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does raymarine just make a fish finder.. most of what I see are fishfinder/chartplotters..
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I've had good luck with Garmins the past few years. I have a fish finder and GPS. Both are 7 years old and I'm sure are not made anymore.
I was thinking of upgrading to a color FF and GPS all in one unit.
Before the Garmin, I had a Lowrance FF which was a POS.
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rod.. very nice unit.. I was looking at that. The boat comes with a GPS already and was only looking for a FF.. Maybe I will have to get the combo.. I was looking at the Eagles and they seen nice.
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You mean somebody other than Furuno makes fish finders ;D....
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I have the same unit as Rod and Sea Life. Mine is the C80 = 8" screen. Nice unit, not bad to have two GPS units if you go that route, use one as a back up or use the combo full screen for the depth finder until you need the chartplotter/gps aspect of it.
If you are interested in a stand alone fish finder I have the Furuno 585. The 620 is the same unit but with a smaller screen. That is the main difference between the two except that the 585 will take a 1000w transducer whereas the 620 will handle the 600w. Unless you are fishing the canyons you won't need the 1000w transducer. I have the 600w and it works just fine. I would highly recommend the Furuno for a stand alone.
Any unit you get, as long as it is one of the better known companies, will be a decent unit. Every one will have their own opinion and will usually lean toward the make that they have.
I personally would stay away from the eagle. Seems to be more for fresh water use. But that is only my opinion.
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Garmin 545s FF/ChartplotterGPS. great unit. even better when i got the chip.
BassnBlues, fan of garmin myself....give a good glance over at newer garmin / raymarine units.
Rod, your right stating that raymarine is a step above garmin but just one of those things...
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rod.. very nice unit.. I was looking at that. The boat comes with a GPS already and was only looking for a FF.. Maybe I will have to get the combo.. I was looking at the Eagles and they seen nice.
I would stay away from Eagle, their link with Lowrance. Do a search on Lowrance and you'll see people have a lot of bad things to say about some of the products and their customer service. I can't complain about my Lowrance 7200C Chartplotter, I guess its one of there better models or I just got lucky.
I like Furuno finders, yes they cost more but I think their worth it, and yes sometimes you might run into a problem with a unit but just call them up and they'll take care of you, fantastic customer service. I just sold by boat this year with a Furuno 667 that I purchase back in 1998 and it still worked fine. I now have the Furuno 585 and love it. The 585 is just a fishfinder and if that unit is too big for you look at the 620 its a little smaller.
Give Matt a call at Task Marine, he's a sponsor here and will give you a good price on whatever you decide to purchase.
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I checked with my Raymarine Dist. and do not see a stand alone bottom machine. You can take pretty much any one of their displays and just use it for a bottom machine only. Pick your Display and your Ducer along with the Digital Sounder Module.
I tend to shy away from Lowrance Products due to there unreliable time frames for delivery of product, parts and service.
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too bad the negativity with the Lowrance.. i kinda like this one..
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Marine/HDS-High-Definition-System/HDS-7m-Multifunction-GPS-Chartplotter/
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too bad the negativity with the Lowrance.. i kinda like this one..
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Marine/HDS-High-Definition-System/HDS-7m-Multifunction-GPS-Chartplotter/
I installed the 8in. one, nice looking unit but number one thing with Lowrance is customer service is horrible. Those units are pricey and if something goes wrong you don't want to get jerk around. You won't have that problem with Furuno and I think Garmin customer service is good too.
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You mean somebody other than Furuno makes fish finders ;D....
whs
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This looks like a nice and not too pricey unit:
http://www.raymarine.com/ProductDetail.aspx?SITE=1&SECTION=2&PAGE=1863&PRODUCT=4204
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Nick, I have the Raymarine on the Scout as well.. We went with the E-series due to its network capabilities which makes my ultra-geek bro Rob get all warm and fuzzy.. ;D I also like the idea of being able to add a display,, as the helm only had room for the 8" and I'm displaying FF/ GPS /Radar all on same unit.. But still haven't added anything, so if i had it to do again, I would likely go with a C-series.. Thant being said, I would not be afraid of Lowrance if ya see one you like.. I have an older Lowrance( LMS 350) on my tin boat.. I've owned Lowrance machines for over 25 years now, and sold them for many years as well.. and I must say, I have had no bad experiences with their service.. I had an X_60 on my old Grumman that lasted 10-12 years and my current LMS is now 7-8, again no issues..and performance/detail is great.. I did have an issue with a combo unit I bought to replace the X-60, but they dealt with it just fine, sending replacements very quickly.. My experiences as a dealer ( of course, this is back a few years now ) where equally positive. The biggest complaint i have with them, is the same with most electronics companies.. They change models frequently, and don't maintain parts availability long enough.. But like other said.. they are a lot of good machines out there..I envy you Nick.. buying a boat and setting her up may be more fun than actually owning it ! TT^ Have fun chrz
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I had problems with a Lowrance unit but I will say that the customer service was good. I was able to speak to a real person and when I sent it back, they were pretty quick in getting it back to me. This was about 8 yrs ago.
I'm willing to accept that I got a lemon and wouldn't have a problem buying another Lowrance if I really liked it. They seem to be popular and other people seem to like them...
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This looks like a nice and not too pricey unit:
http://www.raymarine.com/ProductDetail.aspx?SITE=1&SECTION=2&PAGE=1863&PRODUCT=4204
this is a real nice unit
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Garmin 4212
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SIMRAD
ALL THE BEST BELLS AND WHISTLES
check it out
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Furuno FCV 585
But I am partial to Furuno..
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All the top brands make great fishfinders... the panoptix by Garmin is pretty nice.
I just received the Raymarine Axiom from a good friend as a birthday gift... hell of a fishfinder with the RealVision 3D chirp xducer: https://citimarinestore.com/en/raymarine-mfd-chartplotters-gps/5821-axiom-mfd.html
The pro version was just released, not sure what improvements it brought, but I'm real happy with the axiom.