fish finder / GPS / depth / Speed

[redneck joe]

I have a Garmin 531S that of course is several years old now and with my recent battle with the floating 2 x 8 I lost a warrior; my transducer. New one will be ~$75 plus a day worth of work to unhook and install new. So if I'm going to spend a day of work should I get a newer toy?

Anything new out there that is so awesome I can't live without it? IN the less than $500 range and don't need a TV size one. Just one that shows me all in thread title and hopefully more intuitive on the fish settings.

 

[Bayou Dave]

It's a little more than you want to invest but the Garmin 741XS is a great unit. I found one on Ebay for $650.

 

[dingbat]

New one will be ~$75 plus a day worth of work to unhook and install new. So if I'm going to spend a day of work should I get a newer toy?

Getting paid by the hour?.... lol It shouldn't take more than an hour to replace a transducer.

Anyhow, what functions do you what to be more intuitive?

My pet peeve with the new systems are the menu systems. Touch screens help but nowhere near as functional or as convenient as my Furuno that uses knobs and switches to adjust the unit.

Your not missing anything unless your a gadget junky...no idea why anyone would have a need or desire to view the display on their phone....then again, I'm old fashioned. I navigate with a dedicated chart plotter, locate fish with a fish finder and watch movies on a 60" flat screen....lol

Nothing has really changed in the GPS world. Sonar wise, unless you go full blown CHIRP, save your money and just replace the transducer.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Joe, you want to know what is below you and what the depth is up ahead. anything more than that and its information overload. your eyes should be on the water.

 

[redneck joe]

Getting paid by the hour?.... lol It shouldn't take more than an hour to replace a transducer.


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you have never seen my install work. It is brutal to those that come behind me. In this case, it is me...

 

[redneck joe]

Joe, you want to know what is below you and what the depth is up ahead. anything more than that and its information overload. your eyes should be on the water.

Speed on occasion and temp if going to fish or swim but the latter two are not at speed. More looking to see if anything new on the market over the last 5 years that is a game changer that would justify spending more that $75 bucks and a few beers per hour to fix. Read a few things on Al's interweben that suggested there were some game changers.



Plus, if i decide just on the transducer I can buy two, plus the bracket and add to the little boat to share the head unit. But the little boat is prob going to the kid in a year or two but dunno if I want to give up a Garmin to him ...