Mission: Install Charplotter/Fishfinder/GPS for around $500

[Summers420us]

I have a mission to install Charplotter/Fishfinder/GPS for around $500. I prefer a shoot through hull transducer to keep profile, holes in the boat, and wires to a minimum. I am no professional fisherman, so fish finder is not the most important thing to me. Chartplotter, GPS, and depth are my main concerns. I boat around Tampa, lakes, bay, inter-coastal, and gulf.

Being that I am new to boating and new to the area, I thought I might tap into your knowledge.

What would you purchase and install?

I am leaning towards this, because I have seen others install the transducer in a shoot through hull configuration:

Lowrance Hook 7 & HDI 83/200 & 455/800khz Skimmer Transducer
http://fishfindersadvisor.com/hook-7/​

or maybe one of these (not sure about transducer)

Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Sonar GPS

Garmin echoMAP 73sv​

or is there a better option?

 

[robert843]

I know West Marine has the Garmin echomap 74DV and the Raymarine Dragonfly 7 pro on sale on black friday for $399 each

 

[Bruce]

Black Friday deals are coming soon.

The least expensive option will be to use a transom mount transducer. All other configurations get expensive quickly. Epoxying the transom mount transducer inside the hull is a possibility but you will need to find out from a 190 owner where they did somand how it worked.

 

[swatski]

@Summers420us I'm watching!
I noticed some concerns with the Lowrance GPS mapping speed in the review you linked to the Low H7, that would be a big issue for me.

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[swatski]

Black Friday deals are coming soon.

The least expensive option will be to use a transom mount transducer. All other configurations get expensive quickly. Epoxying the transom mount transducer inside the hull is a possibility but you will need to find out from a 190 owner where they did somand how it worked.

@Bruce is right on! There is a thread by @Leojay on a through-hull transducer install in a 190, which several members followed (myself included) w/ perfect results, location inside the hull being (one of the) key factors.

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[Summers420us]

@Bruce is right on! There is a thread by @Leojay on a through-hull transducer install in a 190, which several members followed (myself included) w/ perfect results, location inside the hull being (one of the) key factors.

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Yep, I think I got the mounting of the transducer sorted, and I have read you can test your results by placing transducer on a bag of water in the location you plan to apoxy it.

Bigger question is which Charplotter/Fishfinder/GPS to get....

 

[Bruce]

Bigger question is which Charplotter/Fishfinder/GPS to get....

I have the original Dragonfly. It has served us well for three summers.

If I were shopping in 2016 instead of 2013 I think I would have bought a Simrad Go instead.

Unless you are fishing there is little need for a large screen.

Touchscreen would be a nice feature. The Dragonflys joystick control works in all conditions but is an inefficient control.

The biggest issue is what maps come with it. Any package than comes with a year of Navionics "Updates" willl allow you to download charts for where you boat. After the first year you may choose to pay $100 a year for updated charts. If the charts you need are not included you can easily spend hundreds to buy them separately.

 

[Summers420us]

I know West Marine has the Garmin echomap 74DV and the Raymarine Dragonfly 7 pro on sale on black friday for $399 each

Is this in store only? I am not able to find their black friday deals.... where did you find that? Link?

 

[robert843]

Is this in store only? I am not able to find their black friday deals.... where did you find that? Link?

Wow I just looked and can not find the add anywhere online either which is strange. They physical mailed me their add. Below are some pics of the two mention gps from the add there are a few other gps units on there as well. It does online and in store on it.

 

[2nazt]

I would go play at store and see what OS you like and what map package you like. I planed on the Simrad GO series because I like them. But my new to me boat had a Garmin so no money needs to be spent. Wait for Black Friday or cyber Monday with a place like thegpsstore. They have good prices to begin with.

 

[Mainah]

Clean unobtrusive mounting locations for the display are limited on the newer 24 footers and I would guess the same for all of the models. I am planning on installing a Simrad go7xse at some point as it suits well to an in dash install.

My plan is to remove the dash hood and modify for enough height (about an inch is needed) for a new dash panel that will house the simrad display where the tachs are now new to the connext screen. The tachs will be in angled recesses in the top of the dash hood. To do this I plan to make a carbon fiber laminated dash panel to hold everything and rebuild what ever I have to cut on the dash hood to match the panel and meld into the remaing hood. A final carbon fiber laminate on all of it to make it look better than factory.

Just throwing that out there in case someone can make use of the idea. I plan to use my airless sprayer as the vacum pump and space bags for the outer bag so I don't need to buy too much equipment for my first carbon fiber project. Don't know when I will get to it but something I really want to do.

 

[robert843]

Those Simrads look pretty cool. Do the have the auto charting feature like the gamins do with the vision card? I have figured out how to do an auto chart on my navioncs phone app and up load the charted route to my garmin but would be nice to save the steps required to do so.

 

[WTScott]

Really pleased with my Lowrance Elite 7 Ti after moving from 5 HDI. It is very similar to go7 with a little different mount. I REALLY like the touch screen option - simplifies operation by an order of magnitude.

 

[Summers420us]

Really pleased with my Lowrance Elite 7 Ti after moving from 5 HDI. It is very similar to go7 with a little different mount. I REALLY like the touch screen option - simplifies operation by an order of magnitude.

Which Transducer are you using?

 

[WTScott]

I got the totalscan transducer and externally mounted to the ride plate. It sounds like the standard transducer for you mounted as thru hull would be ideal. Totalscan can not be mounted thru hull option.

 

[2nazt]

Those Simrads look pretty cool. Do the have the auto charting feature like the gamins do with the vision card? I have figured out how to do an auto chart on my navioncs phone app and up load the charted route to my garmin but would be nice to save the steps required to do so.

Off topic but I'm not sure, but I just read my manual for my Garmin and interested to try the auto-route feature. I'm going to update maps and software though just to be safer and supplement my backup navigation.

 

[robert843]

Off topic but I'm not sure, but I just read my manual for my Garmin and interested to try the auto-route feature. I'm going to update maps and software though just to be safer and supplement my backup navigation.

the auto route feature is awesome

 

[swatski]

Off topic but I'm not sure, but I just read my manual for my Garmin and interested to try the auto-route feature. I'm going to update maps and software though just to be safer and supplement my backup navigation.

the auto route feature is awesome

So - what does auto-route feature do?
Do you guys have an opinion on how well does Garmin mapping work on the rivers?

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[robert843]

So - what does auto-route feature do?
Do you guys have an opinion on how well does Garmin mapping work on the rivers?

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With most chart plotter when charting you have to literally map each individual point on your route or if you do a straight line route it will just route dirrect it doesn't matter if its across land or what. The auto routing feature on Garmin you select a starting point and a ending point and it will automatically route your safest route. This saves a ton of time and work on routing tight routes. Below is a good video example of it explained.

 

[swatski]

@robert843 That is pretty cool. Especially if they make updated maps available w/river hazards, and I mean major rivers such as Alton pool of the Mississippi, with all the wing dams and rock dikes.

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