fish finder help

Questions new members commonly ask e.g. Which kayak should I buy?
Toady king
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fish finder help

Post by Toady king »

hey guys, I'm interested in getting a fish finder, but I don't know how much money I should set aside/save up to.
so I've looked at the lowrance fish finders and they seem great, but it looks like it needs a battery and recharger etc and that's where I get lost.
so what sort of stuff do I need to factor in ? I've got a budget of $200 but after looking around it feels like that my budget is just way too low
a quick fish can be between 1-8 hours
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cheaterparts
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Re: fish finder help

Post by cheaterparts »

there are good options in your price range - I use as older lowrance elite 4x hdi ( an earlier vertion of what they call a Hook 4x today ) these have down scan as well as the normal sounder but no GPS cartplotter and cost just short of $200 in most places

you will need a battery and there are options in lead sealed you can find a few different things ( I use 7.2 ah battery atm ) but will down size to a 4 ah soon as they are a kg lighter and my sounder doesn't pull a lot of current which you can find on Ebay for under 30 bucks delivered

as for a charger again there are options but a small 12 v charger doesn't cost the earth ether

I use this model myself http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Projecta-AC2 ... Sw2gxYyK9k

there maybe other basic sounders cheaper or you may find better prices but these work fine
My kayak PBs
Gummy shark 128 Cm -- Elephant fish 85 Cm -- Snapper 91 Cm -- KG Whiting 49 Cm -- Flathead 55 Cm -- Garfish 47 Cm --Long tail Tuna 86 cm -- Silver Trevally 40 Cm -- Cobia 117 Cm -- snook 53 Cm -- Couta 71 Cm -- Squid 44 hood length


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Toady king
The force is strong in this one
Posts: 86
Joined: 04 Jun 2017, 20:49
kayak: Waterdance Kingfisher
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Location: Western Port

Re: fish finder help

Post by Toady king »

cheaterparts wrote:there are good options in your price range - I use as older lowrance elite 4x hdi ( an earlier vertion of what they call a Hook 4x today ) these have down scan as well as the normal sounder but no GPS cartplotter and cost just short of $200 in most places

you will need a battery and there are options in lead sealed you can find a few different things ( I use 7.2 ah battery atm ) but will down size to a 4 ah soon as they are a kg lighter and my sounder doesn't pull a lot of current which you can find on Ebay for under 30 bucks delivered

as for a charger again there are options but a small 12 v charger doesn't cost the earth ether

I use this model myself http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Projecta-AC2 ... Sw2gxYyK9k

there maybe other basic sounders cheaper or you may find better prices but these work fine
hey cheater, thanks but I meant $200 in total haha my mistake. with batties do they need to be in a case to protect it from water ?
a quick fish can be between 1-8 hours
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cheaterparts
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Re: fish finder help

Post by cheaterparts »

Toady king wrote: hey cheater, thanks but I meant $200 in total haha my mistake. with batties do they need to be in a case to protect it from water ?
some guys do I don't bother and never have - sealed lead are pretty fool proof I do put grease on the terminals and tape over them more to stop them corroding but thats it

make sure you use an inline fuse and any wiring try to use tinned copper wire - normal copper wire will rot out pretty quick
My kayak PBs
Gummy shark 128 Cm -- Elephant fish 85 Cm -- Snapper 91 Cm -- KG Whiting 49 Cm -- Flathead 55 Cm -- Garfish 47 Cm --Long tail Tuna 86 cm -- Silver Trevally 40 Cm -- Cobia 117 Cm -- snook 53 Cm -- Couta 71 Cm -- Squid 44 hood length


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laneends
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Re: fish finder help

Post by laneends »

More to protect the fuse holder terminals from corroding, and stop the battery from sliding around. Would suggest you use a water proof connector and soldering on spade connectors to battery terminals. Disconnecting spades can just fail on you one day. make a matching plug for the charger connection.
Toady king
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kayak: Waterdance Kingfisher
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Location: Western Port

Re: fish finder help

Post by Toady king »

cheaterparts wrote:
Toady king wrote: hey cheater, thanks but I meant $200 in total haha my mistake. with batties do they need to be in a case to protect it from water ?
some guys do I don't bother and never have - sealed lead are pretty fool proof I do put grease on the terminals and tape over them more to stop them corroding but thats it

make sure you use an inline fuse and any wiring try to use tinned copper wire - normal copper wire will rot out pretty quick
so just like duct you mean?
a quick fish can be between 1-8 hours
Fish aholic
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Re: fish finder help

Post by Fish aholic »

Hey Zac, you might have to settle for a lowrance hook3 for $150 and a 7.2amp/6amp for about30 bucks at jcar and then go to cash converters for a charger, that should get you close.
Mr Tangle
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Re: fish finder help

Post by Mr Tangle »

you can get the garmin striker 4 at ebay or bcf for only 165 $ they have a good review on the forum (ask jordo)
i will get one for myself sometime this week :yahoo: :thumbsup:
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shane
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Re: fish finder help

Post by shane »

The Striker 4 is a great option for you in that price range. In Lowrance you will only get a hook3 or 4x that doesn't include GPS. The Hook4 doesn't have full maps but it has GPS and waypoints and basic tracking. These are features you will soon find essential. Garmin also has a good sounder image thats easy to read.

Allow around $45 for an SLA battery and basic wiring and you'll be set.
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Toady king
The force is strong in this one
Posts: 86
Joined: 04 Jun 2017, 20:49
kayak: Waterdance Kingfisher
Real Name: Zak
Location: Western Port

Re: fish finder help

Post by Toady king »

hey guys, speaking of coincidence, I found someone selling a Garmin echo 300c locally that includes the battery (needs charging) and everything else and I am going to check it out. and it's in my price range
a quick fish can be between 1-8 hours
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