color fish finders

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trouthater
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2009/05/22 16:55:57 (permalink)

color fish finders

Thinking of upgrading to a color finder and looking at a Lowrance X67C

Does anyone have any input?
#1

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    bluntman
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/22 18:29:20 (permalink)
    Friends dont let friends buy Lowrance products
    #2
    trouthater
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/22 18:53:52 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: bluntman

    Friends dont let friends buy Lowrance products

     
     
    care to elaborate?
    #3
    Trout About
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/23 21:18:18 (permalink)
    This place has a great deal on a couple discontinued Raymarine units. I'm gonna order a 600X on Tuesday.

    http://www.bethel-marine.com/html/specials.html
    #4
    ready2fish
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/25 07:58:43 (permalink)
    I don't understand the Lowrance comment either......
     
    I own 3 color sonar units. One Garmin, 2 Lowrance products. My Lowrance units function perfectly and always have.
     
    Color units will spoil you. Once you learn how to read the graph, you'll be amazed how color can help you tell the difference between hard and soft bottoms, hard of soft objects on the bottom etc......
     
     
    #5
    bluntman
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/25 08:55:28 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: ready2fish

    I don't understand the Lowrance comment either......

    I own 3 color sonar units. One Garmin, 2 Lowrance products. My Lowrance units function perfectly and always have.

    Color units will spoil you. Once you learn how to read the graph, you'll be amazed how color can help you tell the difference between hard and soft bottoms, hard of soft objects on the bottom etc......



     
    hopefully your Lowrance units never need service, if they do, you will understand my comment, after 2k worth of headaches, never again
    #6
    Texcobb99
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/25 10:12:28 (permalink)
    Bluntman - I too have a lowrance color.  It's new, and hasn't needed service yet.  What brand do you recommend and how do they have better service?  I am looking towards the future here, and I value service as much as I value quality and functionality.  Thanks!

    If I would have asked what everyone wanted, they would have responded that they wanted a better horse....Henry Ford
    #7
    Trout About
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/25 11:05:18 (permalink)
    I have a few friends with Lowrance sonars on their boats. The ones that have had no trouble with them, love them. One guy had 2 of them go bad on a NEW Ranger. They were installed by Ranger at the factory. Both had water in them? One was covered under warranty, the other was not. I thought those things were supposed to be waterproof?
    #8
    boatnik13
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/05/25 19:53:04 (permalink)
    Only diffrence I found in ( Lowrance, Humminbird, Garmin ) these depthfinders at the same model level ,  I like the power of Garmin, the easment of program selection of Lowrance and the graphics of Humminbird. I'd take gray scale over color anyday but as technology follows the buyers . it will be a  color depthfinder only in the future. like a $18 wood lure be suppressed by a $ 2.99 plastic lure of same size and more color. the market follows the buyers at the end. I say go with what works best for you! Everyone has a preference and all makes have a lemon or fault. All offer less than 25 month warranty with most giving 12 months. If you ever want to see how poorly  depthfinders can be , try using a underwater cam at the same target and you may never buy a low or medium model again. I've stepped up beyond the 1K prices but I have a cam.  This is just my opinion so no one get mad now.
    #9
    eyesandgillz
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/01 20:19:20 (permalink)
    There's a reason there aren't many Lowrances on saltwater boats.  Just sayin'.  That being said, I have a Hummingbirg Matrix 67 I got on clearance at Gander 2 years ago and for a $450 combe unit that I got for $200, I couldn't be happier.  My parents boat has an Eagle Fish Easy 320 on it and it isn't too bad for Wilhelm or Pymy but, I'd want something better for Erie.
    #10
    AKKingBuster
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/03 08:38:44 (permalink)
    Check out the Raymarine line of products. I just put a DS500X on my Stratos and am still in the learning process, but it is great. There is no problemseeing the colored screen in the sun and it seems to be an all around good fishfinder.
    #11
    Trout About
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/03 11:25:50 (permalink)
    AK, where did you get your 500X?  My 600X arrived yesterday from Bethel Marine.  I installed the unit last night,  but have yet to mount the transducer. Gotta figure a way to mount that monster on my trolling motor.  Ran out of daylight last night.
    #12
    bulldog1
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/03 14:40:56 (permalink)
    I have heard the horror stories about Lowrance, but I've only had good experience with them. They've sent me new transdeucers for no charge, not even shipping, for units that were out of warranty. I wouldn't be afraid of them is all I'll say. I've had Humminbird units in the past and won't in the future. Find what fits your budget and needs and don't look back. You can spend $300 or $3000, they all do basically the same thing, granted some better than others.
    #13
    AKKingBuster
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/04 21:11:16 (permalink)
    Hey Troutabout
    I found my Raymarine 500X at Bass Pro Shop in Harrisburg last October in a clearance bin.  I had never heard of Raymarine so I talked to the two associates working the fishfinder display and they had nothing but good to say about Raymarine.  I picked it up for $200. I have been watching them on Ebay and considering buying another one. I just need to figure out all that the 500 can do and I'll be set.
    #14
    AKKingBuster
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/04 21:15:52 (permalink)
    Be careful with the Hummingbird sideviews, the transducer are only rated for like 30 mph.  I have a friend that has lost two of the off the transom of his Stratos.  A couple phone calls to Hummingbird and they did replace them but also told him that they are  only good to 30 MPH.  Hard to imagine in todays world of technology that a company with as good of a reputation as Hummingbird would be producing such junk. 
    #15
    Carpet Bagger
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/05 10:11:29 (permalink)
    If you want a Lowrance buy an Eagle and save some money...90% of the "professional" boats you see sporting Lowrance products only do so to claim win bonuses for winning tourneys with a certain product stapled to their boat.  Thus promotion...Joe Schmo wins the Walleye tourney and he uses Lowrance so it should be good for me.....They look nice, but on their high end stuff you really could get an even better unit with a proven track record.
     
    For every good story I hear on Lowrance I hear a bad one.  If you have one and like it great I hope you never have a problem with it, but there are alot of bad ones out there.  Lowrance used to have the best customer service in the industry, but it hasnt been the case in the past 2 years.
     
    If you want a good color unit....Raymarine...Furuno (my choice)....Garmin...Si-tex...
     
    Furuno 600 & 582L almost come standard on 50% of the salt boats.  They didnt change this unit for 10 years until about 2 years ago when they introduced the new HD models... 
     
    I love my 600L Furuno.  Either going to move it over to the next boat, or update to one of the new HD Furuno units.
     
    Ive had my 600L for 8 years now.  When I mark fish we catch fish.  Last year I had Furuno update the software.  Cost me $100 including shipping to CA but I had it back in a week.

    CB
    I never thought I'd say this, but I love my Sport-Craft!
    #16
    boatnik13
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/05 20:28:02 (permalink)
    Thats funny ! I just got a new humminbird 798 si and the transduecer bracket is cheap looking and i can see how they aren't made for 30+ mph. My humminbird matrix 47 3D has a more solid bracket. I'm testing the 798 this weekend.
    #17
    muskiemeat
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/06 10:46:00 (permalink)
    humminbird 587 CI awesome GPS

    Fish to live...live to fish


    One Burbot, One Scotch, One Beerg
    #18
    boatnik13
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/06 12:18:51 (permalink)
    Just ran the 798 si  today. What a great unit. At 640 x 640 pixels cramed into a 5" screen with HD is the best pictures I ever seen yet. Even shows the little lakes and I don't have any added maps. The side image is great for them big pictures they advertize like a bridge! but for small 4' X 4' structure you almost need to know what your looking at. We paved the way over known cribs, nesting boxes, trees, ect. Since I make the maps I know the structure in advance and the SI was right on the money but i still need my aqua-vu to guarantee what new structure I'm actualy looking at and you almost need to make up a book of what structure looks like with SI. I'm not sold on color so SI works well with me vs the depthfinder part.
    #19
    woodnickle
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/12 09:02:16 (permalink)
    cb, I used Raymarine 2000,s for years. Had three of them. I really liked those for knowing what I was looking at.
    Worked off the air bladder of the fish. The bigger the bladder the redder the fish. A nice walleye would appear long and a perch
    short. Salmon long and wide. Had some issues with interferance of the loran. A brass screen solved that. If I ever get another outfit,
    that would be my choice.

    #20
    Carpet Bagger
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/06/15 09:37:42 (permalink)
    I havent found too many I like more than Furuno.  Ive had the FCV600L for quite a few seasons now.  Like it so much its being taken off one boat and added to my new one.  Just got the thru-hull ducer for it this week and  I am pretty pumped about it.
     
    Looking forward to getting this boat on the water.
     

    CB
    I never thought I'd say this, but I love my Sport-Craft!
    #21
    mountain-worm
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    RE: color fish finders 2009/07/08 22:08:23 (permalink)
    Go Garmin.
    #22
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