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donziminx86
01-04-2005, 12:16 PM
Hello all,
I am in the market for a good, reasonably priced depth finder. I really want one where the screen is small but that is accurate at speed. Anyone out there happy with their purchase, please let me know.

J

Ranman
01-04-2005, 02:29 PM
I have a Gaffrig (Livorsi now) and it is the best I''ve ever used. It looks identical to the Hummingbird ones, but for some reason this one works well (maybe an exceptional install???). Anyway, the white Livorsis are as nice as anything so that's who I recommend.

No depth finder I've ever seen works well "at speed". Mine is good up to maybe 30mph or so. Beyond that it goes on the fritz.

marcdups
01-04-2005, 02:33 PM
the best luck I have had is with lawrence, in my 16 it would register at any speed shooting thru the hull, I had the puck on the stbd side under the engine, my .02 cents

fasttrucker
01-04-2005, 05:08 PM
They dont work going fast in a donzi.I had a video fishfinder/depth.That worked well on my old fishing boat.The boat was heavy and had a flybridge.

Dr. Dan
01-04-2005, 07:53 PM
:biggrin.: I had a Hummingbird with an external puck...it was great unless ya aerate the puck.....otherwise it worked fine.

This year I changed the head unit to a Livorsi to match the New Gauge Pack....still works great...this year I will be pulling the Puck and shooting thru the Hull ...from the Bilge....

Doc

cigarette30
01-04-2005, 09:49 PM
Guys,

Respectively your having better luck than me, after 2 factory installed depthfinders on the Donzi's, one Sonic, and the Cigarette ...... none work under 3' (when they are needed, and at slow speed) or at over 35-40 mph. The last Donzi, has the Merc. Smartcraft with depth, still no luck.

Dr. Dan
01-04-2005, 09:57 PM
:shades: That Sucks...Cig.... I find these at either West Marine or www.skilimited.com which amazingly has very competive pricing on Fenders,Depth Finders, Stereo Plastic Splash Gaurds and other small equipt.

Good Luck

Doc of the Bay

PS Mine works at any depth....

RedDog
01-04-2005, 11:14 PM
Any of the in-dash digitals will be fine unless you have a fish-boat and are looking for bottom detail.

http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=360010

That said, I would like the lowrance 68C w/GPS- http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=13108287

Magicallbill
01-05-2005, 04:26 AM
When I bought my Scorpion,the guys in service told me ahead of time that my factory sounder would probably only work part-time,and not at planing speeds.


......They were right.

Somebody ask Kraven if his sounder on his Scorp works;heck up in the North end of St Clair you'd need it.
Back when I had my Grady-White, I had an old Humminbird LCR3004(1986 or so) that worked at all speeds all the time. It had an outside-mounted transducer,but that combo would not add anything to the Donzi Classic "Vibe".

Last Tango
01-05-2005, 09:26 AM
When I first took delivery of my C18 in Sept 2000, the factory installed depthsounder seemed to work just fine unless you aired the hull. It would always take a minute or two to recover from being "lifted" of of the water (internal hull-mounted puck).
These days, it doesn't read in shallow water (gooey muddy bottom is typical) but I expected that. It is also a bit on again off again as to whether it will work while running. Rough water will definitely mess it up at the sensor.
Actually I'm relieved to see this thread, because now I know that for better or worse, my depthsounder seems to be "normal."

MOP
01-05-2005, 10:24 AM
Putting the puck inside the hull takes a little experimentation, we found one of the best ways to locate a good section of hull was to put the puck in a thin plastic bag filled with water. We would take the out into fairly deep water about 80 feet stop and drift then move the puck around until it got a good solid reading. All hulls have some imperfections bubbles what ever, the puck needs good solid glass to read correctly. Most transom pucks can be made to read pretty darn good, I proved this to a friend just last fall. He has a Whaler which the dealer gave up on, the puck was mounted with a small gap between it and the hull and flat with the hull. The leading edge must be tight to the hull with the back end slightly canted downward just a few degrees to maintain pressure on the face, I blend the forward edge of the puck into the hull with a tiny bit of silicone to get clean smooth water flow. His Whaler does 47 GPS and does not loose the depth reading. If you look a most installs the puck is flat with the hull with a gap N/G!

Phil