Thread:

Humminbird In - Dash Depth Finder

I think this is the one I have - the ads says it will read up to 70 mph. I'm lucky if it reads at 20 mph. Anyone else have this unit? If so, what kind of speeds are able to get readings?

Maybe about 37, max.

Any idea where the transducer is likely located? I can't even figure out what it looks like!

Basically with any depth finder, you're screwed if you have a stepped hull unless:

a: It is mounted in front of the first step.
b: you are at idle speed so the steps aren't inducing air bubbles into the running surface yet.

I'm honestly suprised it works as well for you as it does.

At anything more than idle speed, even if you could read the depth, are you really gonna be able to do anything about shallow water at your transom? lol

It's in your bilge somewhere. Which boat, you have four listed?

I'd check right in front of the crankshaft, centered, on any single engine fiberglass boat. Both my Advantage and my Cheetah had it there. The Tahiti was too old, and the Donzi too lame to have a depth sounder, even a minimalist one like that model.

Originally Posted by Havasu Hangin

At anything more than idle speed, even if you could read the depth, are you really gonna be able to do anything about shallow water at your transom? lol

We are planning a trip down the intercoastal water way so with the changing tides I want all the help I can get.

Originally Posted by hkunz

It's in your bilge somewhere. Which boat, you have four listed?

I'd check right in front of the crankshaft, centered, on any single engine fiberglass boat. Both my Advantage and my Cheetah had it there. The Tahiti was too old, and the Donzi too lame to have a depth sounder, even a minimalist one like that model.

The deck boat... I'll look in the morning

Surely it’s a through hull unit. I never really liked those. It may be a mounting flaw too. Unless it is attached with epoxy or silicon very well it will give problems. I had a transom mount, or rather right next to the pad on my V hull... it would pick up great to 45mph. Anything over that and it was toast.

Originally Posted by Wishful Thinking!

We are planning a trip down the intercoastal water way so with the changing tides I want all the help I can get.

If you don't already have one, I'd look hard at a GPS plotter w/map chip. When we did it, the maps had the depths, and frankly, we wouldn't have made some of the cuts and channels without it.

Not exactly Havasu out there...lol. You'll hit a sandbar before your shallow alarm goes off.

Originally Posted by Havasu Hangin

If you don't already have one, I'd look hard at a GPS plotter w/map chip. When we did it, the maps had the depths, and frankly, we wouldn't have made some of the cuts and channels without it.

Not exactly Havasu out there...lol. You'll hit a sandbar before your shallow alarm goes off.

Yeah, we are generally lake people but have been venturing out latley. We are going from Charleston to Savannah and we do have GPS with maps of the entire east coast but being 100 miles from where we left the truck i want every edge I can get.

If you are planning that big a trip, a real chartplotter would probably be a good investment.

These come pre-loaded with either inland or coastal charts, and the suffix "S" indicates it also has a sounder.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&pID=102068

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&pID=102003

I installed the 430S when we got the boat in 07, this is what the install looks like. Seems to work better in shade.