Post by: THunt on January 04, 2012, 11:04:13 AM
Tyler
Post by: lokidog on January 04, 2012, 11:11:50 AM
Post by: rasbo on January 04, 2012, 11:11:55 AM
Post by: Rick on January 04, 2012, 11:22:15 AM
My current Garmin is much more user friendly as well. You ask anyone that owned both and 99% of the time the Garmin gets the nod for ease of use.
On a different note,I wouldn't own a FF/GPS combo either. If something goes TU,you lose everything.
My vote is for Garmin if you're on a budget and Furuno if you have money to spend.
Post by: THunt on January 04, 2012, 12:32:04 PM
OK I like that Idea just get a seperate unit for gps and then I could just keep the Fishfinder. What model of Garmin should I look at? Budget is max $600. Also do you buy chips for the garmins for different locations?
Thanks Tyler
Post by: cohoho on January 04, 2012, 01:11:05 PM
Fish Finder Lowrance HDS 5, seems to work fine for me. Wish I had the HDS8 though, but for what I use it for it is good..
Post by: lokidog on January 04, 2012, 01:31:34 PM
Post by: rasbo on January 04, 2012, 01:40:35 PM
Rick has a good point but also for the reasoning that if you get a dual use unit, unless the screen is the size of a small laptop, both your nav image and your FF. I have had great luck with Garmin as well. My old handheld gpsIII will lock on faster than my Lowrance while it is tucked behind the Lowrance on the dash.I still carry my backup gps handheld,woodman gave me that good idea...
Post by: robodad on January 04, 2012, 01:53:12 PM
Post by: THunt on January 04, 2012, 02:02:06 PM
Post by: lokidog on January 04, 2012, 02:12:57 PM
Do they make a fixed mount GPS without the sonar? All the ones I looking at seem to be both?
You don't have to use the FF feature but it will be there as a backup if you ever needed it. You could mount the transducer on a board and just clamp it to the transom if ever needed in an emergency.
Post by: THunt on January 04, 2012, 02:52:08 PM
Post by: WCTaxidermy on January 04, 2012, 10:32:15 PM
Ok did a little bit more research. The Garmin 441s is in the right price range. Might be a little small of a screen but all the reviews I have read seem to say good things. Does anyone have this model?thunt, I would recommend that if you feel the screen is a bit small for what you want, then it will be too small for what you want, so keep on doing some research until you find a unit that fits your needs.
If you buy a new Lowrance your old cable will not work. I have a Lowrance HDS-5 and HDS-7 on my boat and have both linked up. They have been bullet proof. The HDS-5 has a a 5 inch screen and I run mine on split screen, FF/GPS when I'm running the boat all the time. The screen is plenty big enough and the clarity is awesome.
You can get the HDS models for a very good price now. I think Cabelas is having a sale on them. You can put chips in them that detail the lakes your fishing on in High Definition. I have never had a problem with the customer service with Lowrance. Was just on the phone with them on Monday getting the spec's on an ice-ducer. Had to wait 2 minutes to talk with a real person. I think the customer service lacked in the past, but they are top notch now.
I have done a ton of research on them and if you have any questions at all feel free to pm me anytime.........John
Post by: fishngamereaper on January 04, 2012, 10:51:53 PM
Have ran Furuno on other boats. Great units but pricey and not very user friendly.
If you buy a new Lowrance your going to want to upgrade your transducer anyway, so re wiring is going to be a must.
Post by: Mossy on January 05, 2012, 07:47:17 AM
Post by: THunt on January 08, 2012, 10:53:06 PM