Fishfinder Reviews

I'm in the market for a new fishfinder... compact and $100 or less.  My Humminbird Piranha 2 crapped out on me during my last sturgeon outing.  It gave me 4 good years of service and took a beating many times.

I am looking at the Humminbird Piranha Max 20...  60/20 dual beam sonar... 240 vertical pixels resolution with true 4-level grayscale... 600 ft depth capability.

I liked my other humminbird with the exception of the following two issues.
1.  cable connections were not waterproof... had to goop them up to preserve the connections after they broke due to corrosion.
2.  moisture occasionally infiltrated behind the screen... causing some intermittent fog in the display.

Anyone have a review or recommendation for a fishfinder?  Pros/Cons/Experiences?

Erik

I have the PiranhaMax 20.  The downsides are the connectors (as you mentioned - proned to corrosion) and the bracket/mount is kinda cheap.

The resolution is fine (though it didn't seem more viewable than the PiranhaMax 10...).  The coverage seems good, though.  I seemed to pick up bait better than single beam units.

I have a Matrix 25 that I got off of eBay for around $100. The only big issue is the water behind the screen, other than that it has performed well. It has a connector for a GPS so you can split screen but I have not gotten around to hooking that up yet.

Erik,

I'm pretty sure I have the piranhamax 10.  Its a single cone, but goes to 600ft.

Got it for $60.  I think it normally goes for $70 or $80.  For the money, I can't complain.

Stuart

Hi Eric,

I got the Piranha 4 (hate it...the connections), got the Humminbird 2000 (OK) but the Matrix 15 (earlier version of the 17) is the best one so far.
Also, went to two 6v batteries because the rechargeable corrode on the contacts.

Erik,

http://www.tcf-humminbird-fish-finders.com/humminbird535.html

 Mike, John and I got the Humminbird 535 / wide screen. I got mine on sale at Sportsmart for $150.00. It's a single beam and goes down to 800 feet.

No complaints from any of us. Moisture problems SOMETIMES - but no big deal at all.

There are no wires that are visible / exposed when it's installed. No connection or corrosion problems at all.    

erik, i bought a small fishfinder from a guy on the other kayak board for $75 and i never installed it.  now i have a bigger one from my boat after upgrading the electronics.  are you interested in the smaller fishfinder?

I might be interested... I've sent you a PM... let's chat offline.

Erik

I had a Matrix 17 on my last yak and it was awesome.  I will be getting another.

Alright... just as an FYI... I broke down and bought an Eagle Fisheasy 240.... $119 at Cabelas.   My wife liked a pair of shoes they had on sale for $19.99, so like a gentleman, I ordered them for her... figured I'd pick up a fishfinder too just to save on shipping.  

It has 1500 Watts peak to peak power, 800 foot range, 60 degree cone, 16-level grayscale and 240 vertical pixels resolution... approximately the size of a pirhana.  Seemed like too many good features to pass up.  

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jhtml?id=0029861017595a&navAction=push&navCount=3&indexId=cat21392&podId=0029861&catalogCode=IF&parentId=&parentType=&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=search&hasJS=true

I'll report on its performance once I get a chance to try it out.

erki, sorry about flaking on you.  i just now remembered.  

so guys, what i have is an old lowrance x51 that i bought from some guy last year for $75.  i had intended on installing it on my kayak, but i now have an old fishfinder that came off my boat.  if any of you guys are interested, call or e-mail me.  it's sitting in a box doing no good for anyone.  make me an offer.  thanks.  alan

If its not spoken for I'll take it Alan, sent you a pm.

Art

art, it's yours.   you've got got a pm.