Garmin FF fails... again!

Last October, I got a replacement head unit for Garmin Striker FF after the original one got moisture inside and died. Today, the replacement unit died, and I believe this is only the 3rd time that I've used it, and none of those were under particularly harsh conditions (OK some water sloshed on it when I was speed-sailing, but the FF is actually up pretty high off the deck and doesn't get that much spray).

I've submitted a complaint to Garmin, but I'm thinking that even if they replace it, I should probably get something else, as this model seems to be completely unreliable. I've always been a huge fan of Garmin, as the first kayak FF I had was a Garmin, and it lasted 10 years with way more abuse than any FF on my AI could ever suffer. I also have an old Garmin fake-GoPro, which IMHO is way better than a real GoPro, and I once had a Garmin handheld GPS that was awesome (it's been resting on the bottom of Lake Oroville for a long time).

Anybody have a FF suggestion? Reliability is my #1 concern, and I don't feel like I need a lot of features. GPS would be nice but, depending on the price/reliability, I might prefer something cheaper without...

That's interesting. I've been using same Striker 4 for 7 years now.

Dang, that's frustrating. Garmin stuff is top notch, and the Striker 4 is usually referred to as a pretty solid unit. Maybe you just got the one made on Friday afternoon?

I've had to do a lot of fixing but my 4cv is still going strong. What is your wiring set up?

I didn't use a fuse and burnt my line, so replaced that. I messed up my battery connection so now I use a sacrificial plug and keep the battery in a dry box so it never has to see the light of day. My head unit kept losing power from the wire moving so now I glued it in and use an all-weather connecter for power.

Next weak link is the transducer cable so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that works for the rest of this season, it has the same issue of becoming unplugged when I kick it and the unit goes back to the main screen until I jostle it.

Ive always wanted to score an old FF unit from some old timer with millions of marks and honeyholes already plotted so maybe search for one of those? LOL

I had a garmin 4 go out, after warranty, garmin told me they could not help me.

I bought a Striker4+...and saw moisture behind the screen after just a few uses.  I've had so many good garmin products over the years, GPS, watches, Cameras, and never an issue.  IMO, their quality control has gone down over the past few years, sad to see.

The first unit that went out, I may have dropped at some point, so willing to except the blame.  This unit has been babied.

IMO, their quality control has gone down over the past few years, sad to see.

Yes, and it is sad to see. I'll never buy another Garmin anything.

IMO, their quality control has gone down over the past few years, sad to see.

Yes, and it is sad to see. I'll never buy another Garmin anything.

I've still got too much built in goodwill from years of good products.  I'm *hoping* they just got slammed by COVID issues (supply/workers/etc).  Though my fear is they're getting eaten up by cheaper competition.

for my current unit, I'm debating.
first, I've started to allow it to thoroughly dry in the house after use - vs cold/damp garage.  And I've not seen the issue repeat...

I'm also considering pulling off the back cover and applying silicon sealant on both sides of the gasket - though this would violate my warranty.  Mine gets very wet, on the water (mainly saltwater) and at home - pressure washer and hose to get the salt off.

I'll keep letting it dry in doors and see how that goes.

I'm also considering pulling off the back cover and applying silicon sealant on both sides of the gasket - though this would violate my warranty. 

I was just going to say, if they do send me a replacement, the first thing I'm going to do is take it apart and use silicone caulk it to get a better seal.

In any case, it seems inexcusable that they can't get it sealed properly. I had Garmin 301c that lasted for 10 years, in spite of regular dunking in the surf zone, like this...

IMO, their quality control has gone down over the past few years, sad to see.

Yes, and it is sad to see. I'll never buy another Garmin anything.

I've still got too much built in goodwill from years of good products.  I'm *hoping* they just got slammed by COVID issues (supply/workers/etc).  Though my fear is they're getting eaten up by cheaper competition.

If this is the case with Garmin, is it the same with the others too? I think this can be said of many manufacturers, across many different industries.  Sad part is, the way things are going with so many major brands going through "optimization" in manufacturing, how do you really know which products are legit and which are not up to snuff?  I am generally on a pretty tight budget for fun stuff, so it's really disappointing to spend money on a supposed gold standard product just to find that it doesn't pass muster in real use.

Good luck with your issue, I hope Garmin helps you out.

I'd say all the FF companies are doing things as cheap as possible at this point and charge as much as possible for GPS mapping.

That's interesting. I've been using same Striker 4 for 7 years now.

I suspect it's a more recent decline in quality/standards. Every Garmin product that I bought prior to this Striker 4 (which I got abut 2 years ago) was, hardware-wise, rock solid.

I do have to say that their software has often been crappy, though. The Garmin camera that I have is particularly bad--it took me a long, long time to figure out the magic incantations that are required to get it to work properly. I suspect that's the main reason why that particular model never sold well. On my Striker 4 (when it worked...), I had to reset it every time I started it, or else my moving speed would not show on-screen.

Someone on NWKA said it best -- FFs on kayaks are maybe best viewed as consumables. Granted, even then they should probably last more than 3 outtings.

I can't really say much in favor of my Lowrance Elite Ti -- the thing gives me mild electric shocks whenever it gets a little wet. The Striker 4 that I got maybe 4 years ago though is still going strong, and I've treated it terribly.

Seems like there is space in the FF market for a kayak-specific device.  I haven't been here that long, and seems like dying FF is a common issue, across the market. 

My least favorite part of my Garmin is that the cables pull out of the back of the device - I would much rather have a solid connection there and a weather resistant quick connect in the middle of the cable.  Seems like a much better situation for a device that gets unplugged and sprayed off after every use.

An external battery is a pain in the butt too - seems like they could make the unit a little bigger and include an internal battery. 

For use on a kayak, seems like more water proofing would be favorable too - a unit on a kayak seems much more likely to take spray than a unit installed on a console on a boat. 

My transducer cable is about 20ft long.  Not really a "problem" per se, but quite excessive for my application.  Could a shorter cable here allow for better battery life? 

I did a bit of research to find my next FF and all I saw was companies pushing bigger units which everyone seems to be fine with buying.  The Garmin Striker  actually has the best cost to features that I could find, but I was looking for something just a little bigger.  Easily double the price just to start looking at anything bigger than it.

I had issues with my first Striker fogging up and occasionally not working. This went on for about a year before it gave up the ghost.  I was going to go with a different brand but found and purchased a Striker Plus that was on sale for $80. Couldn't pass it up. Didn't want to void the warrantee by opening it up so I used RTV to seal the seams and then covered that with Gaffers Tape. No more fogging. It's taken a dunking and several rainy days. Still working perfectly.
Kevin