Seaworthiness of modern fishfinders (and opinions on size)

Hi all -

I'm looking for a sonar/chartplotter combo and am pretty close to pulling the trigger on one. Not really looking for DI or SI as I'll be using it equally in fresh and saltwater. I have a couple of questions which I would appreciate opinions on.
1. How damaging is salt water to the head unit? I'm trying to decide if I should go for a nicer/larger/more expensive unit or get the cheapest one that has the features I want. Other than rinsing it after every trip, is there something else I should be doing for general care and maintenance?
2. I'll be mounting the head unit in the sonar shield of my Trident 13. Is the 3.5" screen size sufficient for split screen mode while seated normally? I'm wondering if saving the $200 or so by going with the 3.5" models and getting a map upgrade is a better idea than going for the 5" models.

Thanks in advance,
  elgoog

I've only had 2 FFs, both with GPS, second one I opted for the 5" Color HD screen, (yes it's worth it).

Both FFs have taken the Salt Saturation of Yak use without any problems,  make sure you use dielectric greas on all connections and AVOID getting saltwater on the connections.  Fresh water spray off after each trip and I've had no problems.

Do you put the dielectric grease on after you've plugged in the connectors? In case I remove the head unit during transportation and storage, would I need to re-apply some grease every time I plug it in?

Thanks.

I would go with the all in one gps/color/sonar. here is a picture of my 385ci:



and here is a pic of my 525 head



i've dunked these in salt water and it should be a problem if you rinse them off with fresh water when you're done kayaking. Also put dielectric gel on the connectors

if i were to buy it all over again i would go lowrance because of how tiny those damn fish finders are and you can always mod the transducer into your scupper hole

yep just put a blob of grease in the connector hole. I had a B&W and then upgraded to a color combo unit. I dont always use/reference the gps but its great to have. Color is a really great thing for freshwater...

EWB - Just to clarify, you put the dielectric grease inside the connector hole and on the pins? Wikipedia says dielectric grease is an insulator and I'm wondering if that interferes with the working.

fishcomb - Thanks for the POV photo of the 385ci. Looks like the split screen view on 3.5" screen might be a little hard to see clearly from the paddling position? I think a 5" head unit, like Dale mentioned, might be worth the extra $$.

I do like the idea of the scupper mount transducer that Humminbird has but am in no way attached to it. The Lowrance Elite 5 is about $120 cheaper than the Humminbird 597ci HD combo as well. I can do the water bath in duct seal method and if I really really need super accurate water temps for freshwater, I can probably get a side mount arm or something.
Has the Humminbird scupper mount transducer been tried with a Lowrance unit? Just curious.

H-Bird transducers don't work with the Lowrance units.  I'd advise to go with the 5", if it is within your budget just for the screen size.  A neat feature that most don't know about with the Lowrance Elite series is the ability to mark a GPS position FROM your fishfinder screen (so no need to have the screen split when you are on your fishing grounds; as well as scroll back to areas you went over & still mark THOSE spots too...).  It's called Trackback.

As for the Dielectric, I place some in the un-used port on the back of the unit & place a cap over it.  The electrical/transducer plug gets a little shot of the stuff & then plug it in.  I add a little once in a while as needed.

~Bill

yep just a small pea size in the connector hole then push the plug in. Never had an issue with the unit or any corrosion.

if i had extra cash laying around i would get a 5" too

try this diy scupper mount

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=44349.msg489979#msg489979

Thanks to all for the feedback. Leaning towards the Lowrance Elite 5 right now because of the cost difference from the 597ci.
I'm finding pricing online is a little odd for the Elite 5. Lowrance website has the MSRP as $379 for the base unit and $569 for Gold but the base is frequently being seen for $450 and up - not really sure what's up with that. West Marine has a deal for the Elite 5 Gold at $399 which is probably what I might end up getting.
Some Amazon reviews are indicating that the Lowrance base maps are better and more user friendly that the Navionics Gold - if I get the Elite 5 Gold, can I just remove the Navionics chip to get the base map? Or is there a separate chip that has the Lowrance base maps?

You can choose what maps you want to use at any particular time, including anything you may load up yourself. It's funny I often switch to the base maps for salt and Nav maps for lake stuff. Great price for an E5 gold.

You can choose what maps you want to use at any particular time, including anything you may load up yourself. It's funny I often switch to the base maps for salt and Nav maps for lake stuff. Great price for an E5 gold.

Sweet! That sounds awesome. Elite 5 Gold at West Marine looking more and more attractive. Does the transducer that comes with the package work for thru hull in a water bath? The shape looks like it's more suited to being in the water hanging off something.

The transducers that are sold with the Lowrance Elite series are all transom mount but these work great in a water bath/duct seal installation OR with a Mad Frog Liberator arm.

~Bill

The transducers that are sold with the Lowrance Elite series are all transom mount but these work great in a water bath/duct seal installation OR with a Mad Frog Liberator arm.

Great!! Those were the ways I was looking at using Thanks for all the info, Bill

There are a few other ways too but those are the better of the options.

~Bill