Humminbird 727 FF

Hey Guys,

Well, I got the kayak.  The paddle, PFD, and wetsuit have all been taken care of.  What next?  Oh yeah... fishfinder!

What do you think of these?

http://www.humminbird.com/products.asp?ID=654

I think it's a pretty good deal at $250.  I already have a Garmin GPSMap 76 CS with Bluechart software, and I believe it will interface with the 727 via NMEA 0183, so there's the chartplotter.  I do have one concern though.  How difficult is it to read grayscale in direct sunlight?

Thanks for the input,

Backslider

No takers????  Disapointed...

Well, what about the Matrix 17 then.  See here:

http://www.humminbird.com/products.asp?ID=636

For about $150 ($100 less than the 727), I'm not giving up that much stuff... resolution is 320x320 instead of 640x320, and the output power is down to 300 watts instead of 500.  Are these differences important when fishing from a kayak?

Backslider

I was told that the Hummingbird will go out on you if they get wet and since we are talking about being in a kayak its gonna get wet.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/bb/index.php?topic=5846.msg48214#msg48214

Backslider,

I think you'll find that most people here don't spend much more than $150 on a FF, hence not a lot of feedback on the 727.  Why is that?  Well, probably because 1) you don't need to and 2) why risk a $250 unit getting wet and broken?

So ... since you ask about the 17, I've had a couple for a couple years now.  No problems with the unit itself although I've experienced the usual corrosion at the terminals which you can get with any FF (use dielectric grease!!!).  I don't think you'll notice any difference whatsoever between 300 and 500 watts RMS.  We don't fish at the depths where that will make a difference.  And a little bit of extra resolution really doesn't mean much at the quality of FF we're talking about in this price range.

-Allen

Hmm... I can't find a water-proof spec on the Humminbird site.  All they say is that it is a "fully gasketed waterproof design & it floats."  Eagle says much the same thing with: "Completely sealed and waterproof, even for use in harsh saltwater environments."

By the way, they both have one-year warranties, so it's a wash there.

Backslider

Hi Allen,

I figured those were all valid reasons to go with Matrix 17... just wanted to get some input... thanks for yours.

Backslider

Of course, then I go looking a little more and I find this guy.

http://www.fishfinder-store.com/ease481.html

Resoultion is 480x480 and power is 500w... cost is right in the middle of the 727 and the Matrix 17.

Anyone ever use it?

Chris

Hmm... I can't find a water-proof spec on the Humminbird site.  All they say is that it is a "fully gasketed waterproof design & it floats."  Eagle says much the same thing with: "Completely sealed and waterproof, even for use in harsh saltwater environments."

You'll find that most electronics we use start life out being "waterproof".  But they don't tend to stay that way, something about kayak fishing being hard on equipment.  The 17 is fully gasketed, but gaskets wear out.

-Allen

I have the eagle fishmark320.

It goes for about 130 right now and I could not be happier.

I will also echo the "starts waterproof and ends up not being".  I would definately not spend over 200 on a fishfinder.

Remember, on a kayak (and in all reality on a PB) you are merely looking for depth, bottom hardness, structure and bait.  Marking fish to catch is WAY down the list.  Given those requirements, you don't need much.

I think the current concensus is the Eagle Fisheasy 245ds as the best bang for the buck.  Retails for around 100 bucks and has decent resolution and dual cone angles.

MolBasser

HERE is the 245ds for 102 bucks.



MolBasser

Thank you, kind sir, your points are duly noted... but I'm going to kick down the extra fifty bucks for the Matrix 17 and a little more resolution and power.

Backslider

For the record, I hate Humminbird.

But, you ought to buy what you want to buy.

MolBasser

For the record, I hate Humminbird.

Mol ... just curious ... why???

-Allen

Yes... do tell.

Backslider

I've always felt that the electronics and target separation were weak in Humminbird and I have had reliability issues with several units that I have owned.

And they are ugly.

Mostly reliability issues.

MolBasser