spearing fishfinder/gps rec?

Hey Fishing for a Cure, Yes the support, ESPECIALLY on this board is huge. Any company for any product can claim to support its products, or be user friendly, but I am a big believer in personal recommendations. And even more a believer in seeing gear that real people like me have on a beach here in N CA and are happy with. Those relative rankings say a lot.
And maybe that West Marine in Alameda was unusual, not only very little product, but the two salesmen on duty knew almost nothing about actually using the ff/chartplotters.
Really appreciate your knowledge. Thanks!

The staff at the Alameda store tends to focus on sailboat stuff.  The Oakland store is hit/miss.  I have some good guys trained in San Carlos but they are just finishing a remodel.  Heading to So. San Francisco on Thur to train their new guys (one OS a charter captain).  Sausalito store has great guys for electronics (David the store mgr is the best).

Ha!most stores rarely have someone that knows or have any knowledge beyond turning the unit on.i was at bass pro and asked the guy behind the counter and he says "I really don't know much about the units,you want me to call a manager to see if he knows more"?I said thanks but no

Actually it might be a good thing they don't know crap about them that way its sort of like a test to see what one works for you. They are all on and you can fool with them all and what ever one fits your brain on how to work the menu's and chart plotting then write down the model number and go to YouTube or Google and research all the ins and outs of the unit you like. Check the reviews ask others what they think of it before putting you money down. These units are not that difficult to operate some just a little more user friendly that others. There is more than enough video or articles on the internet to understand the technology involved in using them.

Great way to look at the situation.

Well, to give my business to a store, it would be nice if the guys could actually "talk the talk."  Maybe I'm old school, but hearing from guys, like people on this board, who use any product matters a lot to me, more than watching someone who fishes for bass in the South say how much he likes a particular model. (Nothing against bass fisherman, just can't be the same experience as being in a cramped kayak, looking for lings or blacks or the structure they are hiding in).

Great wish but the truth of it is these store employees are responsible to know a little about everything in the store.  They make at or just above min. Wage unless they've been there many years.  The mgrs don't make much - I WAS one for many years.  The specialty electronics stores are few & far between plus they generally aren't the lowest price.  The internet has turned our shopping culture into 'browse @ store to get hands on & buy online'.  The retail world is declining and with it goes those who know/use products.  There are still a few out there.  Most kayak shops that Cary units do so out of convenience & don't have live displays, return/warranty support & often not the most up to date units.  As kayakers, we have to rely on each other because these aren't high dollar units in the grand scheme of Marine electronics world.  We are still a minority.

For $260 shipped from www.hodgesmarine.com you can get the Raymarine Dragonfly 4Pro with GPS, Chirp Downscan and Chirp Sonar with Transducer. That SKU comes with the base Jeppeson C-Maps, but it comes with a free upgrade to C­MAP MAX+ 4D Local which includes useful things like MPAs, Tide information, land elevation, high resolution bathymetry and other stuff (see http://www.raymarine.com/view/?id=11440)

My understanding is that the C-MAP MAX is a competitor to the more widely known Navonics (also available with the Dragonfly units).

This is my first unit so I don't have much to compare it to, but I'm happy with my purchase. I would love a larger screen, but you can't really get a larger screen with these features for a lower price.

I see somebody is doing their homework!! Good info.

Seabird, wow that seems pretty cheap! I appreciate the link and even more the personal reference. You are probably right about the browse store/buy online trend, but the truth is, I would prefer to buy from a knowledgeable person. When there isn't one, that's when I feel like my only choice is to buy online. Thankfully this site exists with real N CA users! Again nothing against all the bass pros, but they do seem to be the testers of gear on youtube. Maybe I just need to join the gopro movement and post some video of hunting for lings and blacks with a good fishfinder/plotter. Thanks!

West Marine LOWRANCE  Elite-4 HDI Chartplotter/Fishfinder with 83/200 455/800kHz Transducer & Nautic Pro Cartography.
Sale $169.00