boat fishfinder - thoughts and what should it cost for me to have installed

[zam]

I am going to get one of these two fishfiners/gps units for the boat. I currently have an OLD humminbird from the late 80's hooked up to the boat that was just a depth finder

Humminbird Option (http://www.amazon.com/Humminbird-Internal-pre-loaded-Navionics-Hotmaps/dp/B000MPO8K6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1228398107&sr=8-2)

Garmin Option (http://www.amazon.com/GARMIN-010-00600-00-GPSmap-Receiver-Transducer/dp/B000KLHBFG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1228398247&sr=8-1)


How much should it cost me to have one of these professionally installed by my marine shop (Sports Boats USA in Shell Knob) ? because based on the install directions from the interwebz.. it doesn't look easy

[eichhoma]

They are pretty easy to put in yourself, if you got it on a trailer.... just simple mounting and wire routing. I put in my dads Lawrence... nothing to it.

[BrettM]

For a basic depth sounder we usually only charge an hour $70.00. That would assume the hole was already in the dash and routing the cable for the transducer is not difficult. At most it would take 2 hours here, $140.00

[zam]

thanks for the responses.

my labor shop is like $90 an hour, so good to know that it should be like a 2 hr project.


Any thoughts on either of the units i picked out?

[zam]

They are pretty easy to put in yourself, if you got it on a trailer.... just simple mounting and wire routing. I put in my dads Lawrence... nothing to it.


i did install my own stereo system on the boat, but for some reason this looks a lot harder.

yes, i'm on a trailer

[BrettM]

$90.00 and hour[smilie=106.gif] , and I feel guilty moving our rate to $75-80 for next year with a Merc/Mercruiser Master tech and three other Merc certified techs in the shop!

If you are willing to pay the price for those units, look at Lowrance. We sell a ton of the LMS 520C and the LMS 522C, they sell for $650.00. They are GPS/Depthfinder combo units with split screen capabilites. They also take all the Navionics data cards. We have also sold and rig boats with the Garmin and Hummingbird, both companies have made huge strides to catch Lowrance, we still recomend Lowrance!

[36Tango]

Jr. (my 16 yr old) has this one to put in his bass boat.

http://www.marinedeal.com/product_p/c28281.htm

Now I just need to find the time to get it installed by spring!

[zam]

Jr. (my 16 yr old) has this one to put in his bass boat.

http://www.marinedeal.com/product_p/c28281.htm

Now I just need to find the time to get it installed by spring!

that one is sweet

[zam]

which of these lowrances would you recommend?

527 (http://www.amazon.com/Lowrance-LMS-527C-Fish-Finder/dp/B000LBGJ3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1228405268&sr=1-1)

522 (http://www.amazon.com/Lowrance-LMS-522C-iGPS-Fish-Finder/dp/B000LBIJ4C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1228404884&sr=8-1)

I just want good GPS locator on table rock lake, and a nice fish/depthfinder

[zam]

What is DF (dual frequency) sonar as opposed to regular sonar.

[BrettM]

The Dual fequency trasducer alows fisherman to see fish on the bottom in depths 150-more. Single frequency will be fine. You will love the 522!!!

[zam]

The Dual fequency trasducer alows fisherman to see fish on the bottom in depths 150-more. Single frequency will be fine. You will love the 522!!!

sweet, thanks for the advice.

I hope the maps are good for table rock lake.