I'm tired of lugging around my FishingBuddy and am looking to get a unit that I can mount on a thwart. I plan on building a battery pack for it.

Here's the problem, I can't seem to find any locators that are black/white and not color. It is my understanding that the color units pull a lot more juice, and I don't want to bring too many batteries. I've read that the Piranamax is a good unit, but it only comes in color now. I'm not looking to buy an awesome unit, mainly something that will show depth and a little detail. Any thoughts?

I just bought this one today. According to everything I've read this is the best in its class and sounds like it would be right up your alley. You can probably find a better price than this (I did.)

Garmin Echo 151 portable bundle

Search fish finders on this site and you'll get 5 lifetimes worth of portable fish finder ideas. There are some VERY ingenious individuals on this site. I have my own version combining many of the best aspects of the best setups I found on this site. I can't take credit for any of it.

Kerry, that does indeed look like it may fit the bill nicely.

quote BnD: "Search fish finders on this site and you'll get 5 lifetimes worth of portable fish finder ideas. There are some VERY ingenious individuals on this site. I have my own version combining many of the best aspects of the best setups I found on this site. I can't take credit for any of it."

The problem with the five lifetimes of threads in a search is that most, if not all, of the units mentioned in those threads are discontinued or obsolete. Sounds like the poster wants to buy a new unit and it looks to me there are few options with the parameters he set. That Garmin does look like a good one for what he wants.

quote walleyevision: "Kerry, that does indeed look like it may fit the bill nicely. "

I need to amend my post, Walleye, because the Garmin 150 is no longer in production. Here's the one I bought - The Next Generation!

Garmin Echo 151 portable bundle

KerryG, I have read nothing but good things about the Echo series. Just wondering, what kind of battery life do you get out of the included battery?

I would get that Piranha Max 165.
I use a Lowrance X-4. You may be able to find one online still but I think they stopped making them.

quote ksman: "KerryG, I have read nothing but good things about the Echo series. Just wondering, what kind of battery life do you get out of the included battery?"

I haven't received delivery yet but I'll let you know when I do. I suspect, however, that the battery that comes with it won't provide more than 8 or 10 hours between charges.

quote ksman: "KerryG, I have read nothing but good things about the Echo series. Just wondering, what kind of battery life do you get out of the included battery?"

I received my Garmin today. The battery that comes with it is 12V 7Ah lead acid. It's fairly small but weighs a ton (I'm guessing 8+ pounds) and I intend to swap it out for LiFePo4 battery. What I need to do first is set up with the included battery and take an ammeter reading with the backlight off. That should give me a fair idea of how much Ah I'll need over the length of a trip.

I got this $100 portable and removed the bulky base/battery area and love it. It's mounted on a spring-loaded vise thingy and the battery pack is in that el cheapo Glad container with a hole drilled in it. Love it.

The battery holder I use. Magic's battery holder
I mount the transducer inside the canoe and shoot through the hull. I use Conduit putty from the local hardware store to mount the transducer.

I have an older model pirnana that I might be willing to part with, although you probably would need to find a new transducer for it (if I remember correctly, it wasn't function all that great at the end). I know that the battery pack is incorporated into the shell of the unit, and runs on "c" size batteries (6 or 8 of them). I don't ever remember changing batteries during a trip when I was using that model. I switched from this model to the Vexilar Boundary Waters (which they don't make anymore

quote KerryG: "I received my Garmin today. The battery that comes with it is 12V 7Ah lead acid. It's fairly small but weighs a ton (I'm guessing 8+ pounds)..."

They're not light, sure, but just so you can make some accurate comparisons: my three 7Ah total 13.5 lb... average 4.5 lb. ea.

quote schweady: "

quote KerryG: "I received my Garmin today. The battery that comes with it is 12V 7Ah lead acid. It's fairly small but weighs a ton (I'm guessing 8+ pounds)..."

They're not light, sure, but just so you can make some accurate comparisons: my three 7Ah total 13.5 lb... average 4.5 lb. ea.
"

I was probably being a bit hyperbolic. My guess is that the battery weighs more like between 5 and 6 pounds.

quote MagicPaddler: "The battery holder I use. Magic's battery holder
I mount the transducer inside the canoe and shoot through the hull. I use Conduit putty from the local hardware store to mount the transducer."

Regarding the transducer. Mine has two options for use. The first is a suction cup which could be secured either on the outside of the hull or inside. The other option is a float. The idea of using a float seems very simple - just secure the float a few inches above the transducer and throw the whole thing overboard. It seems too easy. Is there a reason why that won't work or won't work well?

Kerry
Using a float or the suction cup works well but when you are trolling they drag in the water. What is the bottom of your canoe made out of? If it is a composite with an area without a foam core the transducer will shoot through the hull. You can use conduit putty or duct seal available at your local hardware store. I like Duct Seal better.

Anyone ever used this one? Lucky FFW 718

Does anyone know if the transducer will shoot through the bottom of a cedar strip canoe? I don't expect it to, but thought I would ask.

I'm looking for the same type of information. I'd like to find a mid range\price depth finder that will fire through the bottom of a kayak.

Any recommendations or advice?

quote MagicPaddler: "Kerry
Using a float or the suction cup works well but when you are trolling they drag in the water. What is the bottom of your canoe made out of? If it is a composite with an area without a foam core the transducer will shoot through the hull. You can use conduit putty or duct seal available at your local hardware store. I like Duct Seal better.

"

MP, when you use the Duct Seal putty how permanent is the installation - from day to day, for an entire trip, forever?

quote KerryG: "

quote MagicPaddler: "Kerry
Using a float or the suction cup works well but when you are trolling they drag in the water. What is the bottom of your canoe made out of? If it is a composite with an area without a foam core the transducer will shoot through the hull. You can use conduit putty or duct seal available at your local hardware store. I like Duct Seal better.

"

MP, when you use the Duct Seal putty how permanent is the installation - from day to day, for an entire trip, forever?"

Kerry
The transducer in the picture was installed to take the picture for a presentation at Copia last year. I used it a couple of times last summer. The canoe goes on my roof upside down and hangs in my garage upside down. That transducer was on there for several months and pulled off easily when I removed it. When I originally mounted it I thought it would be good for the day but it is good for more than that. If the cable gets pulled it will come free.

Slybill, My transducer will not shoot through my cedar strip. I use a suction cup mount. I have a Hummingbird Wide 120 and run it off 8 AA's. Works well for what I need two set of battery's for a 5 day trip.

J

quote Sylbill: "Does anyone know if the transducer will shoot through the bottom of a cedar strip canoe? I don't expect it to, but thought I would ask."

Nope. Too much air trapped in those wood fibers.

quote Sylbill: "Does anyone know if the transducer will shoot through the bottom of a cedar strip canoe? I don't expect it to, but thought I would ask."

Interesting answers above since I shoot thru the hull of my cedar strip all the time. I use a Garmin echo 100, and I built my canoe with the normal layup - 1/4" cedar strips and 6 ounce glass inside and out. I siliconed a piece of foam to the hull and just a few drops of water in there, then drop in the transducer and easy peasy.

Here is a pic of my foam cutout on the bottom of my hull:


Moonman.

Moonman,

Would you mind answering a few questions about your unit? I'd like to hear about the quality of this unit when shooting through the bottom of your boat. Does it mark fish, structure, bait? Any issues you have encountered?

We have tried shooting through the bottom of a kayak with another unit, no luck, only depth.

Post here or contact me at thopp1@msn.com

Thanks...

quote Moonman: "Interesting answers above since I shoot thru the hull of my cedar strip all the time."

I stand corrected with a caveat: none of the strippers owners I've known to this point were able to get any signal thru their hulls. Good on ya, Moonman.

quote Hopp: "Moonman,


Would you mind answering a few questions about your unit? I'd like to hear about the quality of this unit when shooting through the bottom of your boat. Does it mark fish, structure, bait? Any issues you have encountered?


We have tried shooting through the bottom of a kayak with another unit, no luck, only depth.


Post here or contact me at thopp1@msn.com


Thanks..."

My unit works incredibly well. It shows everything, structure, fish and even my lure 50-60'. Last spring in Algonquin Park, I was teasing up lakers on chartreuse and white bucktail jigs down 50' over about 70' of water. i could see my jig on the finder clear as day. As the lakers move in on the jig, we would reel up fast and they would come up and smash it. My buddies in their canoe right next to us couldn't believe it, but I could tell them almost to the second when the fish would hit.

In spring the canoe hull is almost excatly the same temp as the water so even the temp sensor works. Of course, not so well in warmer weather.

I'm not sure why it works so well with my canoe, i had actually read that transducers wont shoot thru cedar strip hulls but I assure you mine does. Also of note, it also shoots right thru the hull of aluminum boats, as evidenced by me this Oct, when borrowing a friends tin can for a musky trip. And again, I read all kinds of stpuff about transducrs not shooting through aluminum. I posted this pic a few years ago but here is my set up. You can see my AA battery pack as well:


For anyone who is wondering about it, you can easily test it by just placing the transducer in a ziplock bag and putting on tne bottom of your hull. Fast and easy to do on a local lake or pond, before your trip.

Moonman.

quote schweady: "

quote Moonman: "Interesting answers above since I shoot thru the hull of my cedar strip all the time."

I stand corrected with a caveat: none of the strippers owners I've known to this point were able to get any signal thru their hulls. Good on ya, Moonman.
"

Hey Schweady I hear ya. When I tested mine for the first time I was absolutely convinced it wouldn't work....and was quite surprised when it did, just from everything I had read.

Moonman

quote Moonman: "

quote Hopp: "Moonman,



Would you mind answering a few questions about your unit? I'd like to hear about the quality of this unit when shooting through the bottom of your boat. Does it mark fish, structure, bait? Any issues you have encountered?



We have tried shooting through the bottom of a kayak with another unit, no luck, only depth.



Post here or contact me at thopp1@msn.com



Thanks..."

My unit works incredibly well. It shows everything, structure, fish and even my lure 50-60'. Last spring in Algonquin Park, I was teasing up lakers on chartreuse and white bucktail jigs down 50' over about 70' of water. i could see my jig on the finder clear as day. As the lakers move in on the jig, we would reel up fast and they would come up and smash it. My buddies in their canoe right next to us couldn't believe it, but I could tell them almost to the second when the fish would hit.


In spring the canoe hull is almost excatly the same temp as the water so even the temp sensor works. Of course, not so well in warmer weather.


I'm not sure why it works so well with my canoe, i had actually read that transducers wont shoot thru cedar strip hulls but I assure you mine does. Also of note, it also shoots right thru the hull of aluminum boats, as evidenced by me this Oct, when borrowing a friends tin can for a musky trip. And again, I read all kinds of stpuff about transducrs not shooting through aluminum. I posted this pic a few years ago but here is my set up. You can see my AA battery pack as well:



For anyone who is wondering about it, you can easily test it by just placing the transducer in a ziplock bag and putting on tne bottom of your hull. Fast and easy to do on a local lake or pond, before your trip.


Moonman."

Moorman, this may seem like a dumb question but this coming summer will be my first time using a fish finder. Mine is the Garmin 151 so it's got to be a lot like yours. Here's my question. Given that the transducer is reading what is below it, if you are trolling, how do you know where your lure is sitting? Isn't your lure way behind where the transducer is reading?

I use a Lowrance X4 Portable and like it a lot. Very waterproof and the batteries would last you at least a 10 day trip. Although it is a little on the heavy side and uses 8 D batteries weighing in at ~4 lbs.

Hey Kerry,

When I mentioned watching my jig I was stationary and vertical jigging. You are correct in that when trolling the lure is behind the boat etc. when trolling ai am only using the finder to watch for depth and structure. Depth is the main reason I use it, not to show fish or see my lure etc.

Moonman.

Great information, thanks Moonman. I plan to buy this unit before my June trip. I'll test it in my kayak in Wisconsin first.

Is it safe to assume the echo 150 series is a little better until than the 100 series? Then again, if the echo 100 works well enough I may just buy that one.

I really appreciate the information.

quote Hopp: "Great information, thanks Moonman. I plan to buy this unit before my June trip. I'll test it in my kayak in Wisconsin first.


Is it safe to assume the echo 150 series is a little better until than the 100 series? Then again, if the echo 100 works well enough I may just buy that one.


I really appreciate the information."

If I recall the only difference was power output and perhaps a dual cone transducer. Screen size, pixels and features were exactly the same. I specifically got the 100 model due to its low power draw. I downloaded the spec sheet from the Garmin site a few years ago so have it somewhere, but perhaps an old computer. It might still be on the garmin site. The 150 model is definitely better, but if it is drawing 50% more power, you'll need more batteries! I don't think its 50% but you know what I mean. with that actual milliamp number from the spec sheet, you can calculate exactly how long a set of batteries should last. Guys like Ragged on this site (and others) have A LOT of info on those types of calculations etc. If I had a choice between both units and price was similar (when I bought my unit the 150 was only $20 more), I would pick the 100 model if the power draw was a more than 10% difference....

Moonman.

quote Moonman: "

quote Hopp: "Great information, thanks Moonman. I plan to buy this unit before my June trip. I'll test it in my kayak in Wisconsin first.



Is it safe to assume the echo 150 series is a little better until than the 100 series? Then again, if the echo 100 works well enough I may just buy that one.



I really appreciate the information."

If I recall the only difference was power output and perhaps a dual cone transducer. Screen size, pixels and features were exactly the same. I specifically got the 100 model due to its low power draw. I downloaded the spec sheet from the Garmin site a few years ago so have it somewhere, but perhaps an old computer. It might still be on the garmin site. The 150 model is definitely better, but if it is drawing 50% more power, you'll need more batteries! I don't think its 50% but you know what I mean. with that actual milliamp number from the spec sheet, you can calculate exactly how long a set of batteries should last. Guys like Ragged on this site (and others) have A LOT of info on those types of calculations etc. If I had a choice between both units and price was similar (when I bought my unit the 150 was only $20 more), I would pick the 100 model if the power draw was a more than 10% difference....


Moonman."

The Garmin 151 draws .1 A with the backlight on. It's hard to imagine anything drawing much less. That being said if you're thinking of buying a 100 series Garmin I wouldn't wait around too long, it looks like they are phasing them out. The 151 portable is already out of production.

Does anyone know where you can find power draw information for Lowrance units? The have a new unit Elite 3x DSI that looks pretty sweet and is cost effective. I just don't know if it is a power hog or not.

quote walleyevision: "Does anyone know where you can find power draw information for Lowrance units? The have a new unit Elite 3x DSI that looks pretty sweet and is cost effective. I just don't know if it is a power hog or not."

Color = more current
Downscan Imaging = more current.
800 K Hz = more current.
Back light is controlled by the on/off switch so it is easy to accidently turn the back light on = more current.
My guess is it is a power hog. But it is a nice detector.

Thanks, Magic....that's what I was kind of thinking.

quote walleyevision: "Does anyone know where you can find power draw information for Lowrance units? The have a new unit Elite 3x DSI that looks pretty sweet and is cost effective. I just don't know if it is a power hog or not."

When I bought my garmin echo 100, I was also looking at the Lowrance X4. I found the current draw info for both units on their respective websites. You have to download the manual and its in there, near the back.

Moonman.

Ordering the echo 100 soon. Thanks for the great information everyone, I appreciate it.

See what you started Walleyevision? lifetimes of info on this site regarding depth finders and opinions. As I stated there are some VERY clever canoe trippers/craftsmen/electronic experts on this forum. Once again I give most of the credit for my setup to this site plus a gentlemen I ran across on a portage on the Falls Chain in 2013.

I have an Elite 4 set up in an ice pack. 8ah battery and ice transducer from Cabela's. 23 hrs of run time with my back light on medium and it hasn't drawn more than 1/16 yet

quote BnD: "See what you started Walleyevision? lifetimes of info on this site regarding depth finders and opinions. As I stated there are some VERY clever canoe trippers/craftsmen/electronic experts on this forum. Once again I give most of the credit for my setup to this site plus a gentlemen I ran across on a portage on the Falls Chain in 2013."

That's what I was hoping for :)