My old depth finder failed me for the last time this past season and it is getting replaced this year.

I found this Hawkeye unit online and I really like that it runs on AAA batteries and is very compact/light.

The important question is how well does it work? Reviews online seem generally decent and I’m tempted to give it a shot.

If anyone has used one I would love to hear your thoughts.

Hawkeye

I've got one. It works quite well. I use Li-ion batteries. I get about 10 hours of fishing on a set. I usually use gray scale to conserve power. I like that it's light and small, and I can usually shoot through the hull for a reading. I drop the transducer in now and again to check temperature.

I have one, and I like it a lot. Love how long it will run on a set of batteries and gives me the information I need. I can get depth and structure, and if I need to get water temp I can drop the transduce over the side for a minute or two.

Thanks guys! I’m pretty sure I’m going to pull the trigger and get one.

How do you mount it? Thinking of getting the camera mount they offer on their website and clamp it to the thwart.

Mount

You can go that route or use the suction cup? I use the suction cup for both the transducer and finder itself. They sell em as a set I believe along with a case?? I love mine as well. Lithium batteries last quite awhile as previously stated. They come with quite a bit of transducer cord. Get canoe loaded with whatever youll have in it while fishing and then place transducer cup on hull a couple inches below water line and then set it as close to parallel with waterline as possible and tighten the screws....it won't move unless you hit a rock with it??? I always put mine in backpack when portaging and when pulling canoe on shore I'm extra careful if I leave it on and if landing is poor I just throw in canoe. Good luck with it

I have also been considering a new lightweight fish finder. For those who have this Hawkeye Fishtrax 1C, what others did you consider and why did you select this one?

I really do not want to go with a Helix 5 or 7 because of the weight.

eyestalker: "You can go that route or use the suction cup? I use the suction cup for both the transducer and finder itself. They sell em as a set I believe along with a case?? I love mine as well. Lithium batteries last quite awhile as previously stated. They come with quite a bit of transducer cord. Get canoe loaded with whatever youll have in it while fishing and then place transducer cup on hull a couple inches below water line and then set it as close to parallel with waterline as possible and tighten the screws....it won't move unless you hit a rock with it??? I always put mine in backpack when portaging and when pulling canoe on shore I'm extra careful if I leave it on and if landing is poor I just throw in canoe. Good luck with it"

What do you suction cup the finder itself to? I wouldn’t want to have to look at the bottom of the canoe all day but if you can mount to the side of the canoe and rotate it that could work.

I don’t trust myself not to bust the transducer off if I kept it mounted it to the outside of the canoe. How easy is the suction cup to remove/install? The only way I would use it is if I could take it on and off easily.

I went with the Hawkeye because I'd previously owned the original "grey" screen version and liked it. Looked alot like Nintendo graphics...if anybody remembers those??? That one ran its course going through Lithium batteries in mere minutes so i upgraded. As far as the suction cups go... they are pretty easy to remove. Just pull up a lever and grab the little rubber leg that hangs outside the cup itself and it breaks seal. The depth finder one is multi poise and threads into bottom of the unit itself. I always put it on plate of my alum canoe when I sit up front and bend arm up at a 90deg angle. It's right there a couple feet away, easy to readout, but out of the way for paddling.

You mount the suction cup on the side of the canoe. It comes off once in a while, but when that happens you pull it in by the cord and stick it back on the side of the boat. Also you can adjust the angle of the transducer so it's not sending the signal straight down and not at an angle.

Picked up a 1C myself this year for much the same reason related to the simple battery option.

As for mounting, I'll be trying something similar to the full Scotty setup that Hawkeye sells, but with a mod for use on rental canoes. I haven't tested yet, but I opted for the same Scotty transducer arm shown by Hawkeye but with the Scotty 433 Coaming Gunnel Clamp Mount. This allows you to quickly put it on and off of the gunnel, but does not allow for the 1C unit to also attach using the mount you mentioned. For that I am planning to use a RAM or Gorillapod on the thwart. I haven't tested if the Gorillapod will prevent rotation on the thwart, but it's the cheaper option at this point and is also useful for ice fishing.

Except the unit, all should be able to remain on the canoe even during portages.