May 1st, 2026 at 8:19am (UTC)

(Moderators: db, Kingfisher, fishinbuddy, The_Beaver)
‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 [2] 3  Reply Reply Add Poll Add Poll Send Topic Send Topic Print Print
25 Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders (Read 10194 times)
solotripper
Inukshuk
Online



Posts: 8104
Location: clarkston MI
Joined: Mar 14th, 2005
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #10 - Jan 23rd, 2017 at 4:30pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
This might help you if you go Humminbird?

Side by side the 143 vs 165
I imagine you could find the same vs the Lowrance?

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Kerry
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 427
Location: Toronto
Joined: May 13th, 2010
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #11 - Jan 23rd, 2017 at 9:19pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
Hey Old Salt, I have exactly what you're looking for.  I bought a Garmin Echo 151 portable bundle last winter, which is an ideal unit for canoe country.  It has never been in the water.  Once I bought it I realized I wasn't going to use it and its been sitting for the past year.  There is one huge problem however - it is prohibitively expensive to ship to the States from Canada.  If you have any way of making a Canada side pickup (maybe you know someone coming to Copia,) this would suit your needs perfectly.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Old Salt
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 4871
Location: Crossville, TN
Joined: Jun 17th, 2004
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #12 - Feb 9th, 2017 at 7:24pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
Bottom line; low power Fishfinders are not made anymore. If you want one, there are some good suggestions in this thread. You will find them on eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon, among others.

The one I decided to purchase is a Lowrance x4 Pro. Others include the x4, Eagle Cuda, 242, 300, and some Humminbird Pirahna Max.

I was looking for grayscale (black & white), not color. Available backlight, no bells & whistles to keep power draw low.

I would suggest that if you want one, don't delay in your search. They're becoming harder to get and more expensive.
Kudos to Wally 13 who assisted me with my search.

Happy hunting! Cool
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
HighnDry
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 1056
Location: Minneapolis
Joined: Apr 29th, 2013
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #13 - Feb 20th, 2017 at 11:00pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
I picked up a second-hand PMAX 170, greyscale finder last Spring. I hooked it up to 8 AAs per MPs design and it has worked like a charm. It's simple for me to operate and it locates fish and reads out the bottom depths/contours of the lake. It was on ebay and the guy who was selling it just happened to live in-state so the shipping was cheap. I could have done a lot worse for more money! ( I was originally looking for the Cuda 242  but couldn't find any for sale in my price range, i.e. "cheap") Wink
  
Back to top
Skype/VoIP Skype/VoIP  
IP Logged
 
lotalota
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 463
Location: MSP
Joined: May 25th, 2005
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #14 - Apr 18th, 2017 at 10:39pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
I have an old Vexilar LC-10 Boundary Waters portable that I'd be willing to get rid of.  I googled it, and they don't sell it any more but I used it successfully in the Quetico for a few years.  It runs on AA batteries, is b/w, and very light.

I haven't been on this site in years, but I thought I'd re-join.  I just bought a fishing kayak and will be spending May and June on non-BWCAW lakes off the Echo trail.  I put a Humminbird Helix 7 G2N on it, so I will be autocharting some lakes that haven't been graphed since the 1950's.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Jimbo
Voyageur
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 4598
Location: Florida
Joined: Oct 6th, 2002
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #15 - Apr 18th, 2017 at 10:58pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
lotalota -

Such a Vexilar unit served me well for many years!  You should do well if you list it on our The BWCA & Quetico Paddler's Gear Exchange - Classifieds forum.  FYI

Jimbo  Smiley
  
Back to top
Facebook Facebook AIM AIM  
IP Logged
 
lotalota
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 463
Location: MSP
Joined: May 25th, 2005
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #16 - Apr 18th, 2017 at 11:09pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
Jimbo wrote on Apr 18th, 2017 at 10:58pm:
lotalota -

Such a Vexilar unit served me well for many years!  You should do well if you list it on our The BWCA & Quetico Paddler's Gear Exchange - Classifieds forum.  FYI

Jimbo  Smiley

Sure, I'll do that.  I might have some other paddling gear that others might use as I've made the transition from wilderness paddler to high tech kayak fisherman.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Magicpaddler
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 1321
Location: Chicago Burbs
Joined: Jan 7th, 2004
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #17 - Apr 18th, 2017 at 11:59pm
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
Iotalota
I could not figure out how much current your Helix 7 G2N draws from the manual but it looks like between 600 and 900 mA.  That is probably too much for AA batteries. Sense you will be able to recharge them every night I would suggest the Panasonic 3400 mAh cells covered in this thread. 

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
You should get 3 to 5 hours out of a set.   You might consider building 2 battery holders for 4 batteries each and putting them in parallel. 
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
lotalota
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 463
Location: MSP
Joined: May 25th, 2005
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #18 - Apr 19th, 2017 at 12:18am
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
Magicpaddler wrote on Apr 18th, 2017 at 11:59pm:
Iotalota
I could not figure out how much current your Helix 7 G2N draws from the manual but it looks like between 600 and 900 mA.  That is probably too much for AA batteries. Sense you will be able to recharge them every night I would suggest the Panasonic 3400 mAh cells covered in this thread. 

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
You should get 3 to 5 hours out of a set.   You might consider building 2 battery holders for 4 batteries each and putting them in parallel. 


I bought a LiFePo4 20 Ah battery from Bioenno, which should give me approximately 20 hours of run time.  It fits the sonar pod on my FeelFree Lure 13.5 perfectly.  I have a place to stay along the echo trail with power, and I will be able to recharge nightly.  I won't be fishing in the BWCAW or Quetico, so no problem.  Thanks for the advice.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Magicpaddler
Inukshuk
Offline



Posts: 1321
Location: Chicago Burbs
Joined: Jan 7th, 2004
Re: Wilderness-friendly Fishfinders
Reply #19 - Apr 19th, 2017 at 12:34am
Quote Quote Print Post Print Post  
I actually prefer a protection circuit designed for the battery bank rather than having each cell protected individually.  That is slightly different chemistry for that battery and they are supposed to last longer at the cost of a little more weight.  I think that will do a fine job for you.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 [2] 3 
Reply Reply Add Poll Add Poll Send Topic Send Topic Print Print
‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›

 
  « The Put-In ‹ Board  ^Top   

QuietJourney Forums » Powered by YaBB 2.6.0!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2026. All Rights Reserved.

Valid RSS Valid XHTML Valid CSS Powered by Perl Source Forge