Guest Posted June 12, 2010 Report Share Posted June 12, 2010 Can anyone recommend a portable depth finder that could go on a canoe or small v-bottom boat? Thanks Phil F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted June 12, 2010 Report Share Posted June 12, 2010 Don't waste your money on a portable. Buy a regular one like an Eagle Cuda 300 for $80. It's pretty good for an inexpensive model and even has a built in temperature sensor The portable version is $50 more. Get a rechargeable battery and a small cheap tackle box to carry it and the depth finder. I drilled some holes in the top of the tackle box to mount the depth finder bracket using screws with wing nuts. The portables don't come with a good bracket or holder for the transducer more than just a suction cup that doesn't stick very well, I mounted my transducer on a piece of 1x2 board and clamped the board to the transom with a C-clamp. I used a set up exactly like this on many fly-in trips to Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Thanks Scott. Sounds like the way to go if i get one. I'm getting it as a gift for a friend so I might get something that's pretty much ready to go. Price isn't that important I owe this guy big time. I might look around for a bit not in a hurry. If you have any other suggestions fire away. Thanks again Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev-mo Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Thanks Scott. Sounds like the way to go if i get one. I'm getting it as a gift for a friend so I might get something that's pretty much ready to go. Price isn't that important I owe this guy big time. I might look around for a bit not in a hurry. If you have any other suggestions fire away. Thanks again Phil You can get a Vexilar or any of the other brands people use for ice fishing. They might have a package deal where it can be used for ice fishing with an option to mount/use on a boat. I think they have several different transducer types with regard to cone angle etc. They'll be pricey though. You still may want to think about going Scott's route. Back when the Vex's first came out I couldn't really justify the expense so I bought a Hummingbird flasher and an extra portable transducer with the suction cup. I also bought one the blue plastic ice boxes that hold the battery and you can mount the flasher on. Worked fine for ice fishing and could use it on a boat no problem. Unless you got a really good seal though the suction cup would come off now and again. I guess it depends on how your friend is going to use it. If they'll never or rarely go ice fishing I would opt for Scott's idea. You could really trick it out and customize a real nice box to hold the unit and battery and make a real nice bracket to hold the tranducer. I'm not knocking Scott's 1x2 or tackle box as it works. Just thinking something customized would be nicer as it's a gift. I think the batteries can be found for less than $30 on sale. The only thing I didn't like was the cords that came with my unit were very long (to fit on a boat) so you might need to take that in to consideration when picking out a box. If you do go this route make sure everything is clamped in the box and the box can be bungeed or clamped to the boat so in case of rough seas etc nothing will go overboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asherman Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Buying a standard depth finder and making your own mounting setup with a board (I use a piece of aluminum bar stock) and a C clamp works great if you are fishing from a vessel with a transom. The suction cups that come with portable often do not stick well to the transoms of boats that have anything but perfect surfaces. If you are fishing from a canoe, using the bar and c clamp mount may or may not work, depending upon the canoe. I have found that the suction cup mount, though not perfect, works well on a canoe. A canoe is not moving fast enough to have the force of the water dislodge the suction cup like it does on a boat with a motor. I like the suction cup mount for canoeing because it is quick and easy to remove the transducer when you have to paddle or drag a canoe through rocks or anything that could damage the transducer. If you make your own mounting system, make sure that you include some type of small rope or cable to secure your transducer mount to the boat just in case the mounting bracket or transducer gets disconnected from the boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 16, 2010 Report Share Posted June 16, 2010 Good tips I'm going to try to get to bass Pro this week I'll check out what y have. Thanks Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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