Fish finder

[Turbo]

Hello , my wife is off to New York in November and asked if there was anyting I needed (mistake !)

I have been looking for a reasonably priced fishfinder/depthfinder so started to trawl the net. West Marine in New York have a Piranha Max 210 for $99 !". Firstly does anyone use this model ? Any problems with purchasing in the usa ? Any suitable alternatives ? Thanks Martin.

[nasher]

There has been a lot about fishfinders on here recently, try doing a search. I know somebody recently warned about buying from the US as they are a different spec and not built to the same standard.

I know you can buy imported ones on Ebay.

[nasher]

Just had a quick look and found the bit I was on about. Its from OKreally

 

 

The company link referred to is not supplied from the UK. I can only warn again - Buying fom the US has these disadvantages :-

 

1) You stand a 50/50 chance of having the parcel impounded by customs & face a possible fine because units made for sale in the US are NOT CE approved - It is illegal to import OR use products that are not CE approved, CE products are made on seperate production to the European specification.

 

2) US warranty is one year & is held with the company you bought from - i.e. the US retailer so that you have to return it to the US. Compare this with 2 years in the UK (units are built to the higher spec required by CE regulation so are built to a higher spec)

 

3) Units (where applicable) are not compatible with EU charts & measurement criteria.

 

To declare my interest - Johnson Outdoors are the owners of Humminbird - We benefit whether you buy in the UK or the US so have no axe to grind other than the fact that if you ignore the above then you take the chances associated with this. The strong $/£ rate makes it look attractive to buy from the States.....it could be an expensive 'saving' particularly if confiscated by HM Customs & Excise.- You have no recourse in this case...I explain this to a number of people literally every week - We cannot help if it is an illegal import!.The US seller probably doesn't even know about EU regulations so is unlikely to admit to an illegal import if it means that he will be fined - if he does know & sends anyway he is putting the risk on to the end customer.....that would be you!

 

Regards

 

Andrew

Johnson Outdoors UK (owners of Humminbird + all products on www.johnsonoutdoors.co.uk)

 

 

 

uote name='Bobj' date='Jun 20 2007, 02:59 AM' post='755416']

Here you go, mate:

http://www.fishing.spirita.net/tackle/humm...-fishfinder.htm

 

 

The company link referred to is not supplied from the UK. I can only warn again - Buying fom the US has these disadvantages :-

 

1) You stand a 50/50 chance of having the parcel impounded by customs & face a possible fine because units made for sale in the US are NOT CE approved - It is illegal to import OR use products that are not CE approved, CE products are made on seperate production to the European specification.

 

2) US warranty is one year & is held with the company you bought from - i.e. the US retailer so that you have to return it to the US. Compare this with 2 years in the UK (units are built to the higher spec required by CE regulation so are built to a higher spec)

 

3) Units (where applicable) are not compatible with EU charts & measurement criteria.

 

To declare my interest - Johnson Outdoors are the owners of Humminbird - We benefit whether you buy in the UK or the US so have no axe to grind other than the fact that if you ignore the above then you take the chances associated with this. The strong $/£ rate makes it look attractive to buy from the States.....it could be an expensive 'saving' particularly if confiscated by HM Customs & Excise.- You have no recourse in this case...I explain this to a number of people literally every week - We cannot help if it is an illegal import!.The US seller probably doesn't even know about EU regulations so is unlikely to admit to an illegal import if it means that he will be fined - if he does know & sends anyway he is putting the risk on to the end customer.....that would be you!

 

Regards

 

Andrew

Johnson Outdoors UK (owners of Humminbird + all products on www.johnsonoutdoors.co.uk)

 

 

 

uote name='Bobj' date='Jun 20 2007, 02:59 AM' post='755416']

Here you go, mate:

http://www.fishing.spirita.net/tackle/humm...-fishfinder.htm

[Mark Crame]

That's right. Now, my personal budget for 'luxuries' is not very large and the US purchase appealed to me - especially as a mate could have brought it over for me - but when I read that post it occurred to me that really the two-year warranty was worth the extra i'd have to shell out as I would be putting the finder through beach launches where it was likely to get wet - and it does, very. The support and piece of mind for what was, for me, a large purchase more than outweighs the price difference, the other considerations aside of course.

[Elton]

Turbo,

 

Simple solution: think of what other stuff you could do with (there are some seriously nice reels available in the USA). Get those items and, with the money you save, buy your electronics from the UK.

 

A few people thought they'd save money on the SmartCasts when they launched in the UK, by buying from the US. As I understand it, not only do you get all the pitfalls above, but the US ones also work on a frequency that is illegal in the UK.

 

Quick edit: yep, just found this on the Johnson Outdoors site - http://www.johnsonoutdoors.co.uk/humminbird/humminbird.htm

[Plugger]

I'm also off to the states in November and intend to get a fishfinder. Check out the Cabela's website, its got lots of background info on what to look for in a fishfinder and also lots of fishing tackle. I generally place an order from them when I go over and get them to deliver to the hotel. I guess it is a risk that the unit is faulty but at half-price I'm going to risk it.

 

http://www.cabelas.com/

 

If your wife is mobile check out the locations of Bass pro shops (on their website) and she may be able to collect one

 

Plugger

[Turbo]

Thanks for your replies, looks like I will have to save harder and buy one in the UK ! Will have to make do with some quiksilver t shirts then !! Thanks again Martin.

[paintfly]

Thanks for your replies, looks like I will have to save harder and buy one in the UK ! Will have to make do with some quiksilver t shirts then !! Thanks again Martin.

 

Good move. Just want to reiterate the potential problems you could be setting yourself up for if you buy from the US. FF's take a hell of a lot of abuse on a yak and I reckon the 2 yr warranty is easily worth the extra you pay in the UK. I can't go into details, as J.O. have specifically asked me not to, but basically, I made the mistake of buying what seemed like a bargain and when things turned ugly Johnsons made all my problems disappear when they didn't have to and for no charge. If you haven't realised what a helpful and supportive company they are, both to individuals and our sport in general, you haven't been paying attention.

[Mark Crame]

If you haven't realised what a helpful and supportive company they are, both to individuals and our sport in general, you haven't been paying attention.

 

And he's not the only one to experience it...

 

Finder gets condensation. I mention it online - pm later on to say bring it in, as many times as neccesary if it happens again. Mention i've squashed my hull - pm later on to say bring it in. It helps that I am not too far from HQ so I can indeed get over there although as yet I haven't done so with either as the former seems to be ok right now and the latter I got sorted and kept on eye on. Bending over backwards is not just something the husbands amongst us do!!