Humminbird Matrix 47 3D fishfinder

[dizzyfish]

Mark/SpeciMan - Many thanks for your help. Mark - I could not access the URL (think I have join the anglersafloat forum, which might be a good idea anyway) - but it sounds like your friend may have some answers - I would be grateful if he could help me. The 900 series are much wider across and I don't think this size would lend itself to mounting on a kayak - especially if trying to use the sonar shield on a trident. Take your point about mounting on the bottom of the kayak - I would also be worried that it would possibly rip off.

 

However, I did wonder if it would fit in the transducer enlarged scupper hole with a bit of trimming !!! There is an optional plastic through hull transducer available for the 797 SI (XPTH9 HDSI 180T - catchy eh !) and it measures 6 inches long by 3 inches wide (think the stem is 3 or 4 inches) - I don't know if this is too big ? As you say, the only other option is to mount on an arm (or maybe a rudder ?). Any thoughts ?

 

Does not sound like anyone is using the fully fledged side imaging units (as opposed to the 3D matrix models - only have a 53 degree window - and the side view shown on the portable unit you mentioned) on a kayak. The trouble is, that after seeing the results obtained with the proper SI units, I would really like one (call it sonar envy !!!).

[SpeciMan]

After seeing the demos and contacting a few people who had them (on boats) I also wanted a 900 series side imaging sonar. But, the price was just too much & I questioned how practical it would be on a kayak given its size. For a UK spec top of the range 900 series you're looking at around £1800 once you've bought the Navionics charts for it. Shame you can't hire them out - I'd use it to recce my local fishing grounds & put the co-ords on my chartplotter. With technology you get more features/higher specs for the money over time. Side imaging is trickling down to the mid range units (be interested to see how 700 compare to the 900 series).

 

Bear in mind the amount of power these units will draw - I'd imagine the you'd need a minimum of 12amp for something like the 900 series & perhaps quite a bit more for a weekends fishing.

 

If I can find the pic I'll post it up of a kayak in the states with a plastic pipe and bends to mount the tranducer outside the kayak. One end of the pipe was placed in a rear flushmount holder with the transducer on the other end angled over the side in the water. Looked like a neat solution and he could easily lift the transducer out of the water when he didn't want the drag whilst paddling.

[richi]

very valid point about the drag SpeciMan, a couple of kayaks ago when I had a OK Caper I tried the Cuda 128 with the puck in the water held by a bracket I made out of an old beach tripod and the drag I got from that little puck was surprising

 

 

I was keen on the side imaging unit but wanted the puck in the scupper hole

[dizzyfish]

The 797 SI has a narrower screen than the 997 and the power output is only (!) 400W on the 797. I also believe that the 997 has two SD card slots (whereas the 797 only has one) - this does not sound like a big deal - but actually, it does make a bit of a difference as you will see below. Both units have the ability to display Navionics marine charts (GPS built in) - but in the UK, the CE versions of the fishfinder do NOT inlcude the NVB variant. The NVB variant (in the US) has the Navionics maps pre-loaded on the unit's firmware (ie. not on an SD card). So in the UK, in order to get the Navionics maps working on the 797 or 997, you have to purchase a Navionics SD card with the UK Marine maps loaded on it (approx. £180 for UK chart - 28XG). I also believe that the maps are encrypted - so you cannot copy them to another SD card (ouch !). Anyway, back to the original point - if you have the maps loaded on the Navionics card, you cannot save SONAR screenshots or record/save to the same card (the firmware will not let you in case the maps get deleted I suspect). Not the end of the world, but a bit of a pain. With the 997, you could put another SD card in the other slot and record to this (or perhaps you just need to get out more !).

 

As regards power the 797 SI only draws 650mA so that is not really an issue.

 

797i SI still seems like a great option (you really need to check out some of the images - 480 feet of high res. coverage !!!) except for the price (£999) and the fact that it seems difficult to attach the transducer to a kayak. I still think there might be a way of attaching the plastic through the hull transducer (XPTH9 HDSI 180T) into the scupper hole - you lot seem very resourceful - I am sure someone can think of a good way of doing this (blimey - if you can attach a min Kota to one then a transducer should not be a problem) !!!!!

[SpeciMan]

Dizzyfish you sound like me when I looked into this but have gone one stage further! The difference you mention between the US and UK models is important - would be good to save your scans for onland analysis and its a shame they don't offer a UK version preloaded with Navionics - if the UK version is really the EU version there may not be enough memory to hold the charts.

 

I think the 997 has the ability to take two tranducers. If funds were unlimited I'd get the 977 and mount a standard transducer inside the hull and the side scan on a pipe as I have suggested. When side scan is needed just set the finder to that transducer and twist the pipe so its in the water.

 

Shame about the price, we can buy a mid to high end laptop for similar money and have enough change to buy a kayak!

 

As you mention the 797si still looks like a good option. I don't have conventional scupper holes on my kayak, so it would be dunked over the side and lifted out when not in use. Not a big deal as when I've found interesting features I'd mark them on the plotter. Be good to see one in action. Perhaps you will be first I know of to fit a side scan finder on their kayak

Edited February 5, 2008 by SpeciMan

[dizzyfish]

Speciman - I thought that the best thing about the 797 SI, was that if you see a feature on the side imaging view - eg. a rocky outcrop 200 feet to the right of the boat - you can move the cursor to the feature on the screen and create a waypoint (I believe that it works out the offset) - then you can navigate to that exact point. Given that the side imaging can scan 480 feet (240 feet either side of the boat) - that is a really powerful feature. Something that I don't think any other fishfinder can do. As you say - its a shame about the price - could buy a Trident for that money and still have change.

 

Thinking about the Navionics charts - if you had the side imaging switched on then you would probably not need to see the charts - so it would be just as easy to take out the SD card containing the charts and pop in your own SD card and record the information to that instead. Having seen alot of screenshots of the side imaging, the quality seems amazing, the nautical chart becomes a bit redundant.

 

I am hoping to get a 797 for my dinghy - with the standard transducer - my hope is that someone maybe with a Trident could have a look at the plastic through the hull transducer and see if there is any way it could be fitted to the transducer enlarged scupper hole - failing that your suggestion of a movable arm would work. Maybe something similar to the rudders with a pulley system ?

[SpeciMan]

I saw the demo clip where they created a waypoint as you mention. It looked very impressive. I wonder how accurate the coordinates are in practice? If they're spot on then this is a leap forward in fishfinder/plotter technology.

 

Finally found the link: http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/v...?t=73286#664486

 

It would be worth contacting Johnson Outdoors UK (http://www.johnsonoutdoors.co.uk/contactus.htm) to find out if the transducer fits the scupper recess - however as Richi mentions above (he has a 700 series unit) he wanted his to fit in the scupper hole and didn't get the side scan unit (he has a Trident).

Edited February 5, 2008 by SpeciMan

[dizzyfish]

Thanks for the link - there is always a way ! I reckon if the scupper mounting is not a winner, then something along similar lines to the images in the link but maybe with a narrower diameter tube (less drag) and moveable.

 

As you said if money was no object, it would be great to fit the quad transducer in the scupper hole and the side imaging transducer on an arm (the 797 appears to support the use of both transducers). Now just have to win the lottery.

[SpeciMan]

Thats good news if the 797 supports both transducers - you're getting me interested in buying one now - if they work as advertised the potential of such a unit is huge Cheapest (UK) I've seen is around £900 without charts.

[dizzyfish]

I have asked Humminbird to send me the dimensions of the plastic through the hull transducer - watch this space.