Topic: Side imaging unit on a small 14ft boat?

[ttype86]

So Im new here, just wanted some input from you side imaging guru's on if you think installing a side imaging unit on my little 14ft boat would be worth it. Its a 14ft semi v. I am a crappie guy and spend a lot of time in 15-20ft of water and do a lot of vertical jigging. I run a 5hp motor and usually dont even bring my trolling motor anymore. I am on the simple side for sure, but I fish this setup weekly and always catch plenty of crappie and the occasional walleye. I fish several lakes large and small. Im not affraid to take this boat to any lake. Currently Im running a 345c rigged up with a portable pack and suction cup mount. Like I said I like to keep things simple and let my catching do the talking. Id like to upgrade to a 5" screen. Cant go any bigger because I want the finder to fit in my portable pack that came with the 345c. I do not want a gps combo unit if thats even an option on these si units. I use a handheld with navionics and it works great. I was looking at the DI unit (678c hd di), But the more I look at this side imaging stuff, the more curious I get. I am thinking it may help locate target areas much faster than just 2d or down imaging. I never gave it the time of day before because it looked too difficult and fancy to me. But after driving around in circles mapping out areas a lot in the last couple years, I think I may see the advantage.

So my question is would a side imaging unit be a good idea for my boat and my style? Am I going to have trouble with transducer placement? Would I need 2 transducers? Is a suction cup mount an option for these side imaging units? I dont want a headache over it. I like to be able to stick the ducer on via suction cup mount and go. Its worked great with my 345c for years. Or do you think with my style im better off just buying the 678c hd di? The 678 is Just 2d and down imaging. Any tips are welcome.

[N9Phil]

Ttype86, I fish out of a 14 ft boat and I use an 1198 with a 360 transom mount and a 80# Terova i-link system.   I mainly troll for Walleye and crappie.  I recommend that whatever you get you get the largest screen that your budget allows.   It is not a problem to remove the electronics off the boat when you get off the water.  As far a side imaging goes it is probably the best upgrade to start with.  You can cruise the lake and spot fish off to the side and go back to catch them.  Many times I will be trolling along and I will see a school of fish off to the side and when you go back you nail them.  I have a friend that likes to go by others that are sitting a spot and with the side imaging he is able to see what they are sitting over.  You them can mark the location on your graph and you have the way point for next time out.   As far as mounting the transducer I use one of those transducer boards on the back of the boat and leave the transducer mounted all the time. If you get a new transducer or have to move it a little you are not putting new holes in the boat.
Phil

[ttype86]

Im worried about the motor being in the way of one of the side imaging cone angles. On my boat, the motor sits very close to back of the boat. I dont see how I could run a side imaging unit without 2 transducers. And I do not want to mess with a 2 transducer setup, plus that adds cost. Id have to look at the back of other ppls boats with SI to confirm, but I have a suspicion that on most boats, there is more space between the hull and the motor allowing the transducer to ping between the 2 and off to that side without an issue. Id love to have SI, but maybe Ill just buy the DI unit. Another thing that bugs me, is they dont offer a SI unit WITHOUT gps. Id be paying A lot extra for a feature I dont want.

[Rickard]

Hi,
Have you considered mounting the transducer on a pole to the side of the hull, a few feet ahead of the transom? This is what I do with a 12ft foldable boat. If the transducer is mounted as deep as the keel the SI beam that goes under the hull will be free from obstacles (and reflections from waves are eliminated in that direction which gives cleaner images). The pole arrangement cause some drag at speed, but I don't travel faster than 4 mph while using SI.

Rickard

[N9Phil]

You might consider raising the motor up a notch or two.  This will get it away from the boat slightly and since you are not trying to get your boat on plain it shouldn’t slow your boat much.    As far as the GPS in the depth finder, this is a plus.  It allows you to set a way point that is off to the side or if you can record your info you can remove the chip that you have recorded to and see it on your computer and using a program like HumViewer you are able to  view your recorded info and get the GPS settings where something shows up.  This feature is fantastic because you will see structure and fish off to the side that you didn't see while you were on the water.

Phil

[ttype86]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I dont doubt that gps is a plus, but I use a lowrance handheld. I like this setup because then I can use the handheld for ice fishing too and it has all my waypoints stored from summer. Besides, the lakes I fish arent very big anyway. I never thought of the pole setup.