sstephenson

Thanks again for your help Andrew. I would have gone with the unit you linked, but as per my PM, my mobile phone and the West Marine website didn't play nice together and I couldn't get an order off in time. That'll be "the one that got away". Ouch. Still Lookin' !

No, I haven't given up completely on side scan, but I think based on my price point I'm pretty much out of that market. I'm thinking that with 10+ year technology lag of the old Bottom Line models, it probably makes sense to stick with a more modern downward scanning model in my price range.

Thanks so much for your in-depth responses Snakehead Whisperer! I had tried to find a manual for the Bottomline SF without success, so that was extremely helpful. Looks like the Bottomline unit does indeed do what I was looking for - detecting fish between bot and shore. Given that fact, an old unit may be a workable option. I am a bit concerned about things like the age of the unit (I don't know how old they are) and their reliability. Obviously there would be no warranty. I don't mean to put you on the spot, but given my intended use (float tube) would you go with an older Bottom Line unit or would you opt for a new Piranhamax color or Lawrence Elite-4? No pressure, and no blame-game later. I'm just trying to decide what would be best for my son. Thanks a ton, Steve

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess I'm starting to get the picture. If I've done my math right, dual frequency downward scanners are going to get you about a 60 degree scan cone. This means an 11.5 foot diameter cone at a depth of 10 feet, a 23 foot diameter cone at 20 feet, 34.6 diameter cone at 30 feet, etc. Not very useful information from a float tube unless you're planning on bottom fishing directly beneath your tube. It appears that side scanning units (as you have both pointed out) are well beyond my price point. I'm still curious about the older "Fishin' Buddy Sidefinder" units that I've seen on auction sites and whether or not there's anything special about them. Are they really side scanning? What's their cone detection angle? Are the single frequency?

My son has recently become quite the avid bass fisherman and has just started float tubing. I'd like to buy him a relatively inexpensive fish finder for Christmas to mount on his tube. Since he likes to float out on local lakes and cast back toward shore, I'm thinking a finder with side scanning capability is the way to go. I've looked into a few Humminbird models, but the only ones that I see in my price range ($100 to $225) appear to be discontinued (Fishin' Buddy 140c). Does anyone have a suggestion for a good side scan model in my price range that will work well mounted on a float tube? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!