Setting up my boat electronics

[Mnpt]

I have a few different graphs and a new trolling motor and I'm wondering what you think the optimal setup is with what I currently have. Below are the graphs and trolling motor I have.  

 

Humminbird Helix 12 Mega SI G2N (no chip installed yet)

Humminbird Helix 10 SI (Not sure what Gen but has networking capability.  Model # is 409990-1)  Lakemaster V7 chip

Humminbird Helix 10 Sonar (Not sure what Gen but has networking capability.  Model # is 409960-1)  Lakemaster V5 chip installed

Humminbird Helix 7 SI Gen 1 (No networking ability) Navionics chip installed

Minn Kota Ulterra 112 thrust trolling motor with Ipilot LINK and Mega DI

 

The Helix 12 and trolling motor are new.  I had the 7 SI on my previous boat and recently picked up the 10s as a package used for a decent price.   

 

I appreciate any input you have on:

 

1. How I should utilize what I have above?  (Anything I should get rid of or don't need?)

2. Which unit I should have linked to the Ipilot LINK?

3. What do you recommend for the console/front/back of the boat and how to use when fishing?

4. Which transducers would you use and where? (Do I need more than 1 SI transducer mounted-have 3 but one is a mega, one is a larger one for the 10 SI and the 7 SI transducer is smaller)

5. Which units should have/need Lakemaster chips? (I only have 2 that are different versions as of this point) I know it is needed for ipilot link but anything else they are needed for?

6. Any units I don't need or should get rid of? Four units seem like a lot but maybe not?

7. I believe I will need to get a network hub but is there anything else I need or that you would recommend to get the most out of what I have?

8. When these units are networked, what kind of information can I expect to get from them being networked and how should I utilize the information?

 

Sorry for all of the questions, but I really want to try and get this right the first time.  I primarily fish a larger body of water (Mille Lacs) for small mouth if it matters. I am fairly new to fishing and am hoping the new setup can help me in getting on fish.

 

BTW-my boat is a four corner fishing pontoon and I will likely have friends fishing with my on all four corners at various times.  My wife wanted something comfy and multi purpose and wasn't as much interested in our main boat being a bass boat given how quick the weather can change.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a bass boat in the future but I think I need to get better at fishing before she would consider letting me getting something more specific.  

 

James

 

 

 

 

 

[Fishes in trees]

Did you buy all that stuff on-line from strangers?  I'm thinking that if I bought that much electronics from a local or relatively local dealer, installation and instruction would be part of the deal.

[Mnpt]

I had the 7 on my previous boat that I sold. I bought the trolling motor new, then realized my 7 wouldn’t network to it so I started looking at other options. Got a good deal from a local guy on the 12 new  ($1,300). Apparently, it came on his new boat but he was a Garmin guy so he had the dealer pull it off. Stumbled across an ad from another local guy last weekend on the 10s with the chips for $1,200 (he was looking to go to Lowrance) and figured it is hard to pass up that deal. I was considering another networked GPS up front, but figured this was pretty much 2 for the price of one. 

 

I did not plan on mounting all 4, but figured I would try to get some advice on what others would use/sell and what way to configure things. 

 

I don’t think I would have a problem figuring out how to connect things together, but I am wondering what might be the best set up as far as the location of units. Networking and having more than one graph is new to me. 

 

 

[Tennessee Boy]

Welcome to the forum!   

 

I have never fished out of a pontoon boat so I don't know that I can offer any suggestions on that aspect.  I personally would spend the money to network everything.   A network switch will cost you around $220 and all the cables needed will cost another $200 - $250 depending on if you network all the units and how long the cables are.  With a network switch,  you will connect the i-pilot link cable to the network switch and you will be able to control it from every fishfinder on the network.   I have Humminbird Solix units so I'm not sure exactly what all you can share with networked Helix.  You can certainly share waypoints and I would expect that you would be able to view sonar data from any unit on any other unit that is capable of displaying it.  I don't think you can view side imaging on the one Helix 10 you listed that does not do SI but you could with the others.    

 

I would consider installing RAM mounts with power and networking at each corner of the boat where someone might be fishing, and at the console. Then you can move them around until you find our what works best for you.  The network switch has five connections so you can network the trolling motor and the three network ready units and still have one unused port.  I would run two network cables to the console and buy an extra power cable so you can run two units at the console when you want.  I would use the one Helix 10 that does not have SI on the trolling motor because the TM transducer will not do SI.  

 

Once you start using Lakemaster maps you will probably have no use for the Navionic chip. ?

 

Good Luck.  You will have a very well equipped pontoon boat when you're done. 

[Mnpt]

59 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Welcome to the forum!   

 

I have never fished out of a pontoon boat so I don't know that I can offer any suggestions on that aspect.  I personally would spend the money to network everything.   A network switch will cost you around $220 and all the cables needed will cost another $200 - $250 depending on if you network all the units and how long the cables are.  With a network switch,  you will connect the i-pilot link cable to the network switch and you will be able to control it from every fishfinder on the network.   I have Humminbird Solix units so I'm not sure exactly what all you can share with networked Helix.  You can certainly share waypoints and I would expect that you would be able to view sonar data from any unit on any other unit that is capable of displaying it.  I don't think you can view side imaging on the one Helix 10 you listed that does not do SI but you could with the others.    

 

I would consider installing RAM mounts with power and networking at each corner of the boat where someone might be fishing, and at the console. Then you can move them around until you find our what works best for you.  The network switch has five connections so you can network the trolling motor and the three network ready units and still have one unused port.  I would run two network cables to the console and buy an extra power cable so you can run two units at the console when you want.  I would use the one Helix 10 that does not have SI on the trolling motor because the TM transducer will not do SI.  

 

Once you start using Lakemaster maps you will probably have no use for the Navionic chip. ?

 

Good Luck.  You will have a very well equipped pontoon boat when you're done. 

Thanks for the response!

 

My initial thought was the 12 SI at the console, the 10 Sonar up front (with the TM) and the other 10 SI at the back. Thought about trading my 7 SI for maybe a 5 G2N so I can maybe just have a mapping GPS at the console next to my 12 SI to look at while looking for structure. I suppose I could possibly do that without the networking on my 7 with the navionics chip too though. 

 

I was also considering the option of the 12 SI and 10 SI at the console so I could use one looking to the left and the other to the right but I’m not sure I need that being somewhat new to fishing. I’m also not sure if there is a point in having the 2nd SI in the back a little behind the console. 

 

My 7 SI came with the navionics chip which is why I have that. Doesn’t work for the network so I’ll likely give that to my brother in law. I think I will need a lake master chip for each unit I network but am not sure. 

[Tennessee Boy]

It depends on how you fish.  I think having two units at the console, one for sonar and one for mapping is probably the most beneficial use of an extra unit.

[813basstard]

I personally don’t think you have enough electronics. I say you get a projector and show random sporting activities on it. Followed by cheering, weird high fives and cold ones. Forget the fish

[Mnpt]

Not necessarily looking to use all of them.... trying to figure out what to use and what to get rid of. 

 

It is a lot easier to bring friends out and fish 4-5 people on a pontoon than a bass boat so a bass boat doesn’t make much sense for us right now. Not sure if you are familiar with Lake Mille Lacs, but it isn’t the best lake for a bass boat either given it’s size and how quickly conditions can change. 

[gim]

That’s not true. They had 2 AOY bassmaster elite events out there and those 21 foot fiberglass rigs did just fine. In serious waves I would think a deep V might do better but no way a pontoon is a better fishing vessel than a bass boat. Pontoons are ideal as a party barge.

[Mnpt]

On 5/10/2019 at 6:34 PM, gimruis said:

That’s not true. They had 2 AOY bassmaster elite events out there and those 21 foot fiberglass rigs did just fine. In serious waves I would think a deep V might do better but no way a pontoon is a better fishing vessel than a bass boat. Pontoons are ideal as a party barge.

I was there for the AOY. Not sure if you know much about the lake but it is 132,000 acres and is around 40ft at its deepest. Most is less than 30’. The conditions change quick and it can be dangerous on the lake. Sure, bass boats can work on the lake, but it is much easier to bring 4-5 people out on a party barge than to get people out on a bass boat-especially when it isn’t very calm. Many look at the deep V as ideal, but the wife wanted a pontoon so that’s what I’m working with. She’d let me get a bass boat too, but I know she’d be telling me that she wants to go out in the pontoon and it would sit most of the time. 

 

For my setup, I decided to go with the 12 SI G2N at the console and a 10 SI G2N up front. Didn’t need the SI up front but got it for the price of the DI.  Will use the mega DI on the trolling motor up front and will be unloading my Gen 1 10 SI and 10 DI. 

 

Any my thoughts on a 2nd smaller graph (7 maybe) up front just for looking at the map?