General electronics advice, new boat

[RobA]

New member here.  I'm about to buy my first bass boat and have pretty much settled on a new Ranger RT178.  Now I need to pick electronics before looking for prices.  I'd like to have units at the console as well as at the bow.  The information out there is overwhelming.  I'm not looking for brand recommendations as much as general advice, experiences and pointers.  Ranger offers Garmin, Humminbird and Lowrance which is ok with me.

 

- I'll be mostly bass fishing in lakes and reservoirs.  No trolling.

- Are there any 'must have' features I should be looking for?  Screen size? Side imaging?  GPS?

- I'm assuming I should purchase the same brand for both units.  Do you agree?

- Does it make sense to get combo units for both console and bow?

- For side imaging does it make sense to have that only at the console?

- Like a lot of fishing gear the prices range from budget to really expensive.  I don't mind spending the money but the $2-3,000 units seem like they'd be beyond me and I wouldn't get my moneys worth out of it.  Have you been happy with your units?  Wished you spent more?  Found your units are overkill? 

- How difficult is it to install electronics?  I don't want to try to save some money by purchasing the units separately and then screw up the installation.  Seems like spending a little more and getting the units pre-installed might be the smartest thing.

 

Thanks for any help.

[padon]

buy the best you can afford. especially if your gonna be fishing offshore alot. i like humminbird but thats personal preference. i just think they are easier to use but all the major brands make good units. get side imaging on the back if you can afford it. down imaging on the front. gps with maps of your lakes are a must for offshore fishing for me. all this is my opinion and it depends on your lakes. the lakes i fish tend to be fairly deep and clear with alot of grass in the shallows. our fish tend to go deep offshore in summer so thats where the side imaging and gps come in.

[GaryH]

Brand is a personal preference as stated above I like humminbird. Pardon was spot on. DI on bow and SI on console if it's in your budget.

Make sure whichever ones you pick they communicate with your TM brand.

Definitely same brand for both. $ will determine the size. And yes have them installed with the purchase of the boat.

There are nice units out there that are fairly inexpensive and easy to use. One example would be Lowrance hook2 series.

 

 

[12poundbass]

Research all the brands, learn about the features each brand has. Go to a store and play around with them. 
 

I’m a budget guy and Garmin had the best bang for the buck. 

 

YouTube is your friend. 
 

The more reading and learning you do about the units you’re going to buy the happier you’ll be with your purchases. 

[Reel]

All that was said is spot on! If you buy two units, put a larger one in front.  You can get by with a 7 inch model for the console but I would buy bigger in front.  In order of importance, get GPS first, then DI and finally SI if your budget permits.

[Jig Man]

My advice is decide what you want a unit to do then see which works best for you.  As stated some brands can communicate with trolling motors.  Some can control shallow water anchors.

 

Regardless of the brand you choose, mapping is a must in today’s world as well as the units being able to share information via Ethernet.

[Boomstick]

I have a Garmin Echomap 93sv on my kayak. It has a pretty decent image, but not quite as good as Hummingbird. But it's pretty easy to use and once you get your settings right, you hardly have to change them with varying conditions. It was largely between Garmin for ease of use and Hummingbird for imaging quality for me - I ruled the Lowrance HDS out which has a fantastic screen but uses twice the battery of the same size Helix or EchoMap to power the extra pixels and I camp so that was a potential issue

 

As far as must have features, I would consider side imaging a must. You can cover a lot of water to find various structure points with side imaging that would take much longer to find without it, and in some cases might even be virtually impossible as you wouldn't be able to tell what's really going on there. Ideally, I would want side imaging on both units as you could be trolling around an area that has structure, but should you decide to save a little on the bow unit at least get side imaging on the console so you can find structure while driving your boat.

 

For screen size, a 7" and 9" unit will have the same number of pixels so the 7" will look clearer, but can also be harder to see in the sun, but I would want to go at least 7" - it will just be easier to see. You can get away with a smaller unit on the console as you're sitting in front of it, but up front you'll be around 6 feet away when you're standing.

 

If you go with the same brand on the bow and console, you can interface to one unit from the other to share waypoints. However, if you go with different brands you can take advantage of things that you like from each brand. I was watching an interview with a Pro, can't remember who for sure offhand but they run Lowrance, Garmin and Hummingbird units to take advantage of what each brand does well. For example a 9" Hummingbird console and a 7" Garmin on the bow could be decent. Your call which way to go, either is acceptable.

 

Finally, I think you are on the right idea that you don't need the absolute top of the line unit. In terms of Garmin, the Striker will give you sonar and downvu and sidevu depending which model you buy, and if you step up to the EchoMap that adds lake maps so you can find the depth of most lakes and that's pretty much everything you really need. The GPSMAP will have some more pixels, a fancier interface and you'll have to buy a transducer additionally, so it's a lot more expensive but you're getting what you really need on the 2nd tier (EchoMap, Helix, etc).

 

Anyway, I hope some of that helps.

[WRB]

What you don’t need; built in console unit.

What you do need; GPS, screen large enough to see with split screen for nav and sonar at the same time. 

Chirp to separate fish from cover, HD to run at the same time.

Scanning is a costly option that you can upgrade.

Compatible with your spit lock trolling motor, a must.

Good customer service is needed.

Tom

[TigerBassAU]

Advice: if you are financing the entire deal then getting everything installed by manufacture/dealer is probably a must but you can save a lot of money by taking a different rout. 

 

My must have list:

SI at the console with a linked unit at the bow of the same brand (waypoint sharing) with a minimum 2d sonar and lake mapping. 

Trolling motor with spot lock that will meet my fishing needs. A good onboard battery charger!  

 

My biggest regret: powerpoles. They are nice but I could live without them. 

 

My best advice would be figure out where you hope to be one day, what budget you have, and buy things that will get you there instead of having to replace what you have later. 

 

Humminbird has lake master maps of my lakes, only one that has 360, and will soon have mega live to compete with Garmin. If you want more than just the basics they are the best way to go presently. 

 

The larger sized units makes seeing thing much easier. I run 12 inch on console and 9 at bow. When I upgrade to to 360 I will want a 12 inch unit for it! But you could get by with only 9 inch units if you had too! 

 

 

 

 

[RobA]

Thanks for the replies.  As I research I'm realizing the list of electronics offered by Ranger is just ok.  I'm now leaning towards ordering a boat without electronics and buying/installing them separately.

[Jig Man]

1 hour ago, RobA said:

Thanks for the replies.  As I research I'm realizing the list of electronics offered by Ranger is just ok.  I'm now leaning towards ordering a boat without electronics and buying/installing them separately.

That would be a very good idea.  I’ve never seen a boat come from the factory with quality electronics.

[gim]

On 1/17/2021 at 7:14 AM, RobA said:

Thanks for the replies.  As I research I'm realizing the list of electronics offered by Ranger is just ok.  I'm now leaning towards ordering a boat without electronics and buying/installing them separately.

Roba, that is exactly what I would do. In fact, that’s exactly what I DID do in 2014 when I bought my 2015 Ranger RT178. I bought electronics on clearance ahead of time. Ranger had good customizing options for electronics but the up charge for them when you buy a boat is absurd. You can sniff out a deal somewhere else on your own and they will install it. Bear in mind that the console was limited to a 7 inch screen flush mounted on the 2015 model; I am not sure if that is still the case assuming you are buying a new one. I use Lowrance on mine but that’s primarily because I’ve been using them since 2001 and I am familiar with their operation.

 

I have found that a 7 inch high definition screen at the console of the RT178 to be adequate. You might want to go with a bigger one at the bow depending on what kind of mount you use.