2017 Tracker® Boats Pro Team™ 175 TXW

[Justbass11]

I just bought a 2017 Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW. It’s a Christmas give from my amazing wife. It has a small fish finder on the consul and bow. I’m looking at the  Lowrance HDS LIVE 9 Fish Finder/Chartplotter which is on sale at Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shop. ( it would be birthday gift but is in May) Anyway my question is would this make a good consul fishfinder? This is the max I would pay for a fishfinder, I’ll input would be appreciated thank you

 

[Susky River Rat]

I do not have any input but congrats on the boat enjoy it!

[gim]

Maybe I am wrong but if you primarily fish from the bow, you would want the live unit up there, not at the steering console.

[12poundbass]

You most definitely want that at the bow and save your money for one at the helm. 

[Justbass11]

@12poundbass @gimruis Which Lowrance would you put at the console? 

[gim]

10 minutes ago, Justbass11 said:

@12poundbass @gimruis Which Lowrance would you put at the console? 

 

You probably don't need a live unit there.  I would select one that obviously has GPS mapping, 2D sonar, side scan, etc.  Also, something to consider is the size of the screens.  A 9 inch unit may not even fit at the console of that boat.  My Ranger RT178 only allows a 7 inch unit to be flush mounted into it.

 

As for the unit itself, maybe an older HDS Carbon or one of the newer Reveal units would suffice at the console.  I believe the Carbon can be linked to the Live unit at the bow so you can share waypoints between the two.

[Justbass11]

My first choice was the RT 178 but I know I’ll love my tracker because I’ll be fishing again. 
I was thinking about the 7 inch unit too which your right about the 9 being to big for the boat. Thanks for the advice, I’ll being doing some more research. 

[12poundbass]

8 hours ago, Justbass11 said:

@12poundbass @gimruis Which Lowrance would you put at the console? 

Garmin Echomap ?

[WIGuide]

A lot of that decision is based on how you see yourself using your electronics. The 9 live is a great unit and I wouldn't hesitate putting it at the dash, but I do a considerable amount of idling looking at side imaging to locate cover, structure, and fish. If you don't see yourself doing that, maybe spending more on a console unit won't be as much of a benefit for you and splitting your budget for 2 decent units you can network could be a better option.   

[Woody B]

I've got a 7 inch live on the console on my Tracker Classic XL.   A 9 inch would be big on the small console.  I don't know how much bigger the console in on a 175.    I've got a 9 inch on the bow with active target.  I've also got a rugged android tablet at the console I use for maps.   Not the purpose of this picture but you can see the stuff here.  

 

[Deleted account]

Console and consul are two different words (three actually), One is a panel or bracket, the other is hooking up with the Naval Attaché...

[jhoffman]

After my experiences with Lowrance on my Skeeter they are literally the bottom of my list. I had not one but two brick on their updates right before tournaments I had to send back. Keep in mind, Ive worked in IT now for 18 years, BIG tech. If such a problem can present with a person like me the average person would be JACKED.

[gim]

10 minutes ago, jhoffman said:

I had not one but two brick on their updates right before tournaments

Perhaps try doing an update at another time instead of right before a tournament.  Just a suggestion.

[jhoffman]

7 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Perhaps try doing an update at another time instead of right before a tournament.  Just a suggestion.

Two weeks out should be plenty for a device that should update in under a minute. Maybe they should try hiring real developers instead of the lowest paid people they can find. Just a suggestion.

Furthermore they like to blame the end user for their garbage updates. At which point they expect you to upgrade the unit rather than they repair it on their dime.

Tell me youve never dealt with lowrance without telling me youve never dealt with lowrance.

[gim]

35 minutes ago, jhoffman said:

Two weeks out should be plenty for a device that should update in under a minute.

I don't consider 2 weeks prior to a tournament to be "right before a tournament."

 

I've never had an issue updating software on my Lowrance units in 21 years.  When I had an issue installing a new transducer, a technician walked me through it step by step until completion.  Its unfortunate that your experiences with them are less than ideal.  But I'm sure every single marine electronics company out there has its problems at some point.

 

Negative experiences like yours would likely drive me to seek an alternative.  The only reason I continue to use Lowrance is because I'm very familiar with their operating system and I've never encountered an issue.

 

[jhoffman]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I don't consider 2 weeks prior to a tournament to be "right before a tournament."

 

The problem stems from the fact once they enter the reboot loop the only option is to send it to if I remember correctly California. Which they then at the time sent it to Mexico. If and when the testing was complete you got a refurbished unit if you didnt pay to upgrade. About 6-8 weeks of running around with a gaping hole in your console/bow. 

Happened once and I wrote it off as a fluke. The second time it happened on a completely different update I was livid.

Lowrance was known for years to have these types of problems. My Skeeter dealer for a few years stopped installling all lowrances on new boats, they didnt even offer it. Hopefully they ironed it out but Im done. Never had a humminbird brick or a garmin.

[gim]

2 minutes ago, jhoffman said:

Hopefully they ironed it out

 

[70diesel]

I had that boat and here's what I ended up doing instead of buying two fish finders or two screens :

    You can put whatever finder you want just to the right of the wheel on the side of the dash where the old finder was. Then get RAM mount that swivels (https://www.amazon.com/RAM-Horizontal-Fishfinders-Chartplotters-RAM-109HU/dp/B001GLLF3I/ref=sr_1_6?crid=11T35X0WG305L&keywords=ram+mount+fishing&qid=1674269760&sprefix=ram+mount+fishing%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-6&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc)

This way you can look at the screen while driving then swivel it and rotate it to face the front of the boat. You can look back while fishing up front. It not that bad glancing back to see the screen.

[@reelChris]

The "1 graph on a swivel" method works great until you are navigating to waypoints from the bow while looking over your shoulder at a mirror image of what's in front so you should steer opposite than instincts tell you.