Complete newbie needs depth finder help

[pikowill]

Hi all! I am a total sailing newbie, so please forgive my profound and impressive ignorance! My SO is the sailor in the family, and we have just acquired a boat...an old 27' sailboat we will mostly be using in and around the Chesapeake Bay...

This boat comes from the father of a family friend -- he was very old school and sailed in waters he'd known all his life...so apparently we have zippo in terms of gps, depth finder, etc etc. (I do not think there's even a compass aboard).

I'd love to get my SO a depth finder (and/or gps) for our upcoming wedding anniversary, and figured this would be the best place to get advice!

We are not planning any extended sails any time soon (perhaps I should learn to sail first, you think?) and I don't have an unlimited budget...but something to keep us out of trouble on good day sails in the area...

Help! And thanks in advance for welcoming a newbie! I will read and learn...

[Ex-Calif]

Hi there and welcome aboard! Good luck and have fun with your new boat this summer.

Purists might point you to traditional sailing equipment for depthsounders like Raymarine. But for a budget minded person someone suggested to me to check out using a fishfinder. Most all of them have a depth readout and you get the bonus of a graphical depiction of the bottom.

They are very cheap at the low end. Also mounting a depth sounder usually means hauling the boat out to drill a hole (if one doesn't exist) and inserting the transducer that picks up the depth.

Some fishfinders use a transducer that mounts on the transom (or back end) of the boat. Tis may save you having to haul the boat and drill a hole.

Here is a link to a list of fish finders.

Fishfinders & Depth Sounders - BoatersWorld.com

This particular one also has adjustable alarms for shallow and deep water and the display looks like you don't have to drill a big mounting hole on the boat.

Garmin FishFinder 140 - 010-00460-00 - BoatersWorld.com

Good Luck!

[Liberty28]

Pick up a little Hummingbird at...

Amazon.com: Humminbird PiranhaMax 210 Fish Finder: Electronics

That's all you need for depth, contrary to what many might suggest.

BTW, you're a very thoughtful companion to your SO!

Cheers.

[pikowill]

Perfect! Thank you both SO much!!!

[sailorozz]

I mounted a fishfinder in the bow of the boat using 2part epoxy.Using a lg. ring to hold the epoxy for a level mount,press the transduser in with out air bubbles under it.The sensitivity is slitly effected but stillworked great!

[perchance]

Most fish finders can be mounted inside the boat using the proper goo. I mounted mine inside the wet locker ahead of the old transducer which is mounted in a well. Make sure you mount it away from anything that will cause turbulence outside the hull as it will cause erroneous readings. The diameter of the sensing cone can also be an issue as healing the boat will cause it to stare off into space.