Depth sounder advice.

[SailRedemption]

Yep, I missed the wood part had I seen that I wouldn't have recommended the Hummingbird unit.

I know the maretron DST we installed came with a plastic thru-hull but we ordered a metal one because it is located forward of the keel and is exposed.

[David M]

Do you want a unit that just reads depth in order to save money?

I learn so much about the water column and the bottom by having a sounder that produces a picture. It's not just for fish but you can see the rate of change of the bottom, sand waves, types of bottom, haloclines, thermoclines and phyto and zooplankton. It's all interesting to me. In the big picture, they do not cost that much more than a sounder that just shows depth.

As has already been stated, Airmar has a selection of bronze and stainless steel transducers.

[dcstrng]

Originally Posted by Sauntress

There are no other electronics... two batteries with solar panel and regulator, handheld GPS and nowt else (unless you count a Walker trailing log, sextant, paper charts and so on).

Lovit -- we've now got a basic Signet that came with our boat, but other than some fishing boats that had "fish-finders" none of my boats had a depth/knot/whatever installed... Had a 42' Irwin that I used a sounding lead on (actually it was a small sledge-hammer on a knotted line), the last boats; none... although I have succumbed to the techno-gizmo and have a 72H GPS that is nice for navigation...

I like the little Signet -- just numbers, nothing fancy, but seems to work...

[Sauntress]

Aha! The truth is that since the echo sounder expired a few years back, I have done without. Where I sail, which is currently NW Spain, it is all mountains, rocks and fiendish headlands which you give, if wise, a wide (as in 5 miles) berth. BUT there is one estuary, winding, shallow and ill marked (friendly mud once in) where a sounder would be useful. Failing which, as you say, the lead line and bearings. I will now investigate Signet. Thank you.

[anchorbend]

Scroll down on the Signet page which shows a bronze transducer.

[Sauntress]

The signet is ideal for my purposes, fits where the old one went and has a long bronze stem to the transducer, which is needed due to the angle of the hull at that point. Job done.