Not "trawler" related but at least it has to do with fish, which is more than we can say for the "trawlers" most of us here have.
We need to replace the 25 year-old depth recorder that we installed on our 17' Arima fishing boat when we bought it new in 1987. The depth sounder/fish finder, a Lowrance X-50, has served us well but now the display--- which is not adjustable for brightness or contrast--- has started to fade to the point where it is becoming difficult to read on even overcast days.
So we're going to replace it. Even if it was fixable the cost of doing so would be a big chunk of the cost of a new, state of the art unit with all the technological advances that have occurred sine the mid-80s.
The question is with what. My inclination is to go with a new Lowrance unit since our first one worked so well for us all these years. We do not need a plotter function--- the Arima has a new-last-year Standard Horizon C-Map plotter which is terrific. So we're just looking for a fish/finder-depth sounder.
If anyone has had good or bad experiences with makes of fish/depth finders I'd be interested in hearing about it.
Remember, this is for a small, trailerabe fishing boat that is used exclusively for fishing. It is not a cruising boat. The fishing is done at depths ranging from 50' to 350.'
Thanks,
Marin