Forward Sonar Update Needed

[Seevee]

Can we discuss the options for forward sonar... specifically for rock and shallow water avoidance?


Choices today are (in the order of best reviews):


Echo Pilot
Cost between $2000 to $10,000, made in Finland.
Garmin Panoptix
Cost $1500
Simrad Forward Sonar
Cost $500 to $800 or so


I've had the Simrad, and not going to get another. It was too unreliable. Didn't work when needed the most, and support was non existent, fought it for several months and no help.


I'm getting mixed info on Panoptix from the Garmin techs and seems like some have no clue and others just don't understand what it does.


Don't have any current info on Echo Pilot.


I like to venture into neat coves and areas where the bottom is unknown and often find great anchorages and neat places.... but there's a risk of hitting something. One can take the dink out and explore, but time consuming.


Thoughts?

 

[rsn48]

Garmin, 8 knots or less, out to something like 100 -150 yards. It is a valuable tool when you are travelling slow because of worries about shifting shoals, uncharted or poorly charted areas (we have them up here on the Left Coast). It is good for debris in the water, we have lots of logs along some areas of coastal BC.

It is wonderful for gunkholing in locations you are nervous about, you creep in slowly and scan around with the sonar. You can do something like a machine gun sweep of the area, boat stopped, bow thruster moving the bow only while you read the sonar results of the area. Then creep in another 100 yards and repeat. Or you can enter your desired "nervous" location at 3 knots and read what's going on in front of you.

Great for shifting sandbar type locations.

 

[twistedtree]

Can we discuss the options for forward sonar... specifically for rock and shallow water avoidance?


Choices today are (in the order of best reviews):


Echo Pilot
Cost between $2000 to $10,000, made in Finland.
Garmin Panoptix
Cost $1500
Simrad Forward Sonar
Cost $500 to $800 or so


I've had the Simrad, and not going to get another. It was too unreliable. Didn't work when needed the most, and support was non existent, fought it for several months and no help.


I'm getting mixed info on Panoptix from the Garmin techs and seems like some have no clue and others just don't understand what it does.


Don't have any current info on Echo Pilot.


I like to venture into neat coves and areas where the bottom is unknown and often find great anchorages and neat places.... but there's a risk of hitting something. One can take the dink out and explore, but time consuming.


Thoughts?

I see Echo Pilot was acquired by a Danish company a few years ago, but they are originally UK based.


I think what's missing from your list are search light sonars. I think they offer the best performance, but are commensurately more expensive. Cost installed is probably $15-$20k.

 

[MYTraveler]

I was just on my buddy's boat with Panoptix. We both concluded it is junk -- worse than nothing as it gives a false sense of security. It really comes down to a true searchlight sonar (like the furuno CH250, or the current model CH700?) or nothing. If the boat's mission includes fishing, it is worth the investment. If gunkholing is the only use, probably still worthwhile. The boats that were the subjects of recent threads about hitting "unmarked" shoals, could have easily avoided those shoals with a searchlight sonar (but it seems in at least most such cases careful reading of a current chart would have been a much less expensive way to avoid the problem).

 

[Lepke]

When I was commercial fishing, I knew a few people that used a regular depth sounder with the transducer mounted in the curve of the bow at 45°. I never used it, but it was claimed to work well.

 

[Seevee]

Garmin, 8 knots or less, out to something like 100 -150 yards. It is a valuable tool when you are travelling slow because of worries about shifting shoals, uncharted or poorly charted areas (we have them up here on the Left Coast). It is good for debris in the water, we have lots of logs along some areas of coastal BC.

It is wonderful for gunkholing in locations you are nervous about, you creep in slowly and scan around with the sonar. You can do something like a machine gun sweep of the area, boat stopped, bow thruster moving the bow only while you read the sonar results of the area. Then creep in another 100 yards and repeat. Or you can enter your desired "nervous" location at 3 knots and read what's going on in front of you.

Great for shifting sandbar type locations.

rsn48,
How long have you had one and what's your personal experience with it?

 

[Simi 60]

When I was commercial fishing, I knew a few people that used a regular depth sounder with the transducer mounted in the curve of the bow at 45°. I never used it, but it was claimed to work well.

Have heard same.
Given how shite fwd sonars have been (we had interphase) couldn't be any worse.

 

[JDCAVE]

I might be off-base here, but my experience with imaging Sounders directed horizontally is: you cannot discern depth, only range. Make sure you understand what you are buying before you purchase.

Jim

 

[OldDan1943]

I have considered such 'magic'.
Rumors: New owners of this magical fwd looking sounder have been known to think they are now invincible and overrun the sonar, coming to a complete and sudden, unexpected halt resulting in hull damage plus interior chaos
Rumor: A large boat, some how hooked it to the throttles and transmission, same results, hull damage even chaos.

I have talked with owners' and they all indicated, it is of questionable value. Some mentioned it was more of a distraction because their eyes were glued to the display, missing other signs of concern and or danger.
Sooooo, at best, it is one more tool to be used, with great caution.
I guess I will take a pass on it.

 

[rsn48]

If people will look at the video I provided you will see the Garmin forward sonar can look up to a depth of 300 feet which is adequate since you are using it to locate obstacles that are at very shallow depths.

Over running the sonar: Again Garmin is good to 8 knots, the only reason I'd be doing 7 - 8 knots using it when cruising here in coastal BC is for logs and crap in the water which we get a lot here. You don't leave this sonar on full time, its really meant to be turned on once you get to a questionable area. Again, the primary purpose of this sonar is for gunkholing, which again if you watch the video is the scenario provided. So why anyone would over run the sonar in this scenario is a mystery to me and makes me question there intelligence.

were glued to the display, missing other signs of concern and or danger

Again if gunkholing, what is a worse danger than something shallow in the water. So if gunkholing you should be paying attention to what the sonar is saying. Needless to say, you would be looking out at what is in front of you and over to the sonar to make sure the way is clear.

New technology acceptance: I find some technologies are easily accepted, some aren't. Forward looking sonar is useful in gunkholing and areas where the situation below the water can shift, that's pretty much it. Oh, and logs in the water, mostly a PNW problem, definitely not an East coast concern.

My boat came out of refit last August and pretty much everything in the boat is new, so I have used the forward sonar but more to just test it to ensure it works as I check out everything else on the boat.

 

[OldDan1943]

RSN48, I agree, slow speed looking for obstacles. Placement of the display would be crucial allowing to shift your eyes and not your head, IMO
I cant see running at speed and feeling confident and or invincible.