forward looking depth sounders again

[Ric]

Usage

We had an Interphase Twinscope in boats from 1989-2010 and were very happy with it cruising in tropical waters and in the Pacific NW. When the last one failed, the company was out of action, so we bought an Echopilot 2D. Lacks the side scan mode and it doesn't look directly ahead (beam starts 30-45 degrees from water surface and sweeps to vertical) and the resolution isn't as high, but high enough to see your anchor as it is lowered. And it was around $1500, which was much more cost effective for something used intermittently. In general we use the system only for anchoring or when entering an area not clearly sounded on the charts. Great for finding shelf edges and slope gradients that help you figure out swing room during wind changes and falling tide. If you ever need the side-sweep view in a narrow channel, you can slow to a near-stop and swing the bow back and forth with the bow thruster.

 

[Alex F]

A term that I've heard here, in connection with some boating accidents, is when somebody's "driving the plotter" (instead of looking ahead, out the window).

New term for me too, but when bashing the "driving the plotter" operators, I think you have completely forgot that some people put tons of hours doing just that in poor or no visibility at all. Think of getting caught in thick fog, heavy rain and/or simply dark nights with no light pollution. Those are the times when you use the plotter(s) to "know" where you're going and the radar to "see" where you're going.

The "best combination" is dark night (no lighting from nearby land...think of rural areas of ICW) and heavy rain.

 

[ScottC]

New term for me too, but when bashing the "driving the plotter" operators, I think you have completely forgot that some people put tons of hours doing just that in poor or no visibility at all. Think of getting caught in thick fog, heavy rain and simply dark nights with no light pollution. Those are the times when you use the plotter(s) to "know" where you're going and the radar to "see" where you're going.

My point was that these people, involved in accidents, were "driving the plotter" to the exclusion of looking out the window (i.e. in fair weather). Sorry I didn't make that clear.

 

[Alex F]

My point was that these people, involved in accidents, were "driving the plotter" to the exclusion of looking out the window (i.e. in fair weather). Sorry I didn't make that clear.

Granted that on a clear day, a Nav equipment becomes an aid. But, it's important to have the reliable equipment and the knowledge to use it as primary navigation when looking out of the window doesn't present good picture for safe navigation.

Didn't mean to go off topic.....I'd love to hear and learn more about forward looking sounders. With exposed running gear I could use one.

 

[High Wire]

Would you trust it to keep you from running aground?

 

[Alex F]

Would you trust it to keep you from running aground?

All these years I've trusted my regular "down looking" sounder, which saved me countless times. Once we get to the point (and maybe we already there) where FWD looking sounders are reliable and I learn how to use it properly, of course I would trust it.

 

[mvweebles]

AlexF - you bring up a good point. Rather, I'd say you need to use all the tools available and adjust accordingly. While I have been in pea-soup fog, it's been rare. I recall exiting Ventura Harbor at around 4AM with fog to the deck and darkness too. Radar was much more useful than chart plotter. I would not have exited without radar. As far as just plain darkness, combination of ATON, radar, and chart-plotter (and/or chart); roughly in that order. Personally, at night, I think it especially important to spend more time looking out the window at ATONs (at least in a channel) than the chart plotter. Maybe if I were a pilot with instrument certification I'd have a different opinion, but I'm not.



I am just finishing having a Simrad setup installed with their lower-end forward scan tranducer. Was about $700 to add to the system with minimal add'l install cost due to other activities.



Here's a decent amateur review. First 5-mins is install, so fast forward to actual usage - pluses and minuses. If you fast forward to around 10-min mark, you will see a split screen of forward-scan and chart plotter. The narrator doesn't mention it, but clearly the chart plotter shows 18-feet whereas the depth shows 30-ish feet. My use-case is to crawl to the front of the anchorage ahead of the boats with open running gear who are skittish.

Peter

 

[mdstrum]

Super Happy with Simrad ForwardScan ...have had 5 years...very helpful when anchoring (we can see it dropping and on retrieval, great for exploring shoreline's and coves for anchoring and scuba as well....ps we side scan and pair just amazing together!

 

[Slider70]

If all of your boating is done in waters that you know well a forward looking sonar may not be of much value to you?

I have commercial fished the BC coast for 28 year and now pleasure boat. I am often in waters that I have never been in before on my upper coast. Exploring in areas that I find interesting. After 28 yrs commercial fishing & another 27 pleasure boating I have found many rocks not documented on our charts, or charts with just plain poorly documented depths.

Some areas, ones not often travelled, can be particularly poorly charted once out of the commonly travelled areas. We even have some areas on the West Coast of the Queen Charlotte Island that are yet to be completely charted.

Last year I purchased a Garmin forward looking sonar and absolutely love it. Since then I have documented in one of my anchorages that the chart shows a rock right in the middle of the anchorage. It is not there. I suspected this for a couple of years but now know by spinning the boat around & watching the forward looking sounder. In another of my out of the way anchorages, which has a few challenging rocks, this sonar makes anchoring there much safer. Going through tight areas is now a dream.

Yes, if you are travelling fast it is not as useful unless you have someone glued to the screen. For gunkholing & slowly navigating tight places it is fantastic! And, yes I do like to anchor & explore where most folks avoid.