Is Lowrance HDS the way to go

Hey Jim, I've heard some good things about the new lowrance HDS (excpet customer service). Any thoughts on the new HDS 8 or HDS10 systems ? Say as opposed to say a Garmin 4212 ???? I fish the Pacific on a 26 footer. Thanks. Bob.

[5th Tuition]

Jim; I'm interested in your response to this as well. I know Baldzilla has the hds 10 and loves it. I've seen it and it's great. I don't have room for the 10 (or the money) so I'm interested in the 7. I know the 8 has all the soft buttons, but I don't think I need all those options. I also heard they had some problems with the 8 (condensation in the screen). Is the 7 a good reliable unit for the money. I currently have a black/white lowrance and want to upgrade next spring. Any info will help; I'll be in this winter to talk more. Also; is the standard transducer fine for the bay. Should I just get the 200 instead of the 80/200? Just a quick response will be fine to let me know I'm on the right track. 5th (Marty)

[yachtjim]

The standard 200 ducer is the 83/200. Same thing. I think the HDS units really are the best for the Bay. Lots of people are using them. It is the most sophisticated FF on the market, and a great chartplotter too.

[Gitzit 2]

hey, guys.
i have an HDS-5X and an HDS-5M
i have a small center console and did not particularly want a "split unit"
even a 7" or 8" model will only give you a 3.5" or 4" screen if you display both FF & GPS
I wanted a full 5" screen for both my FF and GPS
fortunately i won the Boater's World "Boat Supplies for Life" sweepstakes at the boat show a couple years ago and i used my winnings to get 2 HDS units.
(unfortunately they went belly up and i lost out on about $18,000 worth of payouts)
i installed them this spring and i have been very happy with them
still trying to figure out which backgrounds and which settings i need to be the most effective on the water but they are great
my unit came with dual freq ducers...50/200

one thing i would like that is not in the 5 series is tides on the GPS.
it is available on a software upgrade but not worth the couple hundred to upgrade at this time because the software from the factory is fantastic right out of the box with shaded relief maps, etc.

i am going to get a speed wheel so i can determine my speed through the water which is very important when targeting suspended fish
but, of course that is another hundred or so after the new cables and the wheel itself.

bottom line...great unit and i would recommend it to anyone

[mark1234]

Jim-

I have a 3 or 4 year old lms 337 (?). Does any of the wiring work with the new HDS models? Can I purchase just the head unit and plug it in to the existing network cables?

Thanks

[yachtjim]

The transducer is the only thing that matters and it will plug in. The HDS units have a built in GPS but if you want to also hook up your external GPS you will need a few misc cables to make it work, but its all plug and play. You will need to install a different power cable but thats pretty simple.

[Gitzit 2]

Jim,
does BOE carry the speed wheel and cables i would need?
i also want to connect the 2 units together.
any idea of cost?
might turn out to be a winter project

thanks

[yachtjim]

Mark, we carry everything you need. There is a paddlewheel you can get that will plug in inline with your transducer, doesn't cost much at all.

http://www.boemarine.com/Products/99-96/Default.aspx

[yachtjim]

Not everything is in our store though. Either call ahead if you want to pick it up or order online and we'll ship it right to you.

[Gitzit 2]

Great.
i'll visit the site.
not in a huury for it right now...probably a winter project

thanks, Jim