Where are you going to use your fish finder?

Most fish finders have transducers designed to be mounted on or in the hull of a boat. Boat mounted fish finders typically run off the vessels 12V electrical system, and with the more expensive units can be networked with other marine electronic devices to provide additional functionality. The advantage of a 12V fish finder is increased sonar power. If you want to use a fish finder from a boat without a 12V electrical system, or from a kayak, you'll need to purchase a 12V battery for it.

If you are planning to use your fish finder on more than one boat you might want to consider a portable unit. These are designed to be moved, with options like suction-cup transducer mountings or pole mounted transducers. Power for these units vary from boat 12V hookups or optional 12V batteries, or conventional batteries. See our article on portable fish finders for more details.

If you are not fishing from a boat your options are more limited, as you can not use a traditional hull mounted transducer. The most popular units are the Humminbird SmartCast range of fish finders that have a small float transducer, designed to ce cast out with your line. See out article on fishing from the bank with a fishfinder for the options available.

If you are mounting your fish finder in a boat or kayak you might also need to think about how much space is available for it. Most fish finders come with a bracket mount, some are supplied with flush mount kits for installing into a dashboard or bulkhead, but for most this is an optional extra. If you have limited room on your dash, but want a larger screen, the bracket mount is the best option. These usually have quick release mechanisms so you can remove the expensive head unit and take home with you. If you decide you want a flush mounted screen make sure you measure up first to ensure there is room in the dash. Most manufacturers make mounting templates available which should make the job a bit easier.

Sonar power and frequency

The power of the fish finders sonar system will determine how deep it can penetrate in the water. The sonar power is given in watts, and is often reported in two different ways. The RMS power output is the root mean square, or average output of the sonar system. The peak to peak power output is a measure of the range of the output, from the lowest point to the highest peak of power, and is generally be about 4 to 8 times larger than the RMS rating. Is important to remember to compare like with like when comparing fish finders.

Most fish finders are either single or dual frequency. Single frequency fish finders use a high frequency beam of about 200kHz. This gives a narrow, but more detailed view of what is directly under the boat. Dual beam systems have a second lower frequency beam or 50k to 90Hz, that gives a broader view of what is around the boat, but offers less detail and cannot penetrate as far in the water.

Transducers

Transducers are the working end of the fish finder, they transmit the sonar signal and detect its echo when its deflected off underwater structures. Transducers are usually supplied with the fish finder, but on some of the more expensive units and combo units these are sold separately.

Broadly there are 3 different types of transducer, depending on how you want to mount it on your boat. Transom mount transducer are the most common, and easiest to fit if lifting the boat out of the water is not a problem. They are simply fixed to the transom of the boat, with the cable either running up the transom, or thru a glad. Most fish finders are supplied with transom mount transducers. In hull mounted transducers are designed to be mounted within the hull, so there is no need to lift the boat or drill holes thru the hull. Thru hull mounted transducers are mounted in a hole that runs thru the hull of the boat. It is worth noting that some transom mount transducers can be mounted in-hull. Humminbird have an optional kit for this for mounting their transom mount transducers in the well of kayaks.

GPS fish finder

Other considerations when buying a fish finder is weather or not you want an integral GPS chart plotter. There are a few advantages to having a combo GPS fish finder unit. First, its a great way to save on space if there is only limited room in your cockpit, with one screen fulfilling both functions. If also saves money, allowing you to buy a bigger screen if you want. Finally, there is some added functionality with most combo units, allowing you to record the coordinates of successful fishing spots and easily navigate back to them in future.

We hope this guide helps you decide which fish finder is right for you. Please see our Chartplotter & Sonar department for the full range of fish finder and combo units available. We are a major stockest for the Humminbird and Garmin fish finder ranges, and have recently started to stock Lowrance as well. We also do Raymarine, advanSea, Plastimo, and Simrad equipment.

The Boat Project is the creation of Lone Twin, artists Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan. The Project is funded by Arts Council England, and is part of Artists Taking the Lead, a series of 12 public art commissions across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Named Collective Spirit, the boat is a 30 foot yacht built at Thornham Marina, Emsworth, from over 1200 from wooden objects donated by the public. Lone Twin visited 20 locations across the West Sussex region collecting items, as well as excepting donations at their boatyard. The only criterion was that the object must be made of wood, and have a story behind it.

Objects ranged from musical instruments, kitchen equipment and hockey sticks, to the more unusual, and historic. Examples are a Victorian policeman's truncheon, a plank from the London 2012 velodrome, a section of Brighton's West Pier, a hairbrush used by a make-up artist at Pinewood Studios in the 1960s, and bits from Jimi Hendrix's guitar and the Mary Rose.

More than 1000 people turned out to see the boat launched on the 7th May. It will now take part in a 2 month Maiden Voyage across the South East region celebrate the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, and will take part in the London 2012 Festival, a 12 week celebration bringing together leading artists from around the world. The boat will eventually be gifted to the region as a permanent resource for the public.

Featured Products

To See out complete range of inflatable boats and outboards, and the full Minn Kota outboard range chave a look at our Dinghy & Outboard department. We stock a broad range of boats and outboards, from Tetra Boats, Waveline, Hidea, and Minn Kota.

Lowrance Elite-4x Fishfinder

RRP: £169.20

Our Price: £152.95

Lowrance Elite-4x DSI Fishfinder

RRP: £199.20

Our Price: £179.95

Lowrance Elite-4 DSI Chartplotter Fishfinder

RRP: £349.20

Our Price: £314.95

The Lowrance Elite-4 range manage to pack in top of the line features into a compact waterproof body. However, if the 3.5 inch display isn't big enough why not have a look at the other charplotters and fishfinders in our store.

Lowrance LVR-250 DSC VHF

RRP: £151.20

Our Price: £136.95

Lowrance LVR-880E DSC VHF

RRP: £204.00

Our Price: £183.95

We are now stocking the compete range of Lowrance marine electronics at the Good Boat Shop, including GPS Fishfinders, Chartplotters, VHF radios, Multi-function Marine Displays, and Radar Systems.

Shakespeare V-Tronix 390 2 Section 7.0M Fibreglass Whip SSB Antenna

RRP: £231.76

Our Price: £169.95

Shakespeare V-Tronix 390-1 2 Section 7.0M Fibreglass Whip SSB Antenna

RRP: £275.62

Our Price: £199.95

Shakespeare V-Tronix 393 3 Section 7M Fibreglass Whip SSB Antenna

RRP: £317.83

Our Price: £229.95

Shakespeare V-Tronix 5390 2 Section 5.5M Fibreglass Whip SSB Antenna

RRP: £550.00

Our Price: £396.95

Icom IC-M801 MF/HF Marine SSB Transceiver

RRP: £3120.00

Prices from: £2959.95

Have a look at our VHF radio section for out complete range of VHF radio equipment, which included SSB radios and antennas, mounted VHF radios, handheld VHF radios, and VHF antennas. We stock ranges from the leading manufactures, including Icom, cobra, Simrad, Garmin, and Raymarine. We are please to say we can now add Lowrance VHF radios to our range.

Lowrance X-4 Fishfinder

RRP: £85.20

Our Price: £76.95

Lowrance X-4 Portable Fishfinder

RRP: £139.20

Our Price: £125.95

Lowrance X-4 Pro Fishfinder

RRP: £99.60

Our Price: £89.95

All the Lowrance X-4 fishfinders feature improved sonar data processing with Lowrance's automatic ASP (Advanced Signal Processing), GRAYLINE, Advanced Fish ID, and FishTrack technologies, as well as the instant display updating and automatic depth ranging tracking. Alarms can be set for shallow water, deep water, or fish detection. The X-4 fishfinder range are housed in tough waterproof cases built to withstand the tough marine environment.

Keep checking back to see the latest Lowrance models added to out range of chartplotters and fishfinders. If you are after a specific Lowrance fishfinder that we have not listed yet please give us a ring, we'll be happy to find you a price for it and give you any technical advice that you might need.

A PLB also transmits on a second channel at 121.5 MHz. This is the internationally recognised aviation guard channel, and can be received by any aircraft passing overhead. The aircraft would then relay the information on to the aviation authority, who would pass it on directly to a rescue coordination centre. This channel is also used by rescue services, who use it to home in on you location once they are in the area.

More modern PLB devices have a built-in GPS system to help rescuers determine your location in an emergency. A conventional PLB uses a 406 MHz beacon to locate you, this allows rescue services to narrow down your location to 5km radius, or about a 28 square mile area. With the GPS system your coordinates are transmitted as part of the coded distress signal, allowing rescuers to immediately pin point you location. This has a dramatic effect on rescue times, reducing the response from 1-2 hour average down to under 30 minutes.

The most popular PLB is the Mcmurdo FastFind 210, which has an integrated 50 channel GPS system. The SmartFind 210 is housed in a tough waterproof case with a built in light. In an emergency the light will flash a SOS message to further help the emergency servies locate the user. It has a powerful 5 watt output, and will transmit for at least 24 hours once activated. It has a lightweight compact design, making it easy to stow away in a pocket or pouch, and comes with a 5 year warranty and 5 year battery life.

Giles Miskin & Roy Griffiths from the “Great Team-Working” Programme at Weymouth Charters

A new "Great Team-Working” Programme has been launched by Weymouth Charters, who are working with Sunsail International yacht operators and training experts The Colour Works. This sailing based workshop will be taught at sea on high-performance Sunsail F40 yachts.

The aim of the program is to improve team performance by developing a better understanding of different peoples working styles. By learning to understand why we find some people seem to work on the same level as us, while others we find irritating, we can value the differences and strengths of the different approaches. This leads to stronger team dynamics. Racing yachts provide the perfect environment for this. Everyone has to pull together, and no individual can slack off. It requires trust and collaboration in often stressful conditions, and needs solid leadership and clear communication skills.

For more information mail thecolourworks@weymouth-charters.co.uk or call Weymouth Charters on 01305 832512.

Featured Products

To See out complete range of chart plotters and fishfinders please go to our Chartplotter & Sonar department. We stock a broad range of devices for boats of all sizes, from the market leading manufacturers. Brands include Humminbird, Lowrance, Simrad, Raymarine, and Garmin.

The Fusion RA50 features a simple easy to use interface, controlled with a Rotary Encoder, with information displayed on the 2.3 inch LCD display. The display is daylight viewable with contrast and brightness controls, and the buttons and screen are backlit.

Designed with iPod and iPhone users in mind, the Fusion RA50 is able to take complete control of your music library via the fully integrated iPod and iPhone interface. Other brands of music players can still connect to the RA50 through the auxiliary input socket, allowing you to enjoy your music collection no matter what device you use.

For our complete range of marine electronics why not browse out marine electronics department.

The Chief Executive of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Paul Boissier, during a visit to Aith as part of his first official visit to Scotland (15-17 June 2010). Mr Boissier and wife Susan joined the local lifeboat crew aboard for a training exercise.

The RNLI has announced plans that will save £3.7 million a year, by building and maintaining their feet of all weather boats at its Poole HQ. Planing permission has been applied for in the Borough of Poole, for a workshop on RNLI land in Holes Bay. The £11.2 million project will create up to 90 new jobs, and will pay for itself within 10 years. It is hoped that once planning is granted work will start on the site, next to the Lifeboat College, in 2013.

The RNLI already manufactures their own inshore lifeboats a their Isle of Wight facility, as well as designing the all weather lifeboats and producing the hulls. The new facility will allow then to complete all the fitting out work and engineering, saving £3.7 million a year in contractors fees.

The project was able to go ahead after sufficient efficiency savings were made to existing RNLI operations. It will allow the RNLI to make the best use of the donations it receive, and has received approval from the RNLI trustees. The cost of building the new facility will be split, with £6.2 million coming from the RNLI's efficiency savings, and a further £5 million through fundraising through trusts and corporate partnerships.

It is hoped that by the spring of 2014 the new facility will be in operation overhauling and refitting existing boats, with the hull and deck moulding operations moving from RNLI SAR Composites at Lymington in 2019. Staff at the Lymington site will be offered new jobs at the  new facility, and the existing RNLI apprentice scheme will be extended.

To See out complete range of inflatable boats, RIBs, outboards, and trolling motors see out Dinghy & Outboard department.