electronic suggestions?

I am purchasing a new Lund Fisherman next month, and would like some input on what electronics to install. Definitley thinking Lowrance with gps capablilities. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I can’t offer an specific models, but get color, it’s worth it. I’d also personally add a flasher too, but that’s me

I have the Lowrance x15-MT. That is a great unit, but not inexpensive. One thing I wish I would have done is get a bow mount unit as well. I will be adding it, as soon as I can afford it.

Congrats on the new rig i myself just bought the 1800 and love it so far.

check-out the new humming birds with 3-d tech. these are very cool they measure depths at 11 different points to show 3-d contours of the bottom structure. theres two differnt models including one in color with gps mapping built in dont know the prices yet.

I will be going with a unit from Raymarine ne xt time i buy.

I like the Lowrance and Eagle units myself. I’ve always had good luck with them. Check out Smittys Marine in Lake City and talk to Kenny and you will get a great price. My son Nate will be at the Smittys Marine area at the Sports Show on Sat and Sun so you could talk to him too. Just tell him the o’l man sent you for a great price.
Thanks, Bill

deffinately go with two seperate units. one for the front with some sort of flasher capability and a dual cone for the rear. i was a cheapo and went with two garmin 160. a real big advantage having two. my bow is a minnkota universal sonar. less wires, but a pain to get it all wired right. start thinking what trolling motor you want transom or bow. congrats, and good luck!

I just want to thank all who share their knowledge on this website! In-depth angling really is a great learning tool for those of us trying to learn as much as we can about fishing.

Tell me what you like to fish and where and I will give you my honest input on how to rig your boat. I do it every year and I think I am getting pretty good at it by now

Any how, what species do you target mainly and on what bodies of water?

If you want to save a little $, go for the X15 as they are being disc. They are great units that will do almost anything anyone needs. If you want to spend more and get color look to the new X25. A flasher on the bow is a must for me as I fish bass and walleye. I have an old Clearwater Classic that I just can’t part with. I also put my X15 on a JOhny Ray so I can turn it and view it from the front of the boat as well.

I mostly fish pool 4. Walleye/sauger 80% of the time. Boat is a 1700 Fisherman, 150 Yamaha, a bow mount, most likely a Minnkota (Pound thrust is another question), and eventually a t-8 for a kicker. I mostly jig, but plan on working on rigging and cranks this summer. Thanks!

Sounds like an excellent boat!! Do you have a price range? That will narrow your choices. A great combo for your river fishing would be a Vexilar flasher on your bow and a Vexilar Edge on your dash with a seperate GPS unit like a Lowrance GlobalMap.

Check out http://www.jollyannsales.com and save on sales tax.

I really like the idea of a flasher on the bow. I am not sure yet just what my price range will be. My cousin is a salesman for a boat dealership in Duluth and is crunching numbers for me. I am still waiting to see Just what the bottom dollar is going to be on the original setup. That will determine what I can spend on the electonics. I really want to do it right the first time. This larger boat is a bit intimidating for me, I’ve had my little 14 foot aluminum boat with a 15 horse for many, many years. From the input so far, it sounds like that x-15 is an excellent unit. Color seems to be weighed on heavily as well. Boy, so many things to consider! Thanks!

I personally run the Lowrance LMS-332C color combo. It’s not a big enough screen for some guys but I’m a casual fisherman so it works for me really well. A lot of guys have been ordering the Lowrance X012C and the Lowrance GlobalMap 3500C and I think that is a great choice for separate sonar GPS at a reasonable price. Derek mentioned the Vexilar Edge and that has been a great unit, tried and true. So has the Lowrance LCX-15, and as noted, they are on closeout pricing. The downside to the LCX-15 is that it is NOT compatible with the Navionics Premium maps if you’d run it as a GPS combo. If you get an X-15, get a separate GPS like the Eagle Intellimap 480/500C or a Lowrance Globalmap 4800/3500C. All 4 of those will run the new maps. We have a Q&A with Doc Samsom going on in the Outdoor Gear Forum that might interest you. A lot of top Lowrance/Eagle info. Here’s a link to the new releases for 2005: Jolly Ann Marine News . If you have questions, ask away.

I had the same situation about 4 years ago. I went from having no boat to having a Mr. Pike 1700. You’ll get used to it fast. While I was learning how to run it nobody died and I didn’t scratch it up to badly. I took mine out during the week and avoided weekends the first couple of weeks. Have fun!

dd

Arnie, so many options, aye? From my 7 boats worth of experience I’d have to say Lowrance gets the nod. I’ve always been a Marcum fan for my bow mount and like Mike Finke I’ve had trouble letting go of my Clearwater Classic. This winter I purchased one of Scott Steil’s LX-3’s and will be putting that on my bow mount. For the back I will be installing my 3300C that Wade Kuehl sold me last fall and I’m leaning towards the 26C. Lots of money but the potential is there…. I can’t wait to get in your new boat and rip some lip! Kurt

First you need a good trolling motor. Get the Minn-kota Maxxum, 74 pounds of thrust, that will be plenty for that boat on the river. You will want the cable drive because the reaction time of the others is to slow for river fishing in my opinion.

Now, for rigging you will need two things up front in your boat, a good flasher and a GPS. I use the flasher because it gives you instant feedback and marks fish really well. The GPS I use so I can keep on a spot I am working. Both are a must in my boat. I use MarCum flashers and Garmin GPS’s.

On your console you will want a good GPS/Graph combo. I run the Garmin 2010C which is a high end graph. But something like a Garmin 188C or Lowrance x-15 will work. One thing I would check is to make sure the unit accepts “chips”. I also run a flasher on my console which I use for navigation and trolling. They mark suspended fish really well.

That is how I would rig the boat if it was mine

Thanks for all the input guys! This really gives me a good idea of what I need.
Kurt, I can’t wait to see your new Ranger. Sounds like you will have that baby decked out.