Looking 4 new Bow sonar

I’m needing a new sonar for a bow mount trolling motor. I have a hb 1197 at the console where I control my kicker but lacking one at the front where I sit while running the Minn Kota auto pilot. Spinning the 1197 around and looking threw the windshield at it doesn’t work out well for the unit or my back. A large screen would be nice but not at the cost of another 1197. I might be leaning towards an 898, what do you think?

Side Imaging while using the bowmount, in my opinion, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Keep in mind the conditions you need to use to get the best (clearest) images: moving in a generally straight path, at a relatively constant speed. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t describe my boat control when casting, jigging or rigging from the bow.

There are guys who have mounted an SI at the bow and really liked it. Myself, I’ve tried it, and have gone back to a standard sonar/GPS combo.

My recommendation for pairing with your 1197: either a 788c (5″ screen) or one of the new 858c’s, hooked together by an Interlink module. The 1197/858/interlink combo is exactly what I’ll be running this year, as soon as my 858 arrives.

I found a 917c I can pickup for around $650. What do you guys think of this unit?

Jason makes a good suggestion on the 858C. It’ll run about $925 shipped. Here’s the quick specs and a pic below:

Features full color 7″ display with 480V x 800H resolution
Video-out port on back of control head
Ethernet port on back of control head for future expandability
Navionics Platinum compatibility
7″ TFT LCD
480v x 800h
Temp included
GPS speed included
DualBeam PLUS
200kHz/20 degrees, 83kHz/60 degrees
500 Watts RMS
4000 Watts PTP
3 “soft-key” preset buttons
Dual SD card slot
50-channel external GPS
LakeMaster & Navionics compatible
Optional in-dash mounting

The 858C should be available early February.

If you are looking for a similar unit at a greatly discounted price, then you might want to check out the Humminbird 917C for $650 shipped. That’s a heck of a deal and there are just a few left.

Thanks Wade, so what would I be giving up if I would pick the 917 over the 858? They seem to be purdy much the same unit.

The 858 comes with new cartography functions built in (Contour XD with contours for 3000 lakes), while the 917 has the Humminbird Unimap (no contours).

The 858 comes with a highly accurate 50-channel GPS receiver (the same one that came with your 1197), while the 917 has a 16-channel receiver.

The 858 has two SD card slots….I seem to recall that the 917 has only 1 (??) but I’m not 100% sure on that.

Finally, the 858 sports the most recent hardware and software to roll out of the Humminbird factory. It will be able to support future software upgrades to a greater extent that the 917, simply because it packs more memory and processing power.

Oh what heck, whats a couple hundred bucks amoung friends I can hear the wife now

Jason makes some good points, but none of those would worry me too much. The 917 will be able to run the new Lakemaster maps and Navionics maps with a simple software upgrade (for free). Contour XD is a nice feature but it won’t replace the need for a Lakemaster or Navionics map card, so it’s not a necessary feature or a huge advantage, IMO. And the GPS performance on the 917C is very good. I think any individual has to decide for themselves much they can afford or wish to pay for extra features. I wouldn’t let the difference stop anyone who has a tighter budget or just wants to be a little more frugal. But for those of you who want the latest and greatest and are willing to spend a little more cash, the 2010 units are on their way soon. It’s nice to have a choice right now.

Wade’s absolutely right. The 917c is a solid unit.

One thing I forgot to mention about the 858c is the 2010 retail promotion that Humminbird is running: Purchasers of an 858c, 958c, or 1157c (bought between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2010) will receive a FREE RAM mount and a FREE Humminbird weathersense module ($180 total value!!!) via mail-in redemption ($9.95 S/H required). The RAM mount varies depending on the unit; new owners of 858’s and 958’s will receive a RAM Mount with 3” x 11” base, short arm, and 1.5” rubber ball, while new 1157 owners will receive a RAM mount with a 2.25″ ball.