I have a Garmin, 2 Helix 5 and 7 and a Lowrance hook 4 some double duty as Ice fishing as well. My bride and I were talking about upgrading and got to thinking how long do they last on average? Should you get 4-6 years or try to sell and upgrade by a certain time? Just thinking they cost $400 to over a thousand and up how much return will get on your investment. Used ones don’t seem to have as much value but some value left.
I have owned a boat for 15 years and never replaced a locator because it went bad. I have had Humminbird and Lowrance units. As long as my side imaging keeps working I will keep my Lowrance units.
Should you get 4-6 years or try to sell and upgrade by a certain time? Just thinking they cost $400 to over a thousand and up how much return will get on your investment.
I have owned a boat for 15 years and never replaced a locator because it went bad.
Ditto except make that 40 years for me.
Yes I have replaced electronics, only reason being to upgrade. I have always tried to purchase the best I could afford at the time, with the plan never to replace. I can’t afford to stay “current” so I try to stretch my return on investment out as long as possible. I do own more than one boat so some boats get the “hand me downs”.
I’ve never had a locator or specific marine electronics component go bad while I’ve owned one either. Generally I replace them because there’s newer and better technology. So then I buy those and 3 years later it seems like they’re already outdated. I don’t think the average angler can afford to just upgrade all their electronics every year to keep up with technology.
As long as this topic got brought up, just how cold does it get before it damages a locator??
Boat specific locator?!
As long as this topic got brought up, just how cold does it get before it damages a locator??
Boat specific locator?!
I run my boat until pool 2 freezes up and then again on ice off rainy river. Some times that’s above freezing and some times it’s 0 out side. I then run my boats GPS on my wheeler all winter. Well below freezing. Those are both garmin echo map and lowrance hds units
As long as this topic got brought up, just how cold does it get before it damages a locator??
Depends. The owner’s manual will indicate what the high and low temperature is they can tolerate. LCD screens are more sensitive to cold temps because they are a liquid crystal display. I don’t use mine in the winter so its not an issue. My current Lowrance Carbon units state they can be used down to 5 degrees F. My previous one (Lowrance HDS Gen 3) specifically stated that it was not to be used in temps below 32 degrees F.
As for length of time I had a old lowrance on my duck boat that was taken to hell and back in freezing Temps. Always sat out side. Never taken off the boat and lived 10 years with me before I sold to a buddy who still runs it to this day
They wont be worth much when trying to sell that is for sure, but get a little to go toward your new unit. I would say at best if they are 4 or 5 years old they would be around 1/5th of new. The main thing with these is eventually you can no longer get software updates for them which isnt necessarily a bad thing as long as its functioning correctly. Now if you are talking a mechanical flasher those can wear out over time, but it would be after many many years. The newer brushless ones should last a very long time.
I have any FL8 that’s got to be 25 yrs old. Its the first unit I never bought. Use it for ice fishing and I think it works great. Its does make a little noise when you turn it on cold.
Thanks guys, I have one still on a boat at the cabin. Was going to take it off and bring it home but my brother thought he’d use the boat MEA weekend but then never went back up.
It got cold but it was in a shed!
I have any FL8 that’s got to be 25 yrs old. Its the first unit I never bought. Use it for <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>ice fishing and I think it works great. Its does make a little noise when you turn it on cold.
Me too, but mine might be 35 years old.
Only reason to buy new is to buy bigger, they never had a 16″ graph back in the day.
They’ve become pretty durable. I’ve never had one “fail.” I used to be all over the latest/greatest and would swap out every other year. Now that I’m not quite the river rat I used to be, I am fine with things being a bit older as life it too busy for the boat to be out 3-4 days a week. There are plenty of times on Pool 4 where we’ve been on fish while the guy with thousands of dollars more in graphs rolls by catching nothing. In my opinion, the average person has more electronics than they know how to use to their full potential.
after i stopped buying marcum products i havent had a problem. i still run an LX-5 and i like it but it was replaced after 1 year of ownership (free of charge).
bought a recon 5+ and that was replaced after 1 year of ownership. after getting the replacement back the new one had the same problem first time i used it. Didnt even bother taking it back to them. I just accepted the loss.
For a while i was saving up for livescope but now ive shifted. I dont think i put enough effort into fishing to get the most out of a unit like that. I like to drink beer more than i like to punch holes. When my marcum dies im gonna buy a vexilar FL-18 and ride that into the sunset.
Have never had a problem with open water units. Have had humminbird and now garmin
Thanks guys, I have one still on a boat at the cabin. Was going to take it off and bring it home but my brother thought he’d use the boat MEA weekend but then never went back up.
It got cold but it was in a shed!
Oh you are good. Mine never get taken off and stored in our pull barn.
As far as OP. They will last a long time. If trying to resell I would say two years before they start to really decrease in value. The new tech is coming out yearly and in two it’s old.
Vexilar’s will be one of the main things recovered in archaelogical digs by whoever comes to inhabit this earth long after humans. They will be quite confused while trying to understand our species, and why they are found so regionally specific. Slap a new battree in and they will still work tho. 
The new tech is coming out yearly and in two it’s old.
I think the new tech has slowed a little bit the last couple years for a myriad of reasons, but you are 100% right. I have the original HDS I bought in 2010 and then two newer models and they pale in comparison to what the newer units can do. I just wish I didnt hesitate and pulled the trigger on the HDS Carbon 12 a dude had for sale here for cheap. That would have been my way into the active imaging game because the Live units are ridiculously priced.
Check Russel Marine. They buy and sell units.
Check Russel Marine. They buy and sell units.
Will do! $700 for a 12″ carbon is what the guy was selling it for I think. Major bummed worth about double that.
I have any FL8 that’s got to be 25 yrs old. Its the first unit I never bought. Use it for <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>ice fishing and I think it works great. Its does make a little noise when you turn it on cold.
My buddy’s starting making a “little noise” on start up. Then lots of noise all the time. He sent it in for repair. I don’t remember cost but I thought is was very responsible. He got basically a new unit back.
I sold my FL8 last year to upgrade to a new FLX28. Never had a single problem with it.
Thanks guys, I have one still on a boat at the cabin. Was going to take it off and bring it home but my brother thought he’d use the boat MEA weekend but then never went back up.
It got cold but it was in a shed!
I have a Humminbird Mega 10, 10 & a 9 sitting in the unheated garage for 2 years. I never worry about them.
For you guys updating flashers I would go to Helix 7 ice kit long before a vexilar . Got a unit for the boat as well then . Thats what I do . Converted an FL28 user. GPS with its handy .
TMG posted:
“I have a Humminbird Mega 10, 10 & a 9 sitting in the unheated garage for 2 years. I never worry about them.”
And that’s in Frostbite Falls. There are lots of in-dash units even farther north than that. I’ve been frequenting fishing websites for many years and I’ve never seen a single complaint about damage from the cold.
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