Please Convince Me an Expensive Airmar Transducer is Worth It

[Yyjdennis]

All right, so restraint prevailed and I ordered the P66 and the TM165. Now I'll be flooded with salmon

 

[the force]

Do you really think you need to see 1000 fish on the plotter to catch them? See a bait ball, see a few fish, put your gear there and catch fish. Your not going to catch more fish because there is more fish on your screen.

I agree that seeing fish does not mean catching fish, however I fish a lot of different water year to year, shallow inside, 220 down on the highway off winter, central coast, etc. It’s easy when it’s easy but when it isn’t anything to increase confidence in presence of fish/bait type/bottom type is money well spent in my mind. Not a $4k ducer but I do need an upgrade from my Garmin GT52HW which I struggle with at times for bottom fishin in >300’.

 

[Sir Reel]

Sounds like it's time for a boat anniversary post!

Lol!

 

[Yyjdennis]

For a fibreglass hull do the transducers that sit in a pool of glycol and shoot through the fibreglass work well or are the actual through hull units much better?

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[Pineapple Express]

For a fibreglass hull do the transducers that sit in a pool of glycol and shoot through the fibreglass work well or are the actual through hull units much better?

Thanks,
Dennis

I'm a bit late to your thread. I bought and installed a TM185HW last year. Amazing detail!

When I was shopping I was discouraged by virtually everybody that I talked to for using a "shoot-through" transducer. Even the Airmar tech support guy discouraged it. You will lose energy and detail when shooting through...the Airmar guy explained it to me like a 1kW transducer being downrated to performance of a 600w model or even less.

Either commit to a proper through-hull installation or accept the hassles of the transom mount.

 

[BC Coast Pilot]

Catching fish is all about finding bait, yeah spend the money on an IN hull transducer. Best one you can afford. You won't look back, that is all.