Simrad VS Lowrance

[BigBird007]

Trying to decide between these two head units Simrad GO9 XSE or a Lowrance Elite FS 9

They both will work with my current 3G radar. I am also going to add the hydraulic auto pilot at the same time.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[kaelc]

Good deals on Carbon 9’s in the US right now and harbour chandlers soon me thinks, not to complicate things. Check the brightness screen for each unit that you are looking at as that is the biggest difference between the FS and the live. Also look for max transducer strength in watts….if you ever want to run a 1kw.

 

[BigBird007]

.Good deals on Carbon 9’s in the US right now and harbour chandlers soon me thinks, not to complicate things. Check the brightness screen for each unit that you are looking at as that is the biggest difference between the FS and the live. Also look for max transducer strength in watts….if you ever want to run a 1kw.

What’s the deal with the Carbon models? They are not easy to find on the Lowrance website unless you use the search function.

 

[kaelc]

What’s the deal with the Carbon models? They are not easy to find on the Lowrance website unless you use the search function.

They are last years model, well maybe two years ago. Check out Bass Pro/Cabelas in the US.

 

[Whole in the Water]

SIMRAD are said to be better, higher quality than Lowrance - that is why more professional and commercial operations use SIMRAD. Lowrance is more for recreational users, at least that's how Navico markets them.

 

[Derby]

Liked my lorance but moved over to Simard because I added the auto pilot to my boat last year.. really like my simard.. if you are going down the route of auto pilot start to move over to the simard now..u wont be disappointed

 

[BigBird007]

Liked my lorance but moved over to Simard because I added the auto pilot to my boat last year.. really like my simard.. if you are going down the route of auto pilot start to move over to the simard now..u wont be disappointed

What Simard head unit do you have? Why is it better?

It looks to me that the hydraulic auto pilot for either Simard or Lowrance is the same unit with different badging.

Last question, do you have a second helm in your boat along with the auto pilot? It looks like it will all work from the research I have done.

Thank

 

[seabeyond]

I have 3 simrad Evo 3 heads aboard. They are on a backbone and have a pilot. I like the dial the simrad offers that the lowrance does not offer. Couple other minor things I can't remember anymore that were improvements over the same gen live unit I was running before. I added an on/ off button on the back deck (there's a screen there too) as it's just easier to use when in a hurry or it's rainin. Quick tap and it's on or off. For a couple hundred bucks, a good old fashion button is a worthwhile add IMHO.

Also, if you are swinging twins then you can't go with the least expensive lowrance pilot. Once you go up to the ap44, there is (or was last year) some compatibility issues with the lowrance heads. Maybe that's been remedied via software, don't know.

 

[CBsqrd]

XSE models have limited networking capability IIRC. If you have a second helm and want to network with the main, plus you are running radar, you’ll probably be better off with a Evo model

 

[Derby]

What Simard head unit do you have? Why is it better?

It looks to me that the hydraulic auto pilot for either Simard or Lowrance is the same unit with different badging.

Last question, do you have a second helm in your boat along with the auto pilot? It looks like it will all work from the research I have done.

Thank

SeaBeyond nail it with his response.. Yes i do have a second helm on the back of the boat with auto pilot also

 

[BigBird007]

Good deals on Carbon 9’s in the US right now and harbour chandlers soon me thinks, not to complicate things. Check the brightness screen for each unit that you are looking at as that is the biggest difference between the FS and the live. Also look for max transducer strength in watts….if you ever want to run a 1kw.

Thanks! I ordered a Carbon 9 should hopefully see it in a week or two!

 

[kaelc]

Thanks! I ordered a Carbon 9 should hopefully see it in a week or two!

Nice. I also run a second autopilot steering station in the cockpit. No wheel just steering from the screen controls of the autopilot. Enjoy. It’s an amazing package considering it comes with a transducer and a chip.

 

[BigBird007]

Nice. I also run a second autopilot steering station in the cockpit. No wheel just steering from the screen controls of the autopilot. Enjoy. It’s an amazing package considering it comes with a transducer and a chip.

Do you have a second head unit or just mirror a device to the Carbon? My plan is to take an iPad I already have and mount it out back.

 

[kaelc]

I have a 7 inch, I transfer back and forth to the helm when running and back to the cockpit when fishing. Pick one up on sale or used, you can always use a Gen 3, that way you have a backup and can run one in full map and one in sounder mode while running and looking for bait. More expensive than an iPad but more reliable when hard wired in. Buddy who owns a shipyard is so thankful for people who use iPads, they hit a lot of rocks and we came close on my brothers boat. Start with the iPad and then upgrade when you find a low priced Black Friday or Boxing Day one.