depth gauges...

[91nordic29]

what do you have, likes and dislikes, helpful hints, etc...

[Tom Brown]

Mine is a Gaffrig. I really like having a gauge, even on the lake I'm most familiar with. It wasn't that expensive, either.
If you look at the Teleflex, it's exactly the same as the Gaffrig. There are a couple of other brands that are identical to the Teleflex/Gaffrig too.
One thing I would make sure of is that it will go deep enough for the water you care about. Mine goes to 200 feet but I have the transducer going through the hull so I would expect to get 30% less than I would otherwise. It's never lost signal yet but I've never been in more than 120 feet of water.
-- Tom

[sorry dog]

I like mine but unfortunately it only goes 8 inches.

[Hotcrusader76]

I use the bottom of my boat as a guage along with the color of water coming out the jet....
muddy brown= 2" or less
rocks= levy, run-a-ground, boat ramp, or too much HP
otherwise by the time you see the guage...you're already tossed from the boat.
Otherwise call Jay or "silent" Bob @Rex Marine and or leave it for the off-shore boats
Just my 0.02....sorry

[Tom Brown]

Originally posted by sorry dog
I like mine but unfortunately it only goes 8 inches.
Nice.
Imagine your chagrin when you sober up and stop seeing double?

[91nordic29]

Originally posted by sorry dog
I like mine but unfortunately it only goes 8 inches.
Gee, I'm sorry....
PS -- thank you, tom!

[sorry dog]

Yes, I tend to fumble around must less when sober, however, that's usually not a problem since I'm rarely in a hurry to get a measurement.
BTW- I've got a Jay Smith Racing depth guage to sell. It's quite accurate at finding Top Dead Center however the travel is too small for many other functions.

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Not really sure which one we ahve, it was installed when we ahd the boat built, but I find it to be very helpful when checking out coves. When you are going any faster than 25 it really is pointless since it is telling you how deep it was behind you.

[sorry dog]

it really is pointless since it is telling you how deep it was behind you
:eek!: :eek!:

[Tom Brown]

91nordic29, I tend to agree with Hotcrusader76 and Havasu_Dreamin in that a depth gauge isn't that useful for saving boat damage as it would seem. I still like having one, though. Like HD mentioned, it's interesting to learn the bottom contours of your favorite boating spots.
My last mishap happened at 0 mph trying to find a channel which didn't exist. It was about 6 inches of water and I was just drifting in neutral looking for a trench through a sandbar. The depth alarm had been going off for some time.
I ended up drifting into the sandbar with the engine idling (in neutral) and the low water pickups on my gear case sucked the sand right in. In fact, it packed in like concrete and I needed a tow home.
I guess what I'm saying is there's no substitute for local knowledge. On the plus side though, you can gain a ton of knowledge by monitoring the depth gauge. It won't save you as you buzz through somewhere the first time but as you learn the bottom contours, you will learn the best routes through channels and coves. Let's face it, the places that aren't smart to go in an expensive powerboat are the best places to boat.