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:D
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:D
Just my 0.02....sorry

[Tom Brown]

Originally posted by sorry dog
I like mine but unfortunately it only goes 8 inches.
Nice. :D
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. :D

[spectras only]

Lowrance 3500 in dash , registers accurately at highspeeds . While you're mapping uncharted territory ,can save your bottom going slow :p .Like TB said , you can drift in shallow water run aground:eek: .I always use the shallow depth alarm feature while drifting:cool:

[mbrown2]

Gaffrig....actually don't use it to really tell depth when I am running fast, but will scout out paths on the river or runs on the lake to get an understanding of depth for a certain way line to another destination....Also, since water depth changes from week to week on the strip, I just check the depth from my normal launch point...at that point, I can add or subtract the depth amount from the way lines I have mapped in the past.

[J DAWG]

Originally posted by spectras only
Lowrance 3500 in dash , registers accurately at highspeeds . While you're mapping uncharted territory ,can save your bottom going slow :p .Like TB said , you can drift in shallow water run aground:eek: .I always use the shallow depth alarm feature while drifting:cool:
This is what the dealer wants to put on a boat I am considering buying. Something has to be better than nothing.

[TrojanDan]

Depth guages are very handy when anchoring also. You know approx. how much rode you need to set.
:cool:

[robert_pv]

Question regarding the 8" depth finder. Does it work as well in cold water as it does warm water ?

[spectras only]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by robert_pv
[B]Question regarding the 8" depth finder. Does it work as well in cold water as it does warm water ? , He's just bragging :D , It's probably 8 cm :eek: and 4cm in cold water ;) :D

[DEEZ NUTTS]

MY new-to-me boat has one. First time ever having one and its kind of cool to have but sucks at the same time. After ripping the whole drive off my other boat at Powell I'm nervous in unfamiliar water. Now while crusing the thing beeps after it loses signal from speed or excessive depth and my ass puckers everytime. Damn that beep! Could turn it off but its a new gadget that must be used. Damn that beep.. Still cringing.

[Rexone]

The Lowrance 3500 has the fastest refresh rate I think of any of the round gauges. That can be a factor when idling along between seeing shallow on the gauge or hitting it first.

[Rivertoys]

I have a hummingbird DG, it works pretty good at slow speed, but nothing over 20mph or so. I still like and wouldn't be w/o one again. I find it useful for tracking trends. When we're floating, esp in the upper end of Parker, I can tell if it's getting shallower, or deeper as we go. It's also useful in channels to the ramp, like at Park Moabi, where the channel is more shallow than I'd have guessed. In coves, it gives me a good indictation of how much anchorline I'm going to need. If I want to jump off of rocks, I'll pass the boat over the area I'm thinking about jumping and see how deep it is, but I don't rely totally on that! ;) Lets just say, I think it's a very useful toy!!!
RTJas :D

[91nordic29]

all i know is i dont like being responsible for looking into the water to see "how deep are we, sweetie? Sweetie? SWEETIE!!!!
how the hell do i know if that boulder is 20 feet down or 1 foot? geez, i hopped out of th boat after we beached in the channel one day and my hat went floating away. funny for everyone else.
another query: do you have the transducer mounted outside the hull or inside?

[spectras only]

I have mu ducers mounted in the bilge .You can only have that with solid layups.Sorry about you guys with balsa cores:p . RTJ ,get the Lowrance 3500 , it reads for me at 70 in the 19' spectra;)

[phebus]

I was looking at the Lowrance 3500, and it comes with a transom mount transducer. Did you have to buy a thru hull transducer, or is there a way to mount the one it comes with as a thru hull?

[spectras only]

I got my ducers that includes the two part poxy for bilge mounting. I've seen thru hull ducers [for cored hulls] on the internet somewhere , with angled mounting surface for two different deadrise angles, between 10-15 deg and 15-20 I think.

[91nordic29]

Originally posted by spectras only
I have mu ducers mounted in the bilge .You can only have that with solid layups.Sorry about you guys with balsa cores:p .
anyone know what our 91 nordic has?:confused:

[Tom Brown]

Why don't you call Nordic? I'm sure they'd be happy to tell you. :)
By the way, I didn't realize a transducer was available for a cored hull. Thanks, SO. It's cool what you can learn in the forums. :cool:

[spectras only]

Tom and others ,here's the link for thru hull transducers with angles www.airmar.com