Compass and fishfinder

Hi!

After reading these forums and the tips from rib international online site I have learn a lot.

I would like to know what are the compass you use in your rib.
Is the silva 58 general purpose compass good enough to use in a 5m rib?

Also for a fishfinder / sounder, as I am planning use my rib to fish.
After reading this forum I understand that Garmin fishfinders seams not be very reliable.
After look in the net I found Humminbird and Raymarine (Raytheon) type L365. Are these a good choice for about 200.00 GBP fishfinder? Are they suitable for a 5m rib?

What are fishfinder / sounder you use in your ribs?

Is speed / temperature mesaurements usefull ?


For the GPS I have decided to go for the Garmin 12 :)


Thanks
Pedro

If you plan to buy one GPS + one fish finder, reconsider all that, having in mind that there are GPS/MAP/FISHFINDERS (3 in 1 combination), with many many features. The main reason I suggest this combo is the less space required for installation in mid sized ribs.
Take a look at garmin's site
http://www.garmin.com/marine/index.html

Isn't the problem with a device such as this that if one goes down you lose everything? - especially if the item has to go for repair - or if it is a power supply problem yo lose the lot

The Silva compass you refer to not bad, we have used them on club rescue boats. But they are not very steady in very rough seas. I have found that the Plastimo one gives a better, more steady reading at speed in bad seas and seems to survive longer. For ultimate readability a digital one is unbeatable!

Multi function units are produced for one main reason. They dramaticaly decrease the necessary installation space which is critical for ribs like ours. You are absolutely right regarding the reasons you mentioned, but I know only a few ribsters having enough space to install 2 or 3 units on their consoles. What the rest of us will do ?

Alan Mc

I use a "Shunto". Don't exactly recall the model, but it's the one with the little magnets for the installation setup. The digital ones do require 12 V DC don't they ?

Hi!

Thanks for your comments and advises.

I will not forget that I will need space to install everything ;).

I have decided to purchase an hand-held GPS (Garmin 12) because I can use it anywhere, not only in the boat.

Electronic compasses seems to be more expensive than the others. Is it worth the value?


Bye Pedro