3D fishfinder

[IANK]

I'm interested in purchasing a Hummingbird matrix 47 3D fishfinder having been impressed by the images it produces posted on the humminbird website. Similarly the images produced by the sidescan fishfinders look impressive.

Has any body got any practical experience of using either and are they any good. i.e. Does it do what it says on the box?

[jyasaki]

Reports here have been pretty sketchy.

Complaints have ranged from disappointment at the relatively shallow depths it operates at (ranging from "useless beyond 20' " to "okay to about 90' "), as well as the general lack of enthusiasm over Humminbird's build quality.

Have never seen a report that was enthusiastic (except for one, and that was just after it made its way onto the boat.)

I have only owned one Humminbird product (and that was a gift); and have vowed that I would never own one again (though, to be fair, I might consider one of the 3D units, if they start getting better reviews.)

YMMV, of course.

jky

[karlT]

I have a humminbird 987cx si chartplotter / sounder and have been out most of the past week playing with the unit and getting some nice cod and pollock!!. I also have vast experience of using garmin 2010c and 3110c as well as some lowrance & raymarine units.

My main interest is diving / fishing so a decent sounder does come in handy.

Points I think are relevant about the 987cx

Small screen for chartplotter / mulitview

Menu system is not particularly easy to use in comparison to garmin.
Naming wpts whilst at sea is a pain, free software for ashore is quite good and thus i have resorted to notepad whislt at sea to record name / info against no. and then update later via sd card.

I have been using the sidescan over known wrecks that i have dived and sites where wrecks are believed to be. over known wrecks the images are not as clear as on humminbirds website, but do give what i would consider a superlative insight as to the structure. However the target depths have been around 30m compared to many of humminbirds shallow images. the normal sounder mode gives a fantastic image comparable to the modern lowrances and can trace a pirk 30m below the boat and show individual fish / shoals over the wreckage. (the normal sounder is better than the Garmin)

Using the sounder in the approaches to the harbour the sidescan images are superb showing the walls / block breakwater and even small rocks 1/2m2 size that uncover at low tide.

If you have any questions please pm me for more info.

karlt