View Full Version : Any Info on Northstar Fishfinders ?
JiMinneye
11-23-2009, 10:22 PM
As I have been researching various fishfinders I have run across a Model made be Northstar called an Explorer 467. It looks like it is a high end finder. I have never heard of Northstar before...could anyone educate me a little on the company and their equipment ? If you've ever owned one, did you ever have to contact them for repairs ? Any information appreciated ! Jim
Northstar is owned by Navico, who also ownes Eagle and Lowrance. I would expect customer service, or lack thereof, would probably be the same.
JiMinneye
11-24-2009, 08:22 PM
Thanks for the info, I will definately stay as far away from a Navico product as possible. Lowrance used to be a top notch company before being purchased by them. What else do they own ?
yarcraft91
11-24-2009, 08:35 PM
http://www.navico.com/en/our-Brands/
VernH
11-25-2009, 08:50 AM
In a round about way the following kinda applies.
If I have the link right, the following thread from April 2004 said that Pinpoint (which had good products at the time) was acquired by Nortstar.
http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99935 (http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99935)
Motorguide and Brunswick are also in the mix, I think more in the trolling motor area. The Pinpoint locators group was never supported in any reasonable fashion after that sale by any of their new owners. I and some friends (between us we owned about $7000 of Pinpoint products) went up to the Northstar booth at a trade show and were given a very big brush off when we asked about their Pinpoint stuff.
It would appear that the series of acquisitions never made the product better. I would guess they lost the original engineering talent. Often it is difficult to integrate new products from an outside company into an existing product line due to NIH (not invented here) attitudes at the new parent company. Great concept, very little engineering effort to bring it into the next era.
Northstar is now a division of Navico.
I would guess that since Lowrance is a bigger division than Northstar, it would get more attention from corporate. Don't know if that helps or hurts when it come to after sale support. Many appear to not be pleased with their Lowrance products.
Never heard from a Northstar product owner. I got no warm fuzzy feelings from the Northstar people when I asked them about the Pinpoint product line they purchased.
We can all look at good products that went away as the result of corporate mergers/takeovers. Examples where things went better, IMO, are fewer.
Vern
Shellback
11-25-2009, 05:00 PM
Cannon, MinnKota and Humminbird have been acquired by Johnson Outdoors in the past few years. I'd say they have become better products. I guess that speaks well of Johnson Outdoors.
VernH
11-26-2009, 08:22 AM
Cannon, MinnKota and Humminbird have been acquired by Johnson Outdoors in the past few years. I'd say they have become better products. I guess that speaks well of Johnson Outdoors.
Very good example of acquisitions gone good....there are exceptions to the "rule."