Depthfinders - Life of . . .

[Kevin B]

What's the life expectancy of a depth finder? I usually get about three years out of one before its first trip to the repair shop. Then, I usually get another year or so out of it before it costs more to repair than replace. What's been your experience with them? Just curious. - Kevin B

[curt quesnell]

you may be about right...i still have my old
green box that must be 20 years old..but i have
had 3 hummingbirds go bad and a couple of eagles
in the same time frame....

the good part is every time a get a new depth
finder it is very much better than the one i
replace.

curt quesnell

[Mac]

I own 4 depthfinders, including 2 Humminbirds, and they still all work and have never been in a shop. The only reason I get new ones is for the features. # 5 is a Pinpoint and hopefully with their "send it in and we'll update it" policy, I won't have to buy another for a while.

[Smokin J]

I bought a used Hummingbird flasher for my first boat. Traded that boat last May. Never had one problem with the flasher. 17 yrs. of never being touched. Still have the flasher, its retired to the shelf in the grarge. Bought a new one. Only hope it lasts half that long. Thanks

[bobbersdown]

I bought a Eagle Z7200 192 verticle pixels 375 watts 65 watts RMS back in 1987-88 still use it today.

[John in MN]

I bought an Eagle Z9000 in the spring of 1990. It has never missed a beat.

[Fin Addict]

I have never had one go bad. Have an old green box - still good as new. Buy new only to improve features. Had one transducer go bad - called Air-Mar the OEM manufacturer of the original unit and got a replacement. If your units are going bad, I would suspect corrosion on the contacts. Use dielectric tune up grease on all plugs, both male and female ends. If you store your boat outside, bring the unit indoors when not in use and be sure to cap the ends of the transducer and power cords when not in use. Frequently these units "go bad" because corroded connections will not get enough power to the unit to let it function.

[Kevin B]

Fin Addict - thanks for the tips. I live in the west, northern NM, where we have 285 clear days each year, 100 days or more of 100 degree weather with direct sunlight, and winters with lots of days in the teens. I fish 3-4 days each week from April- November, then 1-2 days/week in Dec & Jan. I think the direct sunlight is the culprit. Other guys around here get about the same out of their units, a few get a little longer. I buy middle of the road Hbirds and Eagles ($200). After 3 years, they usually start having problems with the window fogging up, then they won't shut off or if they shut off, they won't stay turned on. That's usually a $70-90 repair bill. A year or so later, same problems, and they usually quote me $125 or more, with only a 90 day warranty. I usually just buy a new one rather than spend a buck and a quarter knowing next year the same thing will happen. I know this because I give the old units away, and somebody always tries to repair them, it lasts about one year.- Kevin B

[GM]

Kevin, I totally agree about the sun beating down on them. I live in southern Mn. and have had the same problems with my eagles and hummingbirds. I fish as much as you do and have never got more than a year out of any of them. My latest depthfinder is a Garmin 240 which will be on it's second year this year.

[Kevin B]

GM - Wonder why they make them out of BLACK plastic? In the southwest, in summertime, you don't dare touch the sonar housing!! Especially not with bare skin!!