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It was obvious that the unit had been returned and had been used. The unit arrived in the appropriate time. However, I discovered that the unit was a return (the original purchaser's note was still in the box with the unwrapped finder).
But it turned out better than I thought. I think.But I can't truly admit that I used it to catch fish because that's debatable. Didn't even know how it worked, but I wanted to know where the fish were.Installation in the kayak was pretty much a breeze although I was scared stiff to drill a hole for the wiring that plugs into the display. LOL.But as far as giving depth ranges and fish location, it does a good/great. What can I say.
Not a KODAK moment.Keep in mind that this review is on the unit and NOT on the user's fishing prowess. While the sunbathers all laugh at you as you flop around on the sand like a fish out of water. job. probably comes to a sudden stop and your kayak flips over on it's side. Duh. Don't know what happens when you suddenly come across a sandbar. although you don't get a good reading on the temperature. and OH yes,it gives good audible signals as in when you're in shallow water and about to trash your rudder.
I didn't know the first thing about fishfinders when I bought this unit to install in my Hobie Kayak. Let's just say that I certainly saw fish going by (according to the indicator/display), and it gave the depth ranges of all the fish swimming by, but catching them is another matter. OK. (Gives himself a pat on the back).As far as the transducer was concerned, I found out that you can install it inside the hull and it still works pretty well. cause it can get warm inside the hull so you get the temperature reading inside the hull instead of the water.
I don't see a lot of differences from the Garmin 85. Does an adequate job. Had to replace a Garmin Fishfinder 85 that failed after one year and only 3 months of service on the water. The Garmin 90 plugged into the boat's existing Fishfinder 85 sensors and worked immediately.
Still not bad if you do not go too fast. It might not have a touch screen or complex menu options, but it definately does the trick for a lot less $. the depth gauge was pretty accurate too. It also beeps when there is a school of fish nearby. Purchased this fishfinder on Amazon with $30 off when opened Amazon credit card.
I saw circles in the water and fish jumping, then Garmin started beeping, so it definately knows where the fish is. I bought this unit because I had a budget under $100, but was looking for one that warns when the water is shallow and it also has a dual beam (you can set a narrow beam for more depth and accuracy or wider beam for greater coverage). In overall, I think if you need a basic unit that warns you of water depth (you can set it to beep when it is less than X feet), shows where the fish is (including the depth where the fish is), and water temperature you will be happy with Garmin 90. But if you also need a GPS feature, look into more expensive ones. I was crabbing that day, so cannot really tell if it helps you catch fish, but the images were definately clear on the screen. I simply take the unit off the holder when park the boat, so it does not get wet/hot/stollen.
Installation was pretty easy, everything I needed was in a box. The screen is big and clear, even in the sun thanks to a special anti-reflective coating, pretty easy to navigate through the menu, no need to load anything as this is NOT a marine GPS unit. The holder has a swiwel feature, so you can adjust it to whatever angle you like and then secure in that position. Took the boat out the next day on Wye River in MD, worked pretty well for me: showed water temperature at 80 degrees, finally warm. I did not get a portable hardware, but unless you switch between boats you do not really need it. I think the manual stated the images on the screen had up to 5 seconds delay.
I measured the depth with a pole and compared with Garmin and the accuracy was within 0.5 inches. Fish finding feature was neat (was assuring to see big and little fish on the screen).
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