Vexilar Sonarphone for boat - recent review?

So the $180 transducer / battery / case that will transmit a bluetooth type signal over to your phone or tablet? Sounds to cheap to be good. But combined with the Navionics App, you should be more than capable.

https://store.vexilar.com/sonarphone-with-hs-transducer-porta-case-phone-not-included.html

 

Maybe I'm old school and want something hard-wired.

The higher end units have really come down in price since I got mine 3 years ago

 

?? So you would rather pay $3000-4000 for a higher end unit instead of $180?

I wouldn't call $3000-4000 for the higher end units coming down. They seem to be going up.

 

He's not rigging a 50' yacht! I'm talking about a 7" screen.

 

Another disadvantage is when they drop a tablet or a phone in the lake. Whine, whine, whine all the way home...

I dropped a waterproof cell in an ice hole once and it rang for three days until the battery died. No answer! IMO the sunlight glare you mentioned will be a problem for sure. I know I can't see my cell on a sunny day on the water.

 

Some of you guys must have a better set of eyes than this old man. I'm currently staring at a combination of Hummingbirds, an 899 on the console and an 859 on the bow, and there are times I can't see what I'm looking for. Probably the same reason I've got a 25" computer screen.

I'm assuming that you have a mount for your phone/tablet for hands free use.

 

Looks like a great idea, just mount a tablet on the dash and make a cover for shade.

 

Lund is correct. With a Humminbird.....it isn't easy to change the angle on it, so you turn up the lighting. With a phone in your hand.....just turn 15 degrees and you can see your screen now.

 

You are one of the few. I paid $1500 for my 10" screen. And most of the guys I see at the boat launch have at least (3) 10"-15" screens networked....so more like $12,000 on their $70,000 sparkle boat.

 

If I want to watch TV, I’ll stay home

My 240 Sundance has the Elite and works good enough for me. The Whaler has a Hook unit with all the charts including the Everglades. Again a TV screen would be overkill.

Steve is talking about about a river boat, not a sparkle boat that needs all the gadgets to look cool. My point is that those units that once were above a grand are now close to 1/2 that.

Not talking carbons or Simrad. Maybe the “higher end” threw you off

 

If the goal is to catch as many fish as you can with buying a new rig, 75% of the budget should go into the boat/motor/trailer and 25% in accessories - electronics, trolling motors, a kicker, power poles, rod holders, etc. A loaded 18’ boat will help you catch more fish than a 20’ boat with a little 5” screen at the helm and a non-GPS enabled trolling motor up front IF you learn how to use all that fancy stuff.

 

Deals are out there if you keep your eyes open. I picked up a 12” Carbon last fall for a net of about $1200 after I sold off the other things in the bundle I didn’t need.