I just installed my Eagle Cuda 168 and I'm very happy with it. It gives me another pair of eyes, especially in the early morning. Got from ebay.
thats good was it expensive to ship over
Simon G
No not really. In all, Lm42, VAT and customs included cos I got it from the US. I'd save the hassle and get it from the UK or Germany however next time.
Sounds like a bargain. Any idea how much they are brand new?
FIN
Lm42 is brand new sealed in the box.
great stuff!
new from here is about lm 68 What a rip off
At Stuarts Hardware/Marine Store in Xemxija Ray had it for Lm52, incl. 1 year guarantee if I'm not mistaken. So that's not too bad. The fishfinder works well up to 202 metres, but it doesn't read any more than that. It's enough for me though and for most coastal fishing. Quite honestly, once it goes above the 200 metres mark it doesn't make much difference and a marine chart will do.
By any chance, does anyone have a Malta Marine Chart in JPG format?
i am trying to get one if i sucseed i will pass it on
as raymond of stuard marine if he knows of one you can download
Do you have the fixed or the portable version of this fishfinder? Have you tried it whilst the boat is moving? Would you recommend it?
Yes, definitely. It works well if the boat is moving, but then it depends on the speed. If the boat is plaining, it doesn't work too well as the transponder is lifted out from the water. The only limitation is that it doesn't read more than 200m depth, however for me its just fine. Worth every penny.
Hi Ciappinu,
Was thinking of buying the above mentioned fish finder as well for my 13ft boat, are you still happy with it after a year?
In reality do you ever fish in water deeper then 200m in your 13ft scorpion?
Blackhawkmt
Another small question, does it show you your current speed?
before you buy a fishfinder be sure about the depth you are going to fish so that you choose one that is most suitable for you.
Very Happy and yes, still working fine perfectly fine. For speed however you will need a GPS. All the fish finder shows you is depth and Temperature. It also gives you an indication of what it looks like below your boat, such as bottom, fish, etc....
busu, i only have a 13ft boat so i guess i will never exceed the limit of the cuda (or so i hope) :) but thanks for your input.
Ciappinu, i have now bought this fish finder and will try to install it tonight and see how it goes..... :) thanks for you help mate!
i also have a 14ft boat but sometimes i fish in 400mtrs
400m wow!!! how far out? and where...if i may ask?
Quote from: ciappinu on May 28, 2008, 08:08:18 CET
Very Happy and yes, still working fine perfectly fine. For speed however you will need a GPS. All the fish finder shows you is depth and Temperature. It also gives you an indication of what it looks like below your boat, such as bottom, fish, etc....
I have an Raymarine Apelco 350 fish finder and it also gives me the speed of the boat a it has a paddle wheel at the back. It reads up to 250Fa.
Although I do occasionaly fish in waters deeper than 200 metres (Western side is very deep, 2 miles away from filfla area is 400 metres), I would not be bottom fishing, so depth would not interest me much. When fishing for dentex, I fish reef edges, and would rarely venture more than 100 metres.
I fixed my eagle cuda on a 13 foot scorpion, which is like a bahri. The transducer I fitted at the back outside, in line with the bottom of the boat, half way between the side of the boat and the prop.
Take care of the transducer as if you damage it, its quite expensive.
GPS.
Am interested to buy a hand held GPS with Maltese islands marine chart. Any kind of information regarding hand held GPS will be appreciated as I'm totally ignorant on the subject! Would it be a good idea to buy one over the internet?
From Garmin, B/W GPSMAP 76 or colour GPSMAP 76Cx
I can recommend www.jgtech.co.uk
But when you start wanting mapping on a hand held unit the price goes up and choice is relatively restricted. If you buy from the UK/Europe the basemap will at least be European not USA.
Lowrance H20 b/w or H20 C Colour, seems to accept Navionics maps as well. The H20 C is ?229 !!
Both these models take Navionics Gold and Classic Maps on MMC format
Or the Lowrance iFinder Expedition C (Colour) seems to be better reviewed that the H20C
on the west side from 6 mls out it becomes very deep
With regards to GPS, I bought a Garmin Etrex Legend a couple of years ago. I haven't loaded Blue Chart on yet, and I doubt I will. I am very happy as I am. I have a base map of Malta, so at any time I can know how far out from land I am. It gives me location, speed, saved locations, track back to a spot, etc... For Lm65 it was a bargain.
Hi Skip and Ciappinu,
Thanks for your prompt reply (and link).
One other question I would like to add is what is a Base map? Does a base map show the different levels of the bottom of the sea? Excuse me but I'm not a technical person and this subject is totally foreign to me.
regards,
suffrun.
i am also very new to gps but as far as i know a base map is the map that is shipped built in to the gps device.
however i am sure that skip or anyone else who is into this kind of stuff can explain in further detail.
Thats right, for example the eTrex Legen comes with a basemap that just outlines the coast of malta, showing names of main cities such as Valletta, Rabat, etc.... For more details, such as depth and reefs, you will need to purchase the charts extra and load them on the unit. Garmin have Blue Chart, which uploads on the GPS.
So if you are buying a GPS, make sure that you can load Blue Chart (If its a garmin). I personally suggest Garmin for a boat.
i think only garmin have the blue chart. i dont know exactly what it is. i think it gives more accurate readings of the bottom or it gives you 3D view of the bottom. maybe someone knows and can explain to us
I have a Garmin and bought the blue chart add-on (which is a small chip that you can plug into the unit). I believe you can also by it on CD and download it directly from a PC.
The blue chart is very useful and full of information such as land and sea place names, sea bed levels, contours, reefs, locsation of fishfarms, cardinal buoys, protected areas etc. Interesting to note that when I transferred the coordinates of some of my fishing 'hotspots' from another GPS which doesn't have a chart feature, I realised that most of them are located right on the edge of a reef.
Garmin do the Bluemap, others use Navionics, their Gold series considered to be some of the best electronic charts.
They are simply electronic charts, Navionics classic has basic details, gold is like a std chart, and platinum contains lots of additional info, 3D bottom views etc.
Don't think std bluechart contains 3D bottom.
I would like to thank everyone for all the info re handheld GPS. It seems that Garmin are the most popular and will do some local shopping around and see what is available on the local market.
suffrun
the blue chart i have on cd is like the one i have on the gps unit. mine is a bit old now as i bought mine about 9 years ago. I went to upgrade and was told by garmin that mine cannpot be upgraded.... :(P
DJS now u know the effectiveness of fishing the ridges eh....bet u will have the boat right at the edge since u got the gps with chart....
not only the most popular but also with the best service i have one two years old and have had it updated this year new maps etc
Yes, Shanook you're right there. This summer, I'll just be closely following those contour lines!
when u are on a ridge u might find a trail of rubbish sort of floating in a line, (This doesnt happen only on a ridge). When u do fish the area because it can be productive. Only be careful that there isnt any oil slicks as they can ruin ur rules..
Eagle cuda168 fishfinder at 90 euros equivalent to 38 maltese lira at stuart marine plus 1 year garantee on labour and 2 years on parts not worth the hassle getting it from ebay isnt it
i bought my eagle cuda 168 from stuatr marine and the service is exellent