Here's one for the baitboat guys,
ND Bait Boat 2:
I'm torn between all three of the above sonar's and trying to make a decision as to which one is best for my needs. In truth I'd prefer installing an Element system in my boat which I'd have to mod myself, I'm guessing that I'll have to strip it down to bare bones like no screen, get a booster for the WiFi and GNSS for mapping, or, buy a pre modded Dragonfly plus a GNSS which would be pretty straightforward, or just stick with a Deeper Chirp+.
Any of you guys had a similar decision to make, if so, what did you come up with and how did it all pan out?
ND Bait Boat 2:
I'm torn between all three of the above sonar's and trying to make a decision as to which one is best for my needs. In truth I'd prefer installing an Element system in my boat which I'd have to mod myself, I'm guessing that I'll have to strip it down to bare bones like no screen, get a booster for the WiFi and GNSS for mapping, or, buy a pre modded Dragonfly plus a GNSS which would be pretty straightforward, or just stick with a Deeper Chirp+.
Any of you guys had a similar decision to make, if so, what did you come up with and how did it all pan out?
In reply to Post #1
The Element looks a proper bit of kit doesnt it, been looking at it myself. I am currently running a Toslon TF740 which although doesnt show as much detail as my previous sonar (Wifish) it is really good, loving the autopilot! Not sure if you know but I almost went with the dragonfly 5 but the boat I nearly got wouldnt have enough room for the pcb and transducer, not sure how much room is in the ND boat. In the end I got an Xboat with the 740 pre installed, still may swap it out for the Dragonfly though. Be interested to hear what you decide on.
The Element looks a proper bit of kit doesnt it, been looking at it myself. I am currently running a Toslon TF740 which although doesnt show as much detail as my previous sonar (Wifish) it is really good, loving the autopilot! Not sure if you know but I almost went with the dragonfly 5 but the boat I nearly got wouldnt have enough room for the pcb and transducer, not sure how much room is in the ND boat. In the end I got an Xboat with the 740 pre installed, still may swap it out for the Dragonfly though. Be interested to hear what you decide on.
In reply to Post #1
Having used a dragonfly and an element (not on a bait boat) the size of the element transducer and the difference in weight of the units would be on my mind. I also wonder how useful 3D and side imaging would be on a bait boat in limited depths of water. Just my tuppence worth.
Having used a dragonfly and an element (not on a bait boat) the size of the element transducer and the difference in weight of the units would be on my mind. I also wonder how useful 3D and side imaging would be on a bait boat in limited depths of water. Just my tuppence worth.
In reply to Post #3
For the reasons you've made, I'm thinking the same which is why I'm leaning towards the Dragonfly.
Something else that is a concern is the power an Element would need, which if not using a separate battery would drain the systems battery faster than a Dragonfly would, especially an HV version.
For the reasons you've made, I'm thinking the same which is why I'm leaning towards the Dragonfly.
Something else that is a concern is the power an Element would need, which if not using a separate battery would drain the systems battery faster than a Dragonfly would, especially an HV version.
In reply to Post #4
I have the Dragonfly in my RT4 and it does everything you need, think the Elements would be total overkill on a baitboat to be honest
I have the Dragonfly in my RT4 and it does everything you need, think the Elements would be total overkill on a baitboat to be honest
Did you guys get the dragonfly fitted when you got the boat or get it fitted afterwards ?
I'm looking at how much it is on my RT4
I'm looking at how much it is on my RT4
In reply to Post #6
Mine came fitted
Mine came fitted
In reply to Post #6
Go to Fish Eye Cameras, the guy does a modded Dragonfly 5 Pro for £550 which is self fit in Hull, he says his in-boat WiFi booster has been as far as 300m. If you want live mapping, you can get the Injector V2 from Bespoke bait boats for £300 as a self fit box, you'll also need Navionics phone or tablet app which is for the live mapping feature and is around £35 for the yearly subscription with full updates, you can toss the yearly subscription off from what I gather and still keep full functionality of the app but without updates and new features.
RT the cheeky f..s want £1350 as a retrofit for a basic boat to Dragonfly, like lol, that's more than the basic boat costs.
Go to Fish Eye Cameras, the guy does a modded Dragonfly 5 Pro for £550 which is self fit in Hull, he says his in-boat WiFi booster has been as far as 300m. If you want live mapping, you can get the Injector V2 from Bespoke bait boats for £300 as a self fit box, you'll also need Navionics phone or tablet app which is for the live mapping feature and is around £35 for the yearly subscription with full updates, you can toss the yearly subscription off from what I gather and still keep full functionality of the app but without updates and new features.
RT the cheeky f..s want £1350 as a retrofit for a basic boat to Dragonfly, like lol, that's more than the basic boat costs.
In reply to Post #4
I used to get around seven hours continuous use from a 7ah battery using the dragonfly and six or seven hrs from a 12ah using the element. Rough estimates
I used to get around seven hours continuous use from a 7ah battery using the dragonfly and six or seven hrs from a 12ah using the element. Rough estimates