Using a boat's graph in winter on an atv or sled?

[rickwalley]

Hey Guys,

I'm thinking of getting a new graph for the boat, and finally replace my Eagle Accura 240 from many, many years ago.   I'm hoping to get a lot more boat time in the next year or two I haven't been able to get in the last 10-15 years. Needless to say it's going to be a great jump into today's technology.

As much as I look forward to it in the boat, I also want to use it's lake mapping and GPS coordinate functions during the winter.  I won't need it for the sonar function on the lake, as I already have a Marcum for that.  My question is how do these screens work in real cold weather?  Can the mapping keep up at slow speeds?  As you approach a saved way point?  I know the Marcum supposedly has a screen heater built in to help the digital returns show on the screen at real time.  Assuming these boat sonars don't have that feature..am I at an accuracy disadvantage that I need to be aware of?  For what it's worth...I'm thinking of going for a home run and getting the new Humminbird Helix 10" Mega SI G2...........

 

Thanks for any on the ice experiences any of you already have.

 

 

 

[vtx1029]

Been using my lowrance on the ice for 3 seasons. I do not leave it out exposed in the cold if I'm not using it and have not had an issue. If you have touch screen it can be a pain in the winter with screen grounding issues and having to pull off your gloves...  that said I love my lowrance I think I also prefer it over my Marcum LX9. Yes mapping will work fine at least from my experience especially when moving slow its when your zipping across the lake at 40+ that some units will have issues keeping up with mapping. Also something to keep in mind is if you ever decide you want a bow mount trolling motor that can follow contours or control via your graph you have two choices. Minnkota uses Humminbird and Lowrance uses Motor Guide. Just another thing to think about in your decision. Honestly I don't think you could really make a bad decision in sonar right now. All have features that are very close to one another and in 2 years your unit will be outdated and selling for a 10th of what you paid for it.

[Ron Vroom]

I have used a Lowrance XOG (no longer available) on my boat and on my snowmobile for years now with no problems with cold or speed of tracking. I use a Lakemaster card for Minnesota lake for fishing, a Navionics card for coverage in Canada and LOW for winter and summer fishing, and a Red Pine snowmobile trail map for riding. Have ridden at 30 below without any problem with the touchscreen, it is hooked up to sled power, so it probably is getting some heat, and I put it inside my jacket when I get off. I recommend that you do a little research on the available chips for where you are going because different manufacturers use different chips. My use pretty much limits me to Garmin, and expect to pay couple to $300+ for chips for where I travel.

[leech~~]

23 minutes ago, Ron Vroom said:

I have used a Lowrance XOG (no longer available) on my boat and on my snowmobile for years now with no problems with cold or speed of tracking. I use a Lakemaster card for Minnesota lake for fishing, a Navionics card for coverage in Canada and LOW for winter and summer fishing, and a Red Pine snowmobile trail map for riding. Have ridden at 30 below without any problem with the touchscreen, it is hooked up to sled power, so it probably is getting some heat, and I put it inside my jacket when I get off. I recommend that you do a little research on the available chips for where you are going because different manufacturers use different chips. My use pretty much limits me to Garmin, and expect to pay couple to $300+ for chips for where I travel.

 

Same here. I have 3 of them. Use them in the SUV, Boat, Snowmobile, and Dual Sport bike. They seem to work better on my sled in the winter with no issues at all over my old ifinder which would eat batteries in the cold. They are discontinued but you can still find them out there on the List or bay once in a while. I like them as they are a crossover and can be used on the road or with a lake map which is the main thing I use them for. Wish they would bring something like it back.

Edited March 30, 2017 by leech~~

[Ron Vroom]

I think the market for crossovers has disappeared with the advent of cell phones and navigation apps. This is fine for users on metropolitan lakes, but when you get out into the bush on remote lakes and in Canada, your cellphone is useless. My mention of Garmin being the most versatile is based upon what lake and snowmobile cards are out there. The free Mn DNR snowmobile map is limited to Garmin as is Red Pine Maps. There is more available when it comes to lake and fishing maps, but it seems most of the newer units use micro cards, so if you are looking at these, your old SD cards won't work, and that is my reason for sticking with the old unit because I don't want to have to pay for all new cards despite the fact I would love a larger display.

[Wanderer]

Good info guys.