Depth finder and bow mount motor ???'s

[gspman]

Couple questions:
I'm close to getting a FishHawk 1750 with a 115 Yamaha 4-stroke on it. Any experiences with the Yammie 115 4-stroke you care to relate?

Bow mount motor: I'll probably get a 74# 24v AutoPilot. What length of shaft would you get for this boat? Feedback on Autopilot motors?

Depth finder: I'm lost here. I know Lowrance is good but do you recommend any other brands? I'm thinking of a color graph (not opposed to monotone though). Anybody like or dislike the color graphs and why? Do you like integrated gps or do you prefer your gsp unit separate?

Any recommendations in the $200-$500 price range for a graph?

Thanks.
gspman

[ChuckN]

That's a real good set-up, boat/motor wise. My dad loves his 115 Yammy, what a sweet motor.
As far as the finder and GPS, I personally like seperate units so I don't lose track of the depth (full screen) while navigating with the GPS. I have a handheld GPS specifically for this, and I have an older Lowrance 350A w/GPS that I rarely use. Plus, my 350A won't store waypoints and I guess the internal memory battery is shot.

I have never used a color graph. They look nice. I can't really recommend graphs, but I have always owned Lowrance and have been 100% satisfied. I heard customer service is A-1.

I never thought I would ever need an autopilot version, but I bought a boat with one and now I can't believe I fished without it. During tourneys, if I need something in the back of the boat or to help land a partner's fish, the AP rules. No more scrambling to straighten the boat out and a partner cussing you out cause you ran off the spot while baiting your hook, getting a beverage, etc.. I would say get the longest shaft possible if you fish rough water and need to hold position.

[MIDNIGHT777]

I would recomend getting a bow mount that has the universal transducer for mounting electronics. I am kicking myself in the rear end for not spending the extra few bucks on it. I wanted to mount my vexilar to the bow thru the trolling motor and could not fing a good way of doing it. I dont know if you intend on mounting a graph to the bow right away, but you never know in the future. Just my two cents.

Matt

Matt