Best portable depth finder

[Ufatz]

Am shopping around for a dependable depth finder that can be moved from boat to boat. You know, lightweight, easy mount transducerm 12v. etc. I have troll motor deep cell in one boat and would just connect to that. But other boats I'd drag along a small 12v. Don't need sophisticated features...just want to find depth and contours. Thanks.

[Valv]

I have a Lowrance X67c which I use for open water and icefishing and I love the unit, colors are awesome.

If you can "upgrade" to fixed transom mount transducers, I believe it will work better. You will have 1 fixed transducer on each boat instead of the portable version with suction cup, which works great but if you are not careful it might come off while traveling at high speed, it happened to me a couple of times and it was a miracle it didn't get chopped up in the propeller

[T-water]

I have a Buddy 101 (I think) got it at cabelas, very portable takes a couple of AA batteries. Not fancy but cheap and easy to use on any small boat or canoe. Probably not good for ice fishing.

[Ufatz]

Yes, I had a Buddy II for ten years. A lot of fish finder for the money. I would buy another in a heartbeat but if I can I'd like to find something I don't have to take in every time I want to run. The Buddy people are great when it comes to customer service too.

[fishyguy]

I had an Eagle Ultra II for about 10-12 years and it is still going strong. Eagle has worked well for me. I also now have an Lowrance X96. Got it last fall so I have not used it very much but, so far, so good.

[Down Deep]

I have the Eagle Supra-Pro that I've use for 15 years. I use it for my trips to the BWCA or in Canada when I end up in a resort boat. The Fish Mark and Cuda is the much updated version of this unit. I have no reason to update until the unit toasts out, but I think I would go with either one of these units.

[fish-4-fun]

I don't know if you all know this but an eagle is made by lowrance which is the best finder in my opinion. The eagle is just kinda a stripped down version, cheaper parts and such, and less power. Although that new hummingbird side technology looks cool, and I would really like to see it in use on a real lake. Humminbird has the patent on that which expires in a few years then Lowrance can make theirs with it too. I can't wait!

[Indiana Mike]

I have the Lowrance X-135 and it works great as a portable. I purchased a dual suction cup teflon mount from Vexilar to minimize the risk of the transducer coming loose and getting chopped in the prop. (Been there, done that.) It takes a little experimenting to get the mount correctly positioned but once done I can go full out with my 15hp Merc without loss of signal. I also use an H20c attached to the X-135.

Indiana Mike

[federline]

I, too, use a Lowrance x67c Ice Machine for ice fishing and open water, and I have the high-speed, fixed mount transom transducer permanently mounted on the boat. It turns my seaworthy junk heap into a fish killer.

[Bassboy1645]

Valv i fished with a fourth generation handme down eagle silent 60 flasher as my first depthfinder. Uncle experienced the suction cup problem and cured it by attaching his new one to a short peice of rope tied to the transom. this served me 2 years in my first boat until my new boat and vexillar last summer. Hope this helped anyone wondering about this prob. Oh yeah spit on the suction cup before u plaster it on and makle sure its as clean as u can get it to ensure good sticking. sometimes hard to yank off by hand!

[superhawk16]

I run an x67 also. Haven't gotten a chance to put it on my boat yet but it has really been awsome this winter.

[Questor]

I too have a Fishing Buddy that I've used for many years. It has been excellent when fishing from a canoe. However, I don't recommend using it on a power boat because it is difficult to keep the transducer steady. Better to keep looking for one with a transducer that can be moved from boat to boat too. If you don't mind slow-speed operation only, then the Fishing Buddy is still a great unit.