I choose the 740 also. I mounted it in the dash and it is very close to the compass. No issues.

I would post a picture but for some reason the option to do so is not working.

Dan

Old thread but thought I would bring it back up.

So I am looking for a chart plotter and have limited space, these two should fit in my space. The garmin is a lot more then the Simrad, wondering if garmin is worth the extra.

Also has anyone used through hull (shooting through not through mount) transducers? My depth sounder works pretty good till about 30 didn't know if the ones they make for these work.

last of course,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, where is the best deal to purchase one?

Simrad:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/simrad...ucer--17204454

garmin:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/garmin...tely--14014237

I went with a Lowrance Elite 5M, less than $400. Mounted it 6-8 inches from compass on my Formula no issues. Not a fish finder, just a GPS ( that's what the M represents). Good luck.

I haven't used the Simrad but I did have a Lowrance on my Donzi when I got it this Spring. I couldn't get rid of that thing fast enough. Awful awful awful.

I think there's a reason almost everyone is running the large screen Garmins. They work damn well, easy to see and easy to use.

I have a 740 and love it.

Hey Wildman. I did my undergrad work at FIT. I love Merritt Island. You're living in a special place.

I just pulled my engine last winter for general maintenance and while I was there I installed a shoot thru transducer. The good news is that there is no hole in the boat. The bad news is that about all you get is depth data. The through hull mounted transducers really give you a lot of information including bottom contours and water temperature.

I purchased a NMEA 2000 transducer and the data ports into the Garmin 740s by that route. I also kept the original Lowrance depth finder since it was working fine. The lowrance is faster to respond than the Garmin (most likely due to relatively slow data transmission rates over the NMEA 2000 network). Not a big deal but noticeable. The Garmin transducer and Lowrance are mounted very close together. I get interference on the Lowrance but not the Garmin when both are active. I have since seen other boats whose depth gauges work just fine even with a more forward mounted transducer so if I had to do it over again I would separate them more. As long as the water under the transducer is not aerated you will get good results. I get good depth information up to the maximum speed of the boat which is about 60mph.

Also, no compass issues with this location of the chartplotter, just a few inches below the compass.

Good luck.

Dan

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I guess if I had it to do over again I would look closely at Raymarine products. The Garmin is nice except for very small text. My big issue though is a touchscreen is difficult to use in bumpy water. That is not Garmin specific though. An actual button is some much easier to push when the world is moving around under you.

I just purchased a 547xs & the p79 transducer. I really wanted a 700 series but dont have the real estate for it & all my gauges.

I should have been more specific. I am using the P79 transducer also.

Some good info there, I have a step hull so the transducer is mounted forward of that. It's why the depth only works till 30 after that the hull is out of the water.

If all you get is depth may not even be a reason to buy the transducer, save some money that way. I didn't think about the touch screen issue in bumper water, that may be a issue here.

Thanks

I had a garmin 740 in my boat less than two years. Now it constantly goes into Panning mode or MOB. Garmin wants $300 just to look at it. I feel like I wasted $700.