Raymarine Dragonfire Chirp combo

[Redfish Ron]

I am purchasing my electronics for my 170 rebuild- I got my radio and antenna, a Standard Horizon VHF unit with a 8' Shakespeake fiberglass antenna- now I am seriously looking at a chart plotter combo- I have a Lowrance Elite 5 DSI Gold on my Hobie Outback kayak and it works well- i am seriously considering the Dragonfly with CHIRP transducer- anyone have any experience with this unit- I have read the reviews and they are a mixed bag- on a small 17.5 foot boat I figure the dragonfly's screen size is about right-

[GoneFission]

Take a good look at the Humminbird 788 or 798 - the side imaging on the 798 is pretty cool...

[seabob4]

I did a Simrad CHIRP install on a 30' Glacier Bay, the owner deep drops in the Gulf Stream between Lauderdale and Bimini where he was looking for excellent target discrimination at around 4000 ft...where CHIRP comes into it's own.  Shallow depths?  Not sure I see the need for it...

[Redfish Ron]

Take a good look at the Humminbird 788 or 798 - the side imaging on the 798 is pretty cool...

Gander Mountain has the 798 on sale for $649.99- and there is a store 45 miles from me in Fredricksburg, Virginia...if the ice melts off tomorrow I think I'll take a drive down and take a look-

[Circle Hooked]

My Dad just bought a Dragon Fly yesterday, Worst had a special on them for 499 with Navionics, can't beat that, I'll let you know when I can how it works.

[Redfish Ron]

I pulled the trigger on the Hummingbird 798- once I get my 170 rebuilt and in the water next spring, I'll review the unit for the forum- thanks for the feedback and suggestions- after thinking about the CHIRP being a deep water plus, and 99% of my fishing being in waters less than 100 feet deep in the Chesapeake Bay, the side imaging feature of the 798 as well as its versatility sold me- especially appealing was the $400 off list price sale on this unit going on at Gander Mountain-  

[bondobill]

I would like to know what you guys think of the units once installed.
Have a old Lowrance X85 in the back of the boat I would like to update.
Just about pulled the trigger on a Dragonfly last summer but the reviews I read where far from stellar.
Maybe you guys can recommend a good one. Normally we fish in depth of 90 to 160 feet, in winter time we usually run our downriggers within 5' of the bottom, so would like a unit with HD for reading bottom structure.....15# lead balls ain't cheap  
Don't need a gps combo, but if that is all I can get I am ok with  that...have my C80 on the dash, also a Sitex depth finder up front.
5" screen would be large enough cause it sits right in front of me when I am in the back running the kicker. Unit needs to be waterproof, will be out in the elements, ran, wind, sun, sometimes snow
Side scanning looks interesting but how well does it work in the depths I normally fish  
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bill

[slvrlng]

Here is a link to a thread on PFF about the DSI and side scan capabilities of the HDS Lowrance and how to use them and for what. The Humminbird should do about the same since Lowrance stole the technology from them. After reading this and looking at the descriptions now I want one too!

http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f2 ... di-259745/

If you don't read the whole thread this is one of the posters gallery of screen shots and what you are seeing in them. Very cool! I like the mosaic he created of one bottom area so your actual location makes sense in relation to the topography of the bottom. Once mapped when you come back to that spot at a later date you will know where to go and not waste time over inferior spots.

http://imgur.com/a/96SLM

[bondobill]

Thanks Lewis  

Great link on the Lowrance. Be interesting to see how they work off shore.

[SaltH2OHokie]

Anyone have anymore real-world experience (good or bad) with the Dragonfly, the HDS-7, or any other similar units?  Dragonfly, for the price, sure seems enticing.

There's a 7" version advertised now, but I haven't been able to find a price.  The HDS-7 sure seems good, but the price is double, or more than double, that of the Dragonfly once you add-on the transducer and/or blackbox for the "structure scan" depending on whether you get the touch screen or not.  I realize nothing in life is free and that savings in costs likely mean something was cut in the "features" dept, but I'd be curious to know whether the costs were cut in areas that will matter to me or not.

[seabob4]

Ryan, Bruce (wingtime) has an HDS-7 on his Explorer, loves it.  I'm sure he'll chime in later...