help deciding between lowrance elite 4x dsi and hb 346c di

[skeeter-eater]

Hi everyone. I have a small boat and ive narrowed it down to these two units. They seem very comparable. If anyone owns either of these units and has any tips id appreciate your suggestions. im going to mount it in the front of my boat so i really dont want to run the cable to the back for a transom mount transducer...

hb's website says that the 346 can have an "inside hull" transducer....what is that? Does it come with it? can it read water temp? Any sacrifice on accuracy?

Lowrances website didnt say much about the transducer. i think i read that it comes with a trollin motor mount...which that would work for me...any one know if it comes with one? Any issues with a tm mount?

[charlie tuna]

First off, i had some serious customer relation problems with HummingBird on the first sounder i bought many years ago, and i have bought six different Lowrance GPS and GPS/Sonar since they came out 30 years ago, never had a problem with Lowrance!
I'm assuming this is the boat in question shown in the aviator(sp)? The "thru the hull" transducer will loose quite a bit of detail, compared to an external transducer. Mounting one on your trolling motor makes little sense to me, i'm usually fishing when my trolling motor is down. I like to read the bottom as i am running, certainly not while i am fishing?? I bought a boat and it had a Lowrance sonar unit on it. I have a combo GPS/Sonar which i use between three boats, so that gave me an extra sonar unit. My buddy has his Ghnooe parked in my work shop, and i thought i would suprise him and install the extra sonar unit in his Ghnooe. Transon mounted the transducer and ran the cable up under that plastic rub rail between the unit and the transducer. Battery is mounted up forward, again i ran a cable from the bow back to the unit which mounted where he could see the screen while operating the motor(tiller). Works out great for him -- he was always parinoyde of skinny water.........

[skeeter-eater]

I'm assuming this is the boat in question shown in the aviator(sp)? The "thru the hull" transducer will loose quite a bit of detail, compared to an external transducer. Mounting one on your trolling motor makes little sense to me, i'm usually fishing when my trolling motor is down. I like to read the bottom as i am running, certainly not while i am fishing??

Yes the boat in my avatar is the one im gonna put it on....i am the total opposite as you...although it would be nice to have when im runnin the boat (from the back seat), i would use it more when im fishin....and i fish from the front of my boat....and always use my trollin motor while im fishin...i use this boat mainly in lake talquin bass / spec...to me havin a fish finder while im fishin could make the diference....id atleast know if theres fish and what depth theyre at. i do use the boat in the flats a few times a year but dont really have a need for a fish / depth finder for the flats fishin that i do....1 - 3 fow....if anything i would just be interested in temp for the salt water fishin....i did talk to a guy on another forum who actually works for hb and he said that the in hull transducer does lose a little accuacy but not enough to notice if its installed right....but cant measure temp because it doesnt touch the water....so i think im gonna try the lowrance with the tm mount...its 50$ cheaper also....ill try to remember to post how it works out

[skeeter-eater]

Ps...do you own charlie tunas bait store off hwy 20?...i stop in there for bait all the time

[charlie tuna]

No - i'm a retired Infrared Thermographer.