I know this is kinda stupid for having in a jet boat, but Im the kinda person who likes to have some kind of idea how deep the water is, specially when we go wakeboarding. Not to mention last year I was running in 2 feet of water for about 100 yds till i hit bottom when it went to 6 inches. Long story, never been up that part of lake houston, lol. Anyway, does anybody else run a depth finder? i found a couple small ones that i could mount in a standard 2 1/8" gauge hole.
I don't have a jet, but I do run one. Like you, I like to know how deep it is. There are plenty of good ones out there. Just be sure to follow the directions for the transponder location and mounting. Most are mounted inside the hull with marine tex or similar.
Darrell.
I don't blame you. I was in a boat once that found some shallow water. That's some scary business! It was a prop boat and it was throwing mud a hundred or so feet in the air behind the boat. We had fun getting the boat freed.
I know this is kinda stupid for having in a jet boat, but Im the kinda person who likes to have some kind of idea how deep the water is, specially when we go wakeboarding. Not to mention last year I was running in 2 feet of water for about 100 yds till i hit bottom when it went to 6 inches. Long story, never been up that part of lake houston, lol. Anyway, does anybody else run a depth finder? i found a couple small ones that i could mount in a standard 2 1/8" gauge hole.
LOL, I've had that happen once, at low speed thankfully. One weekend at the lake, while on a run, followed a friend up a channel into a part of the lake I had never been in. While running on plane, it was fine. His outboard, however, he drug bottom & stuffed it full of sand, overheating it. I bumped along the bottom a couple of times while towing him back out, had no idea it was that shallow there.Kinda spooky at the time.....
How fast does a depth finder read anyway? Would it be able to update while at speed?
Hummingbird HDR-610
2 summers ago threw a kid off the tube into 3 feet of water, 1/3 of a MILE from shore. No injuries fortunately.
Mine is supposed to keep up to 60 mph.
Oh, and I mounted it thru-hull right next to my intake, just right of the oil pan. Slow-cure non-metal-containing epoxy.
I don't know what you guys are so concerned with, I hit bottom all the time. I don't really need a depth finder either, when the boat stops, I know its too shallow. I make my navigator get out and push me back into deep enough water to get going again and then I look for some more shallow water. Keeps my navigator nice and lean, can't have a fat navigator (LBS=MPH). The issue is not needing a depth finder, its needing an aluminum boat-Aluminum Squirt
I plan on using one from now on also, this is a post I made last summer on another site.
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Went to visit friends at their cabin yesterday, their daughter asked if I would give her and friend a ride in my boat. I said sure and took them out for a few laps around the lake, until I had all I could take of a pair of screaming 14 year olds.
This is a very shallow lake and the water level is lower than normal this year, you can walk out about 250-300 feet and not get your shorts wet.
Anyway we're coming in and I trim up the nozzle to keep the rudder out of the sand kick it in the ass and shut it off, thinking that I'll just slide up touch the sand and stop, WRONG. I ended up coming in a little too fast and by the time it came off of plane it was really shallow. Yep planted like a spud, so I have my buddy (Hey Bob) come out and we try pulling it, no luck. Then a couple more people come out and push while we pull, still no luck. Bobs neighbor is on the shore heckling us from his golf cart. We tell him to grab some some shorts and come help.
He takes off on the golf cart and reappears 2 minutes latter on his tractor, and drives right out into the lake! Drives right up to the boat so I wrap the rope around the hitch and he pulls it out till it floats on its own again (100+ feet) As hes driving away on the tractor he says "I gotta do every @#%$ing thing myself".
I'm just glad he didn't plant the tractor and that the game warden didn't show up.
does it show the water ahead of you or how do you plan to slow down in time?
They can;t tell u whats ahead just whats right below you, but if you see the numbers start dropping fast you better turn another direction. Most of them are acurate up to like 60-70 mph.
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