I have been wanting to rig up a fish finder for the kayak but didn't want to drill holes, jury-rig etc. I looked at the Hawkeye FF3300P unit
http://www.grfrequencies3.com/items/norcross/fish_finder.htm but got scared off by the fact it wasn't waterproof. I looked at one in person at Academy Sports and decided against it due to wires hanging off the boat, floating transducer etc and NOT waterproof. It warns against even cleaning it with water. The salesperson said I ought to try the SmartCast wristwatch version. I wasn't sure as It looks like it wouldn't work but after trying it today I was pretty impressed. I attached the transmitter unit to a small ultralight rod/reel (see you do have a use for that old fishing rod after all) and let the portable transducer float around the boat. When I turned the wristwatch unit on, it immediately began to show me the bottom countour and depth. You can also cast the transmitter up to 100' without losing signal. They do caution that the transmitter is designed to work and surviving into water but discourage casting up into the riprap etc as it would probably not survive. Anyway, the ability to cast the transmitter allows you to cast into likely looking areas to check depth, cover etc. and research a fishing spot. Hummingbird suggests using heavier line as it might come off and you might not be able get it back without some form of flotation. The transmitter has to small contacts that turn to sonar on when they are in contact with water. If you remove it from water it stops the sonar in just a few seconds. Therefore it is not a good ideal to store it in a damp location. Hummingbird also says to handle it by the little antenna while it is wet as it can be "harmful" while it is transmitting....
Again, I think it worked well during my initial use. I was sitting in about 10' of water and it made a beep like a digital watch. The display had changed to indicate a fish under the boat. Sure enough, the water was clear enough to see it. Pretty nice.
Cost $89.99
Pros: No wires, light, easy to use, adjustable sensitivity, fish location chime
Cons: Transmitter batteries can not be replaced. You have to purchase another transmitter for $19.after 400 hrs. fishing., 6 month warranty, the watch runs off a watch battery (go figure) and ut has to be replaced every 100 hrs.
On the whole, I will keep it but I was ready to return it in a second if it didn't work.
Any one else had any experience with it?
