Humminbird vs Lowrance

[shell_guy]

So this Boxing Day I will be purchasing a new sonar/GPS and a networked trolling motor. I thought for sure I was going to go with the Lowrance Elite 7ti and motorguide xi5 combo (they do communicate) or an HDS 9 and xi5 if I could swing the cash. But now I am starting to thing about going with a Helix 9si and MK trolling motor. I am really stuck and can't make a decision, has anyone here used both? Any opinions would be great as I am really stuck here.


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[SamSteele]

Haven't used both pairs, but I had an HDS 7 Gen 1 on my last boat. I put a Terrova iPilot Link and a Helix 9 SI on my new boat and I love it. I had an issue with my HDS that required me to send it in for repair, which sucked. I love the Autochart and follow the contour features of the new rig.

My dealer told me that they sold far more MK units over the Motorguide. I think the brand new Terrova paired with a Helix would be a great combo. Spot lock is improved and jog feature is added.

SS


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[Willowtrail]

The grand old debate.
I run Lowrance units and a Minn Kota Ulterra on the bow. They don't talk but the Ulterra is the cats meow. I launch the boat alone and never had any issues.

I like my HDS 7 touch screen me insight genesis map sharing.

Never used a Hummingbird long enough to fisheye them out. There is no right answer here. Go play with some of the sonars and see if there's a way somewhere to play with a trolling motor.

Best of luck

[huntsfurfish]

I have both Lowrance HDS units / Motorguide Xi5 and Humminbird Helix / Minnkota Terrova both link to TM/FF.

Dont think you could go wrong with either set up.

I would however, choose HDS Touch over the Helix. But thats just me.

Should have some good prices between now and spring.

Looks like both HDS gen 3's and Helix units will be replaced by new models giving you good prices for the older technologies.

New technology available from both Humminbird and Lowrance. But for more money.

[calgarygringo]

Shoot Mudslide a PM. I believe he still has a couple almost new HDS units he is still trying to sell. May save you some bucks and get yourself a good deal.

Originally Posted by shell_guy

So this Boxing Day I will be purchasing a new sonar/GPS and a networked trolling motor. I thought for sure I was going to go with the Lowrance Elite 7ti and motorguide xi5 combo (they do communicate) or an HDS 9 and xi5 if I could swing the cash. But now I am starting to thing about going with a Helix 9si and MK trolling motor. I am really stuck and can't make a decision, has anyone here used both? Any opinions would be great as I am really stuck here.


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[shell_guy]

Originally Posted by calgarygringo

Shoot Mudslide a PM. I believe he still has a couple almost new HDS units he is still trying to sell. May save you some bucks and get yourself a good deal.

He does, but his HDS12 has the LSS ducer, it's out of my price range. His HDS only has down scan. I messaged him already, figured I'd help out an AO member if I could have.


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[shell_guy]

Originally Posted by Jet

Ulterra rocks, i radio control it on and off the trailer when theres no dock



Lowrance has insight genesis which is very useful to me.

Motorguide Xi5 has same remote control as well as integration to sonar/gps.


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[calgarygringo]

No problem I haven't seen him in a while and couldn't remember what he had left he was selling.

Originally Posted by shell_guy

He does, but his HDS12 has the LSS ducer, it's out of my price range. His HDS only has down scan. I messaged him already, figured I'd help out an AO member if I could have.


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[Willowtrail]

Originally Posted by shell_guy

Motorguide Xi5 has same remote control as well as integration to sonar/gps.


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Does it have the power stow and deploy?

I never touch my motor, all run from the remote, also has a foot pedal.

[shell_guy]

Originally Posted by Willowtrail

Does it have the power stow and deploy?



I never touch my motor, all run from the remote, also has a foot pedal.

No they don't have power deploy, I forgot about that with the Ulterra Line.


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[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by huntsfurfish

I have both Lowrance HDS units / Motorguide Xi5 and Humminbird Helix / Minnkota Terrova both link to TM/FF.

Dont think you could go wrong with either set up.

I would however, choose HDS Touch over the Helix. But thats just me.

Should have some good prices between now and spring.

Looks like both HDS gen 3's and Helix units will be replaced by new models giving you good prices for the older technologies.

New technology available from both Humminbird and Lowrance. But for more money.

This X2.

I've owned and run the Terrova and the Xi5. They are both great motors. In my opinion, the Xi5 is a better trolling motor - it's quieter (in all aspects, motor, turning mechanism, no annoying creaks and moans), faster steering, easier stow/deploy, better spot lock, better battery life, and equal or better power. The Xi5 just doesn't have as many bells and whistles as the Terrova, so if an LCD screen on the remote or following a map contour are major factors for you, the Terrova is the answer. The new spot lock on the Terrova should also be a major improvement over the old version. I've heard some horror stories about the reliability of the Ulterra that would keep me from buying one, but hopefully MinnKota has that figured out now.

I think Lowrance and Humminbird both make great sonars. It's a Ford vs. Chevy thing, it comes down to personal preference. I've got limited experience with Humminbird, but it's enough to know I prefer Lowrance. The biggest factor for me is I just prefer the standard Lowrance 2D sonar display. From color pallette, to the way it scrolls, to target separation and clarity, in my opinion, the Lowrance 2D is the better of the two. DI and SI are very comparable. I also LOVE the touch screen on the HDS units, I couldn't go back to buttons. Ease of use and the ability to quickly customize everything from screen layout to sensitivity in a simple touch of the screen or two is awesome. The HDS units are incredibly customizable and let you adjust anything and everything to your preferences, to me, that's huge.

Depending on the lakes you fish, I'd give Humminbird an edge on mapping due to the Autochart live feature. You can make yourself a map fairly quickly if you're willing to put in the time.

If you're a Lowrance user, Insight Genesis is your best friend. Many of the popular lakes in AB and SK are now almost completely mapped down to 1' contours and available to download for free. You can make your own maps too, you just have to go through the process.

The biggest drawback to Lowrance is price. That may change in the next while though. With new units supposedly coming this fall, they've already announced up to $500 USD off the Gen 3's and that will likely go even lower over time. The Gen 3 units are VERY good, and if the price starts coming down to that level, they're the obvious answer in my opinion.

If you've got any specific questions on anything or I how I had them setup, shoot me a PM.

[shell_guy]

I am thinking I might go with an Elite 7ti, and Xi5 motor. Will give me all the features I want, touch screen, trolling motor integration, etc and then once the hds units come down in price put an HDS12 at the helm and the Elite 7 can go to the bow.


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[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by shell_guy

I am thinking I might go with an Elite 7ti, and Xi5 motor. Will give me all the features I want, touch screen, trolling motor integration, etc and then once the hds units come down in price put an HDS12 at the helm and the Elite 7 can go to the bow.


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If you're planning on networking sonar units down the road, which is the best way to go in my opinion, you're much better off to grab an HDS unit now. Shop around for a Gen 3 unit on sale or even a used Gen 2 Touch unit. There will be some great deals coming this spring as guys look to upgrade to whatever the latest and greatest is that's coming out.

The HDS units are fully networkable via ethernet, they share everything.

The Elite Ti units can be networked via NEMA2000 to share waypoints and trails, but they can't share sonar data or mapping.

[Wes_G]

Am I reading this right that Lowrance units are not compatible with Minn Kota Motors? BEing int he market for a new depth finder as well I am not sure what you mean by that they wont "talk" to each other. The current motor on my boat is just a Minn Kota foot pedal unit, but will likely be upgraded in the future as well, but depth finder will be coming first and likely be a Lowrance.

[shell_guy]

Originally Posted by Wes_G

Am I reading this right that Lowrance units are not compatible with Minn Kota Motors? BEing int he market for a new depth finder as well I am not sure what you mean by that they wont "talk" to each other. The current motor on my boat is just a Minn Kota foot pedal unit, but will likely be upgraded in the future as well, but depth finder will be coming first and likely be a Lowrance.

That's correct, if you want to control your trolling motor via the finder, ie enter waypoints on a chart and have your trolling motor take you on that route then you have to match a Lowrance unit with a Motorguide, or Humminbird with a MinnKota.


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[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by Wes_G

Am I reading this right that Lowrance units are not compatible with Minn Kota Motors? BEing int he market for a new depth finder as well I am not sure what you mean by that they wont "talk" to each other. The current motor on my boat is just a Minn Kota foot pedal unit, but will likely be upgraded in the future as well, but depth finder will be coming first and likely be a Lowrance.

For the talk:
Must have iPilot Link(Minnkota) or Pinpoint Gateway(Motorguide) are needed for the fishfinders to link with the TM. It will allow you to control TM from the FF. And that system works only MK/Humm and MG/Lowrance.

If all you want is to use is the built in sonars on the TM both companies make adapter cables to use other brands of FF.

[Wes_G]

So if I go with a Lowrance, which is the way its likely going to go, then I need to go with a Motor Guide when i upgrade the motor in order to use all the features.

[calgarygringo]

I disagree on the Ulterra stow deploy being fixed. I was in the business up to a couple months ago and we crossed our fingers every time one of these went out the door as the majority did not work well on the stow and deploy. We had brand new replacements come in form Johnson (recent) and they were no different. Try answering a call from a fisherman that is out on the water and tell him how he is going to get his Ulterra up or down when there is no response.
The local warranty repair shop has a back room of them too. Saying that based on the amount of them I sent back for warranty credit even recently I would not purchase one at this point. They stopped shipping them at the end of summer.
There are several that are working fine and love them though I would suggest not the majority that I they seen or talked to. Many tournament guys in the south will not even consider using them. Terrova is a better choice and learn to manually stow and deploy.
The funny thing is they have a new unit just coming out for this year and it is manual with some kind of cord to stow and deploy. The theory is great but unfortunately I don't think they have all the bugs out yet.

Talk to people in the business that are honest and will tell you what they honestly think of a product and issues. Especially on the technology side there have been a few things out there that I would be hesitant to purchase yet. You may be a lucky one but if not you have a couple of grand piece of scrap metal on your boat. This was one that drove me crazy.

My opinion.........

Originally Posted by Jet

The Ulterra (unlike the x5i as far as I can tell) has auto stow deploy, and the remote works from about 500ft or more. Kinda nice to be able to launch/dock on the trailer, particularly in rocky / windy shore conditions and absence of dock or 1 handed.

Very useful for the considerate owner to keep docks clear so others can use it, and to keep your precious away from all the weekend warrior water skiers etc. at the boat launch. Plus it's just damned cool, and great when you're not clambering over guests in the front of the boat. Very fast too, stop main motor, deploy immediately, heading to the next spot, trolling motor is retracting whilst you're starting up the main motor. Saves about 30 seconds every time, and saves a trip to the front of the boat.

Also, nice to be able to change the trolling motor height on the remote when going shallow or bringing on to the trailer.

There are no mass reliability issues. The only issue was at the start, and Minn Kota pulled them from the supply chain and fixed any faulty ones the very early adopters had (mainly US, because we rarely get launches). I got mine when they re-entered the supply chain a few months after launch, and I've had zero issues. Infact it's more reliable than the Terrova was, and the remote range is better.

One very expensive RC boat, but a very useful tool.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Jet

The Ulterra (unlike the x5i as far as I can tell) has auto stow deploy, and the remote works from about 500ft or more. Kinda nice to be able to launch/dock on the trailer, particularly in rocky / windy shore conditions and absence of dock or 1 handed.

Very useful for the considerate owner to keep docks clear so others can use it, and to keep your precious away from all the weekend warrior water skiers etc. at the boat launch. Plus it's just damned cool, and great when you're not clambering over guests in the front of the boat. Very fast too, stop main motor, deploy immediately, heading to the next spot, trolling motor is retracting whilst you're starting up the main motor. Saves about 30 seconds every time, and saves a trip to the front of the boat.

Also, nice to be able to change the trolling motor height on the remote when going shallow or bringing on to the trailer.

There are no mass reliability issues. The only issue was at the start, and Minn Kota pulled them from the supply chain and fixed any faulty ones the very early adopters had (mainly US, because we rarely get launches). I got mine when they re-entered the supply chain a few months after launch, and I've had zero issues. Infact it's more reliable than the Terrova was, and the remote range is better.

One very expensive RC boat, but a very useful tool.

I can't see myself ever using my bow mount to launch, "anchor" or dock my boat while I wasn't in it. I'd never be able to put that much faith in a remote control to leave my boat floating by itself, especially if it's windy, the shoreline is rocky, or the water temps are cold. If I'm by myself, I'm going to tie it securely to a dock, that's why they're there, and if I'm with anyone else, one guy stays in the boat at all times.

Operating in water so shallow I'd need to raise the trolling motor isn't a situation I'd likely ever find myself in, and I'd never use my bow mount to put the boat on the trailer unless my main motor and my kicker motor were both out of commission.

The stow/deploy on the Terrova and Xi5 are both very easy and quick. From what I've seen, you can manually stow or deploy a motor in the same or less amount of time that it takes the Ulterra to stow/deploy. Start the main motor, let it warm up for 20 seconds while you stow the bow mount, and you're off. I'm MORE than willing to put in that little bit of effort or lose a couple minutes of fishing time during the day to know that I'll be able to stow and deploy my motor every time. For me, the cool factor doesn't offset the uncool factor of having to deal with a nightmare if/when something fails.

I can't speak with certainty on the Ulterra's reliability or what MinnKota has done to improve them. I based my comment on I've seen and heard from those using them, selling them, and repairing them. I'm glad to hear yours has been good to you.

[calgarygringo]

I also had a few customers in this past summer tell me they had to go for a swim to catch their boat when they launched and it did not to what it was supposed to do. Send your nice expensive boat out on it's own with that unit would be scary for me but funny to watch someone else doing it.

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by calgarygringo

I also had a few customers in this past summer tell me they had to go for a swim to catch their boat when they launched and it did not to what it was supposed to do. Send your nice expensive boat out on it's own with that unit would be scary for me but funny to watch someone else doing it.

And if that boat is moving/drifting at 4 km hour or more, you wont be able to catch it if you are swimming.

If you are not in your boat, you do not have control of your boat and for that reason I would not recommend to use it to launch/load.