WELL I BROKE DOWN

You know i figure if i really want a temperature reading...i can always go buy a 2 dollar thermometer and stick in the water...hell i can even put a weight on it and put it on fishing line so i can get temperature at varying depths

i was just more worried about degrading the return...i mean lets face it u spent all this money to get a great fishfinder that has 2 and half inch target seperation and all that good stuff...but then your gonna through hull it and degrade the return

but like i said i don't know enough about it to tell you it is going to degrade the return...i just think it might

on the other hand unless i actually tested it in controlled conditions i probably won't ever know the difference anyways

Honestly, I suck at tweaking the sonar into showing me "exactly" where the fish are, and I suck even more at getting the proper bait to said fish.  So, I'm just relying on my El' cheapo Cuda 250 to show me where the bottom is, and if there is structure down there.   

Odds are really good that even if I could eyeball the dang fish from over the side of the kayak and they were towing flags with depth readings as well as food their waiting for........I'd still miss em!   

But that's why I tell the wife I'm going "Fishing" for the day.  She wouldn't understand it if I were to tell here I'm going "Catching".   

Insayn....  Isnt the saying a bad day fishing is better then a good day at work. and with us. we might not always have a great day fishing but we have a great day of paddleing.

Insayn....  Isnt the saying a bad day fishing is better then a good day at work. and with us. we might not always have a great day fishing but we have a great day of paddleing.

Just think, at some point in history people actually caught fish to survive on, and did not rely on any name brand rods, reels, lures, hooks, or electronics what-so-ever.   However kayaks have been around for a long F'n time.

Hummingbird 797 csi (side imaging transducer) mounted . It is the only way the SI works.  $200 transducer in a very risky location, but it works great.

That's a pretty sweet set up troutnut...if i mount mine i probably won't mount it to the very bottom it would be easier for my setup to make a bracket to extend to the water from the top

I broke down on Friday and ordered a 788ci.  These old eyes need a large screen.  What are you using for a power supply?  I'm going to try 1/2" PVC and 10 NiMH AAs.

I know noggin yakker did something similar (used pvc but i don't know if the batteries were rechargeable) and it worked fine for him...I don't know the current draw on your particular model but i do believe color screens typically draw slightly more...Personally I am using a 8 amp hour sla battery because I am too lazy to charge 10 batteries every time I go out.

.......Personally I am using a 8 amp hour sla battery because I am too lazy to charge 10 batteries every time I go out.

Me too. 

You know, ... now that I think about it on a quiet Sunday, ... I think my original calculations were a factor of 10 off.  I forgot to factor in the draw voltage along with the draw current.  10 2500mah AAs are 2500mah at 1.2V.  Stack 10 of them together in series and you still get 2500mah but at 12V.  So theoretically these batteries should run the 788ci (650mah@12V) for 3.8 hours, but probably closer to 3 hours, maybe a bit longer because the unit will probably continue to run down to 10V.  Perhaps I have made an error and should go with a 6 lb 7.2AH SLA. 

Can your unit run on higher than 12v?   
If so, how about adding one or two additional batteries to bump your starting voltage up to 13.2v, or 14.4v?   

You know, ... now that I think about it on a quiet Sunday, ... I think my original calculations were a factor of 10 off.  I forgot to factor in the draw voltage along with the draw current.  10 2500mah AAs are 2500mah at 1.2V.  Stack 10 of them together in series and you still get 2500mah but at 12V.  So theoretically these batteries should run the 788ci (650mah@12V) for 3.8 hours, but probably closer to 3 hours, maybe a bit longer because the unit will probably continue to run down to 10V.  Perhaps I have made an error and should go with a 6 lb 7.2AH SLA. 

Yes, you can get a little more time by running it under voltage, but once a AA dips below its normal operating range, the voltage vs. time curve goes non-linear (i.e. it discharges much faster).

-Allen

Yes, you can get a little more time by running it under voltage, but once a AA dips below its normal operating range, the voltage vs. time curve goes non-linear (i.e. it discharges much faster).

Not a bad idea.  Unit rated for 10-20v.  16 AAs would be 19.2V and theoretically get me just over 6 hours of run time.  However, at some point it becomes easier to just go with an SLA and use the NiMH AAs for random household duty. 

Where did y'all get your SLAs and chargers?

Where did y'all get your SLAs and chargers?

Fry's Electronics.

I don't think I need to tell you this, but like to remind everyone in general.  For SLA, get a charger with auto-shutoff.  Overcharging is a quick way to destroy SLA batteries.  Don't ask me how I know ...

-Allen

mental vapor lock here;;;;; SLA batteries?? should i be looking for patty hearst carrying a shotgun??