All depends on how deep you want to go Rob.

Where will you be doing most of your fishing?

I have that setup with 1kw and can get bottom to about 350-400
Very good read to about 250m but gets a bit sketchy after that, i am sure with a bit more playing though you can get it to read deeper with a 1kw. Realistically I have no interest in dropping over 200m of water so I don't care about any deeper. Just know this is where it reads to when i have been out chasing billies at exmouth

Thanks for the reply guys. I don't plan on bottom fishing over 100m but I do travel to Exmouth every year and would like to be able to pick up bait in water deeper than 160m which is where my current sounder drops out. Any comments on how the readings vary between the 2 transducers.

600w should do you fine Rob if thats what you plan to do with it. Will work to 250m or there abouts. Any deeper and you will need the 1kw as Simon has said.

Cheers Tim

The 1kw will give you better definition for bottom fishing so a worthy upgrade regardless of depth. The upgrade will also aid in detecting bait schools in deeper waters off Exmouth. Have a look at the transom mount version with the new S/S bracket setup!

Mate,

I have the 585 and 1kw tranny transom mount on my ali boat, picks up real good soundings at speed in water up to 250 and reads clear still in depths around 500m (nice weather). I cant comment on the comparison between the two but can recommend the 1kw.

Good luck

Cheers guys I'm sold on the 1Kw transducer. I didn't know about the S/S Transom Mount. Looks like the best way to go. Thanks for the heads up Ryan.

My deckie can't catch fish at all. So I was hoping going a little wider might improve his catch rate. Wishfull thinking I know. But as a responsible SKIPPER you have to try. If not for his sake, think of the kids. The forgotton victims.

I bought mine through challenge marine, I have treat it like gold, untill a white mark came up behind the screen, so took it back to the shop they sent it off for 5 weeks, only to tell me that i have scratched it behind the screen and it is going to cost me $500 to fix. i said dont worryabout it an what about all these scratches on the screen that were not there before? so the lad grabed a cloth and started to scrub the buggery out of the screen scrapeing all the protective coatin off and adding more scratches. Now after a couple times out a screw has fallen out of the back an the screen fogs up all the time. Is this the sort of back up service you get for $2500 worth of tool???? or are they atking the piss? has anyone else had this bullshit from furuno??? I am pissed right off with them..
Maybe look into a Lowrance RobN, maybe they provide fair back up service for your hard earned cash

cheers
justin

what settings, gain etc. are you guys setting in your units?

I would of got the 1kw but the recessed stern of the bannana boat does not allow for such a huge transducer. has any oe used a thru hull transducer before? would shooting the signal of the 1kw just give me the same as the 600 i have now or is the reduction not that severe?

I've just purchased a navman M84. It apparently does everything, apart from finding the fish, it catches them, cleans them, cooks them and does the dishes....... Seriously it's a sounder, full engine management display for smartcraft, GPS, Plotter, radar and has video capability for those interested in that. big screen 8.5 from memory. I looked around for a long time and then got on the net and found this little shop in Melbourne, who I then also purchased a VHF radio, C card for the Navman, Transducer as it only comes with GPS as Standard and something else I can't remember... Over all I saved a heap of $$ and they freighted it to my door free of charge..... Boats in at the moment having more work done than my wife realised, but when she said "just get the thing fixed", I did....... Cheaper than a new boat, an old hull but lots of new stuff on it....;) The other week it finally had to happen and she asked me "THAT" question" so how much is all this work your doing going to cost".

My heart stopped......... $hit she wasn't supposed to ask "THAT" question..... So I took a deep breath and mumbled something, "what's that" she said, ....so shuffling the ground like I was again waiting outside the headmasters office, another breath and I blurted out the price.........$$$$$$$$$$.

Well: we all know boats aren't cheap: that's why "Heir Norman" is coming after us; coz after payin one of the highest tax rates in the world we're all so bloody flush with cash..... Anyway, the look on her face was one .......- a mixture of surprise, shock and "in about three seconds" your gonna be neutered, gelded, (you get the picture)......So she then says.... "And how are you going to pay for this"....... Well knock me down with a feather miss, "YOU SAID," "Just get the thing fixed",   so I did.... We'll it's still underway at a secret location, known only to those in the Secret Mens club. .........It seems however that my 11 yr old has sold me out, for a bag of snakes alive and other goodies. So for me it's the Navman yet to be used in anger.... cheers shane