Help me out guys PART 2 !

[tonyjohn]

Really appreciate all the input on me getting a boat . Have decided on the Excel 20. About 5k cheaper than the G3 and really the same boat. Excel comes with a manual jack plate and a trolling motor also (can upgrade). Both with tandem trailers, 150 yams , (sho is 1100 more) . Both with .125 hulls , 30 gal fuel, stainless package,etc. But forget the boat for a sec and lets talk troll motors and electronics......(yea, another 3-5k + ) . Theres so many options out there ? I could list all of them but you guys already know all the options as far as brand names and such . Here are mine : Im not gonna fish over 60ft. of water , 1/2 my fishing is crappie in large lakes and the other 1/2 chasing reds and specs in shallow water bays. Also im 60 and want something i can actually understand and work with. Leaning toward touch screens . If you guys were to pick today ....what would you go with ? 5k limit and thats a ton for me . thanks in advance.

[2specksdown]

Min kota rip tide I pilot 80 terrea is a great price around 1850 with remote control and blue tooth, but it is manual lift and deploy easy to use, you could add a foot control for another 150.00, I have this unit and works great for the type of fishing I do
Add a power pole it will be worth it, congratulations on your new boat

2015 GMC SIERRA 2500 HD DENALI DURAMAX 4*4

[2specksdown]

On the navigation, I would go with Lowrance units, and add a map software to it, I use standardmap.com the la1 classic version makes a world of difference. See before and after of catfish Lake


2015 GMC SIERRA 2500 HD DENALI DURAMAX 4*4

[Top Dawg]

I just got a minn kota powerdrive 70 with ipilot. Love it. Especially for white perch fishing.

[meaux fishing]

The ipilot is the best accessory I've put on my boat. The new ulterra will deploy and pick up with the touch of a button on the remote. Garmin is probably the easiest electronics to use. I personally like simrad electronics. They are made by the same company as lowrance and all the accessories are interchangeable. Structure scan is a cool feature for crappie fishing as you can see the trees on the bottom.

[rustyb]

The two things I like the most on my boat. Are the I pilot ulterra self deploy and my lowrance touch screen. And if u get the lowrance might as well buy the standard chip. La one chip is awesome. The new one is amazing. Including oyster reefs, and has a big green line marking state waters along the entire Louisiana coast.


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[captfields_sc]

You have to at least check out the Motorguide xi5 tm. I just switched over this year and have been very pleased. It was time for a change and I'm glad I did. The anchor mode is the best on a tm I've used. Very quiet and efficient. As far as gps/sonar units, I have been using Raymarine units the past few years (a series, dragonfly, and the es series). Again, I have been very happy with all of these units. The user interface is very easy to navigate. The downscan, sidescan and chirp sonar are top notch and pretty spot on out of the box. Add some mapping and you are set. Quality mapping is a big one for me. I like to be able to have the different charts such as navigational charts and sonar charts (1ft contours fishing charts) and satellite overlay, especially on the gulf coast.