Forward looking sonar

sailbleu

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Does anyone have a FLS installed ?
If yes , are you happy with is ?

Thanks
Regards
 
I installed one four or five years ago, It definitely works. It won't stop you running into a rock or reef at full speed, but it gives a clear picture of what you are heading for if you are feeling your way in to somewhere new.
 
Could you please tell if it interacts (read : negatively interferes) with other sounders like raytheon/raymarine ??
Meaning , are the frequencies different ,

Thanks
Kind regards
 
Not great if it's to stop collisions with rocks and reefs. In reality in say 10' of water you are very likely to hit a rock if you rely on these devices. You'll collide just seconds after the alarm goes off certainly long before you can even put the engine into reverse.

In murky water feeling your way at low speed into a narrow channel it's marginally useful. I don't know anyone who has one who would bother with them again for shallower water . A dinghy and a lead line or dipping pole are more useful IMO.

They are also notoriously hard to setup to get sensible results and hard to interpret.

So depends on what you want it for really.
 
Agreed, a good bow watch is superior but they can be hard to find.

Again, it really depends what you want to use it for...

-Tom
 
I had one for three years, taking in a couple of transits of the US east coast ICW and a trip through the Bahamas and T&C. I couldn't say it contributed anything to earn its keep - by the time it 'saw' anything in shallow water you were on it.
 
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