Humminbird 788ci HD Review

[croaker stroker]

Well I have had a chance to use my 788ci a couple of times and I am really pleased with the improvements over my old 717. One thing that worked out good for me was that the new unit just pluged into my existing mount from the 717. Also, the transducer was still the same, so no installation there either. Virtually just plug and go. There is very little interference on the screen at speeds up to 7 or 8 mph. Humminbird has a downloadable program called "HumminbirdPC". With this program and the Google Earth plug-in, you can type in coordinates from Google Earth and create waypoints and navigational tracks that can be saved to your Humminbird SD card and transfered to your unit, or from your unit to be saved on your PC.  I also like the "bottom lock" and "zoom" features.

The map that comes with the unit is pretty good, but limited. I would like to see the difference in the Navionics chip that is available for this unit.





Here are some screen shots that I took today showing the structure and fish at the bottom...

[fishing eagle]

I don't know anything about your area or coastal waters for Navionics maps and what difference you will see. Yet I can tell you that I use the Navionics Hot Maps for the inland lakes and navigable waters here and it is a huge improvement. It shows all the contours and such. Also I think it does a better job with navigational aides too. It also gives some decent info on fishing.

[Jay in Kitsap]

Croaker-
I have the 788ci NVB which I have liked except for one issue, it seems that my wires to the transducer keep getting a loose connection right at the plug.  Do you or anybody know a fix for this.  I'll be in 100 feet of water, then suddenly it reads 2', a real pain in the rear.

Oh! my transom puck keeps getting dislodged, I think it has to do with the boat sitting on the sand each very low tide.  (I'm going to change to a thru-hull this winter.

-Jay

[croaker stroker]

Jay,

I use dielectric grease. A little in each hole in the unit head.  Then I "wiggle" the head into the mount/recepticle. Make sure the metal retainer holding the plugs to the mount is not bent and the plugs are able to plug in all the way when the head unit is in position.

On my transom mount, I put a dab of black silicone so it doesn't dislodge easily.

-Croaker-

[Jay in Kitsap]

I tried the cheap dielectric grease from the auto parts store for bulbs.  I'm going to go find some better stuff.

I was kidding a bit about my transducer, the boat lands hard on the sand and can bounce if there are waves right at the tide it lifts.  I lost one of my Smart Tabs for the same reason (ripped right off- screws held though).  If it didn't pop with the release it would be a goner.  Just need to move it to a thru hull spot

[Threeweight]

With this program and the Google Earth plug-in, you can type in coordinates from Google Earth and create waypoints and navigational tracks that can be saved to your Humminbird SD card and transfered to your unit

This was one of the big things that tempted me about the Humminbird 788 over the Lowrance HDS-5.  Lowrance's PC software for using Google Earth and doing route planning/waypoints sucks.  To the point where a lot of folks use Garmin's software, convert the saved files to Lowrance format, then upload them.

[Enniberg]

I used to have a stand alone Humminbird fish finder on my original Arima, and I really liked it.

Is it correct that the 788 has side imaging sonar? If so, what do you guys (Jay & Croaker) think of that feature?

What is the price range for this unit? Does it come with a transducer?

[croaker stroker]

Mine did not come with the side imaging.

[Threeweight]

I think both the Humminbird and Lowrance side imaging features require you buy the units as part of a special package w/ a different transducer.