Sport 205 Depth finder Question

[MMSR205]

First post.

Just picked up a new Sea Ray 205 and from day 1 the depth finder has not worked consistently. The inital one didnt work at all, and the replacement works, but even a dead slow speed it loses signal. This is consistent regardless of water colour and conditions. I had a 195 Sport a few years ago and the depth finder worked continuously no matter what the conditions right up to 40-45mph.


My dealer has told me they are only reliable at idle or exceptionally slow speeds for mooring purposese which I find really hard to believe.


Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Mark

 

[blaster]

Same here, mine worked for the first year and now it works maybe 20% of the time. Dealer looked at it and said it works fine and charged me $62 for basically nothing. I tried soaping the transducer but it didn't help. Very frustrating to pay so much for a new boat and have so many problems. My old boat had fewer issues and a ten year old depth finder which gave a good reading most of the time.

 

[MMSR205]

Thank you. Hard to understand how that can be eh? I'm not sure if it is a Sea Ray gauge as it does look different than the rest of them, but regardless, if it is Sea Ray approved you would like to think that there would be solid quality control.

 

[Henry Boyd]

My dealer has told me they are only reliable at idle or exceptionally slow speeds for mooring purposese which I find really hard to believe.

That statement is just plain equine excrement. Although it may be the case for what is installed, but normally depth gauges function at all speeds. One thing to check is if your depth gauge needs to be configured. Our Raymarine sounder does have an adjustment for either a power boat speed range, or a sailboat range (less than 10 knots).

I know its a kick in the pants to have to 'upgrade' a new boat, but if a reliable functioning depth gauge is necessary for where you boat, you may be better off biting the bullet and and having a good depth sounder installed.

Henry

 

[CDA205SP]

I have a 205 Sport and didn't want to pay the ridiculously high price of a factory/dealer installed depth finder. I bought a Faria depth and temp (both air and water temp) on amazon and installed myself for a fraction of the price. It shows the depth at all speed and has been a good unit so far. Fits in the factory dash opening.

I would check that the transducer is installed properly and check connectons/settings. If that fails sounds like a crap unit. I would definitely insist on your money back or have them install a different brand.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Assuming it's one that came with the boat from the factory (or, again assuming, that if the dealer installed it they installed a good one), it should be able to keep a good reading at any speed (and faster) that your boat will go. These are simple units and you won't find an adjustment for speed range, although that's a good thing to be aware of for future reference.

There's only a few things I can think of that would cause your problem. The first one that comes to mind is a soft bottom. Soft bottoms won't allow the signal to bounce back quick enough or strong enough. The second thing would be a dirty transducer. The last thing would be a malfunctioning unit.

Other than that, it should keep up with you just fine.

Your transducer is installed through the hull (under the engine), correct? Just for your reference, this is a superior location to a transom mounted unit. Both in terms of functionality and reliability.

 

[blaster]

Mine is a lowrance but I didn't get any documentation on it. My old gauge coulld have the sensetivity adjusted with a screw on the back but on my new one I see no such adjustment.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Mine is a lowrance but I didn't get any documentation on it. My old gauge coulld have the sensetivity adjusted with a screw on the back but on my new one I see no such adjustment.

The one that came with the boat from Sea Ray? Hmmm. I guess it's true what they say: Learn something new everyday!

 

[blaster]

Now I'm questioning my self but I am pretty certain its a Lowrance and not a hummingbird. I'm going to see the boat on Friday I'll make sure.

 

[Dave 205]

Mine's a Humminbird 600. Factory install, not brand marked on the front. Some folks on this site helped me ID it with a picture last year. I found documentation on Humminbird's site. The code number on the back of the unit helped me ID the right model. Mine works pretty well at all speeds, except for some occasional readings that are just odd, usually while at anchor. It's a soft bottom lake - that, or maybe the occasional odd debris under the water, may be the culprit for sudden shallow readings. I frequent a couple of lakes, and see consistent readings in the same spots over and over again. Mine's a bit older, but end game - a simple factory depth finder should work decently.

 

[ospreytrainer01]

i have a new 190 sport. Am sure its the exact same depthfinder. It works great at almost any speed. I did notice you can adjust the settings for bottom of boat to surface or add the length of the outdrive. Also gives water and air temps. there was a depth finder manual with the paperwork.

 

[quailrunner]

I just bought a Huminbird 650 to replace my old one, which never worked (bought the boat used). I have not fixed the transducer to the inside of the hull yet; just driving around w. the puck on the bottom of the bilge, testing signal and moving it around (the bilge has as much water in it as the pump float will allow, to permit the sonar signal to function). I can go 40 mph w.o. any disruption; I've tested it in a known location, and (offsetting for its location under the waterline) its accurate to within 6". I haven't tried any soft areas; the lake we are on is gravel almost everywhere. $99 and works as advertise...

 

[Fruition]

I have a question if someone wouldn't mind answering. Have a garman and worked till the other weekend.pretty sure its the transducer . One of my friends said I should be able to take apart and clean connections but mine seems to be hard wired. Any one have any tips or recommendations. All I get from unit is that I have is .... Error ..loss of signal from lower unit. So I have lossed my depth, fish finder, and temp. I do however have a second transducer mounted which looks to be from a prior unit and won't plug into the Garmin receiving-sending unit. Both transducers are thru

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fruition]

Both transducers are thru hull mounted. Any and all comments are appreciated. I love this site. I has definitely expanded my coating knowledge thanks to all of the great people who run and participate on this site.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fruition]

Also please excuse the grammer that has posted from my phone. New settings. Not liking at all.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[blaster]

Now I'm questioning my self but I am pretty certain its a Lowrance and not a hummingbird. I'm going to see the boat on Friday I'll make sure.

I was able to get the manual from my dealer and it is indeed a humminbird. I was told differently when I bought the boat but people say things that are incorrect every day. Turns out it wasn't working properly due to a bad connection in the wiring harness.