Question on Lowrance Elite-7 TI

Couple of questions. does anyone have this mounted on an Outback (2016 in my case), if so do you feel that it gets in the way?

If you are not moving in your Kayak, does the screen scroll? My current GPS does which make it difficult to see where the ledges actually are, not to mention my current unit lacks Down Scan and side imaging.

If I get the hobie plate for the transducer, how do you get around damaging the transducer when you have to take a quick stop on shore? Are light scrapes ok or do you have to avoid contact with the bottom altogether?

Run time on a full charge on say a 12amp hour battery?

Other question is would you buy this unit as a refurb - $549? If not any better options in that price range?

Thanks you in advance for any help.

The screen does constantly scroll, but if you're parked on top of a ledge or high spot the bottom feature should hold on screen. Also, you can adjust scroll speed on your unit to match your preference.

Aside from the nose of the transducer, the Hobie Lowrance Ready TotalScan mounting plate does leave the majority of the TotalScan exposed to allow it to perform optimally. The transducer can withstand some scrapes and scratches, but care should be taken when beaching, loading and during transport. For example - Beaching on sand should be fine, but beaching on rocks is not recommended with this setup.

With a fresh battery, you shouldn't have a problem getting 8 hrs run-time with the SLA battery we offer, and even 10 hrs isn't out of the question. Just depends on the settings you're running on.

_________________
Howie Strech
Parts & Accessories Product Manager
Hobie Cat USA

Real world run time on the Elite 7 Ti is about 6 hours on a 9ah lead acid battery. You can decrease the load by turning off non-essential functions like wireless and blue tooth. I have the unit display voltage for me, so I know how much power I have at all times, and when it gets bellow 11 volts, it can start getting flakey. I have actually started using dual 9ah batteries so that I can get a full 10 hours on the water. Currently researching Lithium batteries, I like the idea of them for weight, but more importantly for the ability to deliver a full 12v thru about 80-90 of the charge, vs. Lead Acid, where the voltage drops after less than 50% drain.

_________________
STLKayak
2020 Pro Angler 14 360
St. Louis, Missouri
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005695487937

yup, love my two 16Ah Lipo batteries (paid $50 each 2016 fall). Can get over 12 hours on the water with one battery on the Elite 7 TI. I will use the second battery for two day trips/camping. Hobbyking.com gives the best deals and selection on batteries. Also you can get all your necessary chargers and chords there. If you treat them right, they will last a long time, Lipo Batteries.
These batteries sell out quick, so grab them when it comes to your area at the right price. I see they have a 20Ah one right now, but not in the USA. 10Ah is all the bigger in the USA for shipping at the moment. 20Ah for global (pay high shipping cost), UK and AUS.

_________________
Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

I can't make heads or tails on what to get on the HobbyKing site....it's all mumbo jumbo to me.

Yes, there is a learning curve to Lipo batteries and thus the website, let alone the different connectors and which balanced charger to use. Also keep size of the battery in mind. I fit mine into the small Hobie bucket and place in the port hole below my seat, near the head unit, that way I don't have to add any extra run to the Lowrance TI power connector. But I'm on a motor run TI, better to use a water proof casing for the kayaks.
Here is a search I did for what we want for our locators. We want a battery that operates between 12V to 19V for the Lowrance TI's.
Search is for Global/US west/US East in order of capacity high to low.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/batteries/l ... =4%2C2%2C3

Here is the one I use. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/multistar-h ... -pack.html
but it was only $50 and available in US warehouse at the time.

_________________
Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

I'm got similar concerns. About to make a decision on FF for a 2017 Outback. I'm looking at both the Hook & Elite Ti. 5" and 7". What I like about Elite is the speed, touchscreen and it appears to be less wide than the Hook with same screen size. If I get the Elite Ti, I will not get the jumbo transducer for structure scan.

Regardless of which I end up with, I have the same question as gabe1475...do they get in the way? I want access to the function at an arms reach, but I don't want it to interfere with paddling in&out of the surf. Can I mount these on a sort of swing arm/swivel arm and position forward (parallel to kayak) while paddling? Any examples of this? I also don't want to use the recessed pocket in the gunnels to mount anything because that is valuable real estate to me.

Thanks,
Dave

I have a lowrance hds 7 gen III on my 2016 outback and my buddy has the elite 7ti on his outback. I love my lowrance hds, however the elite 7ti is pretty much the same thing minus a few boat features you would never use on a kayak and it is half the price. We both mount the depth finders to a ram ball that fits in the molded in rodholder hole. I find this mounting location to be perfect and it never seems to get in the way. I've used the fishfinder attached this way in lakes, rivers and in the ocean. I personally would never think of going to a cheaper or smaller depth finder than the 7 ti. Any smaller and it makes it difficult to split the screens and see what's going on. I didn't run structure scan on my kayay last year, however I plan to do it this year.

My buddy and i both power our depthfnders with lithium polymer "lipo" batteries. Lipo batteries are about a third the weight of lead acid batteries, however they definitely take some care. You should never charge a lipo battery unattended as this is when they are most volatile and could possibly explode. There have been several houses that have burnt down due to unattended lipo charging, but it is nothing that's not preventable. Generally a lipo battery takes about 30 minutes to charge versus a lead battery that takes several hours. It is also important not to run lipo batteries completely dead as this will generally kill them. I use a cheap battery voltage alarm that buzzes when the lipo gets down to 70% discharged. Lipos can go down to about 80% discharge, but I don't. You also should never store lipo batteries fully charged as this affects the life of the battery. There is nothing wrong with running a 4s lipo 16.8 volts for the depthfinder just make sure that anything else you want to run can handle this much voltage. To be safe you can always stick with 3s 12.6 volts.
Troy

Thanks for the tips. Any photos of your set-up? I don't like the idea of using one of the rod holders. I'm thinking some king of geartrack strip.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures. In my opinion, geartracs are not strong enough for depth finders. I had geartrac on my first kayak and i was dissappointed with the play in accessories that were mounted to it.

Great choice on the Lowrance Elite 7 Ti. I think it is the perfect unit for kayak fishing. Here is a shot of how I mount my HDS7.



I have had sonar head units fall off the gear track and dump in the water. I recommend using a 1.5" Ram Ball Space Saver Base bolted directly to your hull. http://www.liquidsurfandsail.com/ram-sp ... ApWP8P8HAQ

With regards to protecting your transducer, the Burley Pro cover is what most people are going with these days.
https://www.berleypro.com/product/total ... its-hobie/

Nothing to do with fishfinder, I was wondering how you can hand a fish this way in tournament to take a picture.

Not afraid it jump in water? Or he's dead yet?

_________________
François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017

http://s58.photobucket.com/user/derekjw ... i.png.html Why do I only see this photobucket up date blurb . I don't do photo bucket .

Be aware with any lipo batteries. Do not charge them in Kayak . Do not get them wet , do not leave them plugged in . Observ how they look if the start to bloat at all . Trash them , proper methods are to soak them in salt water . These batteries have huge amounts of power storage in a small package. But with that , they also go wrong in a big way . A normal storage battery will melt your boat . I have RC boats copters these batteries are no joke . Also when they start run out of power they go very very quick like blink blink done . In RC use they don't run fuses , I don't know if a fuse is compatible with them . Burglar alarm batteries are very common for power on FF .