Customer Reviews

Humminbird 383c Combo 3.5-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter

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If you're like me, you're probably looking at a bunch of different fishfinders trying to figure out which one you should buy. I literally spent weeks looking at all the different ones available and I finally settled on the 383c combo portable. Here's why:

1) For just a little bit more than a grayscale fishfinder, you get a color display. Color displays are MUCH better than grayscale for interpreting what you're seeing on the screen. Trust me on this...color makes a huge difference.

2) The peak-to-peak is much higher than other fishfinders in this price range. If you're not sure what that means, it basically means you'll better sonar detection from your fishfinder. You'll be able to better differentiate between hard/soft bottoms, submerged structure, fish, etc. With lower peak-to-peak, all that stuff tends to blend together.

3) The screen is small...which would be a negative if you're trying to see it from the other end of an 18ft bass boat. But if you're within a few feet of it, you'll be able to see it just fine.

4) The portable bag is very well designed. You have to do some assembly that takes about 20 minutes and the instructions are a little confusing. But after that one-time assembly, it's great. There are pockets to fit all of the attachments that come with it and even a few left over pockets for your own supplies. The whole thing is actually pretty small once assembled. Easily stowes under a canoe seat if needed.

5) The GPS is fantastic. If you don't think you'll ever use the GPS in a portable...think again! This actually lets you store a "waypoint" at a specific location...and at a specific DEPTH! So if you find a good fishing spot a few feet off the bottom, you can actually store a waypoint that saves that location and the depth under water. The maps are more than adequate for all the fishing you'll do. I fish some really small ponds in eastern Mass, and they're all on the map that comes with the 383c.

6) It's well made. I've read some other posts that say Humminbirds don't have the quality they used to. They must be running their fishfinders over with their trucks, because I've put mine up against some pretty harsh conditions and never once had an issue (I even capsized the canoe against a rock and flooded the bag - no cracks, dried out fine, and fired up on the first attempt).

7) There are a ton of options. If you're an advanced user, you can really customize this to fit your personal preferences. If you're a basic user, you can avoid all those advanced options and just use the basic controls.

Trust me...you can compare fishfinders all day long, but in the end this is the best deal out there for under $600. If you're looking for a fishfinder in the $200 range...save up a little longer and spend a little more and get this one. If you're looking in the $600 range...save some money and buy this one. In either case, you won't regret it.