Customer Reviews

Norcross Hawkeye D10D Depth Sounder

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I fought with a Humminbird 600 for years trying to get it to read consistently. I finally gave up and bought this unit. It works 100% of the time and updates while you are underway.

Pros: you can read it w/ polarized sunglasses (unlike the Humminbird); contains hardware for both in-the-hull or transom mount (the Humminbird you have to buy one model for either); large digits.

Cons: It only goes to 199 feet, so if you want to anchor and you are in over 200 feet, you have no idea if you have enough anchor line -- although in inland lakes I have never been in that situation. It doesn't include a chrome bezel, but you can buy one from the Norcross site for $15.

Buy it! It is a very solid unit. I couldn't be happier. In my application I'm shooting thru the hull of a fiberglass boat. The puck is held with Devcon 2-ton slow cure epoxy.

Large easy to read digits. Accurate even at fast speeds. The position of the transducer was more critical than anticipated. Tried the in-hull mounting option and couldn't get a reading. Mounted the tansducer on the transom and initially only got readings at slow speeds. The kit comes with angled shims to achieve the exact angle required. Once I found the sweet spot it worked like a charm. The first unit I received was defective, however customer service was exceptional and had me a new unit in no time.

I purchased this unit for our Moomba Outback boat. I found that the installation was straightforward and easy. I drilled a 2 inch hole with a hole saw beside the ignition switch to mount the unit. I attached clips to the power wires and plugged them onto the dash circuit board so that an unused accessory switch operates the unit. I used a fish wire to run the transducer lead through an existing hole in the floor (near the driver's feet)and then duct taped the transducer to the inside of the fiberglass hull underneath the front of the engine. The unit worked perfectly as soon as I launched the boat and continued to work well at any speed. I have not yet glued the transducer to the hull but plan to do so soon.

Long story short. Installed the Hawkeye on my sailboat and used through 2010, worked fabulous! Experienced transducer issue in May of 2011. Called Tech Support,actually talked to a human being, described problem, was told this had been an issue on this model, but had been corrected. Bottom line, they cheerfully and promptly sent me a new transducer.
The product works GREAT! I would recommend to anyone seeking a depth sounder.

The D10D installed easily. After testing the unit according to the manual, I glued the transducer to the inside hull under the engine of the inboard engine compartment as instructed. No holes to drill through the hull. Installation of the display in the dash was simple, as was the wiring. Set up and changing minimum depth is easy. I could do without the three loud beeps when turned on. You'll see it is working on the display. The display is big and easy to read. Operation is simple. The unit worked as advertised, even with the unit pinging through the hull. Quick response and fairly accurate. I tested from known depths of 2.5 feet to 65 feet and was satisfied. Weeds in lake sometimes gives erratic reading.

Though precise installation is required, excellent instructions are provided. Worked the first time. Very good at high speed (55MPH) and low speed too. Easy to see.

I purchased this unit to replace an older dash-mounted depth sounder, hoping to use it with the existing through-hull 200 Khz transducer in my 1984 Grady-White Tournament. The unit works as advertised, but I did not succeed with the old transducer. This is likely due to a fault with the old transducer, and not a problem with the Hawkeye unit. The transducer supplied with the unit works fine, but positioning it properly inside the hull in the bilge has been difficult, with less than perfect results so far. I am still experimenting with finding the best accessible spot. I have not tried the transom mount, mainly because the boat is in the water at present, but this might be a better way to go for most folks.

In summary, the unit works fine, but the transducer installation may be challenging.

This is a good unit. The bold readout is a big improvement over most of the competition. It works well at faster speeds ( as advertised).

I replaced a Humminbird that was a real headache!

Go for it!

It was painless to install, works great, keeps accurate readings even at higher speeds warning you from running aground.

Bought the shoot thru hull model for our ski boat because I didn't want to deal with drilling holes for an external or flush mount. Was a bit leary reading reviews about losing performance shooting thru a fiberglass hull, but have been very pleased with this unit so far. I skipped all the pre-test steps (i.e. testing it in the water before gluing it to the hull) and went right to sanding a smooth spot on the inside fiberglass hull where I was looking to mount the unit. Used a slow cure marine epoxy (as instructed) and taped it down so that it wouldn't slide out of position. Put it to the test 2 days later and it has been working flawlessly since.

I agree with others that the initial startup beeping is annoying, but my boat has an ignition alarm that sounds when the key is turned on so it's not something new I have to get used to.

Mounting the readout was easy once I found a good place for it. Make sure you have 2-3 inches open space behind your mounting point or you will be in trouble. What took me the most time was finding the right wires where the unit would only get power when the ignition was on. Shallow alarm works like a charm but have had what I think were a few "false" readings when I was in deep water. Could have been an object just below the surface that it picked up, but no way to tell.

If you just need peace of mind knowing the depth and do not need water temperature or a fish finder and you can handle cutting out a hole for mounting the unit and working out the electrical needs, this unit will work just fine.