I'm looking at purchasing a humminbird si unit but can not find any reviews. Can anyone point me in a good direction as to where i can find reviews of the humminbird si units?

Hi Goober...First off...BUY IT! I bought the 797 c2i last year and love it. It took me awhile to convince myself to buy a unit that expensive, but I can tell you it is money well spent. There's no use in having a nice boat if you can't find the fish.

Next thing is pay the extra money to get the Navionics Gold and Hotmaps. You will regret the decision if you buy the cheaper unit because you cannot add these after you buy it. Also it would be benificial to purchase a Navionics Hotmaps Explorer disc. It's around $20. What you can do with this is study the lake maps, find the spots you might want to fish, plot your routes and waypoints, and then use an SD card (same card for alot of digital cameras), and transfer them into your 700 series. For the $20 it makes it wayyy easier to study lakes on the computer rather than using the fishfinder itself.

The new 798 model replaces last years 797 model so there aren't a ton of reviews on it yet. They look very similar and I do not know the added features on the 798, but I'm sure its the same quality as the 797 I purchased. I found 1 or 2 reviews on the Bass Pro website and Amazon. There use to be alot of exceptional reviews for the 797 on websites, but I noticed they took them down when they added the 798 model.

Go to Yahoo and search the groups for: Humminbird side imaging... Sign up to be a member. There is a wealth of knowledge from many of the members there. I think there may also be alot of guys that work for the company there that can answer any questions you may have. There are alot of images and technical data on there, but you will most defiantely be able to see it in action.

I cannot say enough about how happy I am with purchasing it. Easy to install right out of the box. It's amazing to be trolling along and see schools of baitfish or an engine block laying to the left or right hand side of the boat. Pretty amazing stuff. I am in no way affiliated with the company, but I thought I would give my 2 cents for helping you make a decision. The first time out with it, you'll forget all about how much money it was and wished that you had it sooner. The ONLY issue that I have with it is I spend wayyy too much time checking out the fish and structure rather than actually having my line in the water. It's addicting. Good Luck! -Grouch

I totally agree. GET IT!!!!! I got mine last year and I love it. I'm going to a new section of my lake and I will spend the first hour or so looking for some deep ledges. With my SI unit I'm able to find these spots in 1/10 of the time. Sign up for the Yahoo group and they will shorten the learning curve for ya.

Thanks guys. Did either one of you install it yourselves. If so how easy is it. is everything I need in the box or is there any extra stuff i need tto purchase to install it?

    I did it myself. I thought it was fairly easy to do. This, by the way, was the first time I've ever mounted one. All the components are there to install. I can't remember all the tools that were needed, but they were basic....drill, screwdriver, wire stripper, electrical tape, and some silicone (a little bit added to the transducer screws). When turning it on for the first time, the preloaded settings are good to go. There are some fine tuning settings that you can play around with, but right out of box it's fine. As far as skills needed to install...I would compare it to being able to install a home stereo system. Skim over the instructions and hook up a few wires. I hope this helps.

That is reassuring. I can do the install myself then. If I get it and have any problems i get up with you if that is okay?

    Absolutely...That's not a problem at all. I can give you my phone number if you need some help. Just PM me when the time comes. -Jim

Ok will do thanks again!!