Hello, am looking to buy a fishfinder for fishing on the coast from my kayak. The small units from Lowrance/Garmin/HB all feature IPX7 (can be submerged 1m ) spec.
I wanted to ask your experiences with IPX7 devices held up to the occasional wave / passing boat wake / or even roll.
thanks
R
I trust the one meter for 30 minutes rating. I am careful to verify clean and intact seals/gaskets. As well as fully latched/locked openings BEFORE getting underway. Then rinse and inspect after saltwater exposure.
Even though it is the same IPX7 spec, my experiences is it varies by product. I use in sea kayaks, where they are submerged somewhat often (and splashed almost every trip), VHF radios ad waterproof cameras do well. GPSes don’t do as well and will get destroyed by water ingress prematurely (and often don’t seem to be covered by warranty).
Don’t know about fish finders, but I have had issues with garmin GPSes.
The Garmins suitable for maine use are IPX7 while the Standard Horizon handheld marine radios are IPX8. I use the radio clipped and tethered to my PFD where it is frequently wet in salt water all the time and have had no problems after years of use. Garmin GPSs tend to show a bit of water or condensation after a few years. I carry them in a dry pack.
Anything with removable batteries or battery packs, plugin ports, etc. with gaskets will eventually leak as the gaskets age and dry out. Some of the better units like the Standard Horizon radios will have a limited warranty for water leakage. Other devices like Garmin GPSs, Apple and Samsung phones, etc. consider water damage to be abuse and are specifically not covered under warranty, regardless of the IPX rating.