Are fishfinder head units waterproof ?

[mudskipper]

Looking at either a Humminbird 5 or 7 inch Mega DI fishfinder for my kayaks.

I’m a relative noob when it comes to fishing electronics, my only experience so far is a small, cheap handheld unit from Amazon, which works for telling depth and finding fish, but I’d like something like the Humminbird that shows better detail of bottom structure.

But what I’d like to know, and haven’t found a definitive answer for, is whether or not the head unit is waterproof. Being it’s used on a boat, I’d expect some degree of water resistance for spray and rain, but if I roll the kayak and it gets dunked and stays submerged for a time, even if it’s only a foot of water, is the head unit sufficiently water proofed for this? Or is it going for be trashed?

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve been rolled unintentionally in the last 25 years of fishing from kayaks, but it does happen. And I’m a little leery about it costing $500+ if it ruins the fishfinder.

Anyone have a semi-definitive answer?

[J.A. Veil]

I suspect that most modern FF/GPS units are at least water resistant. They can remain safe under rain, spray, hosing down, etc. I don't know how well they can do if they are fully submerged for more than a few seconds. You may want to post your question on the Sonar and Side Imaging Facebook private group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/303972883359108.

There are some very knowledgeable people about marine electronics there.

[ronaultmtd]

I can speak to the Lowrence Elite Five on my old Outback being waterproof...my one and only turtle at Piney Point in August (nice warm water) on the grassflats lunging for a big puppy drum barely hooked...the water was four feet deep so I could just stand up...but the fishfinder was completely under water for four or five minutes while I scrambled with floating tackle, looking for lures, etc. and then flipping the kayak back over...the unit worked perfectly...still is as far as I know...

[dsaavedra]

Yes, they are generally waterproof. If you look at the specifications for a fish finder you should see a "waterproof rating" followed by an IP Code that will tell you the degree to which the unit is waterproof. For example, the Lowrance Hook Reveal states it is IPX7 rated, the X means there is no data on dust protection, but it has a liquid protection rating of 7, which means it can withstand submersion up to 1 meter of depth for 30 minutes.

[mudskipper]

Awesome! Thanks for that little bit of decoding what all those numbers mean.