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Furuno’s new stand-alone fishfinders deliver smart new features, refined color separation, and sharper target resolution to clearly distinguish fish from everything else.
These days, the vast majority of the fishfinders out there are either über-expensive networking MFDs or simple little units that amount to toys when compared with the capabilities of modern sonar. What if you want a stand-alone fishfinder that has some serious power?
That niche need is addressed by Furuno with its new 7-inch FCV600 and 8.4-inch FCV800. Forgoing touchscreen technology, these units interface through soft-touch-buttons and rotary dials – a nod to small boat anglers frustrated by trying to manipulate a touchscreen with wet fingers on a bobbing boat.
Reefs, structure, and fish are shown in separated colors, making it easy to distinguish them.
Don’t let the old-school nature of the buttons and singular functionality fool you. These are potent units, armed for 40- to 225-kHz CHIRP (Compressed High-Intensity Radiated Pulse) and 50- to 200-kHz dual-frequency continuous wave fishfinding depending on the transducer. Target resolution goes beyond the expected thanks to Furuno’s RezBoost, an improved signal processing technology, and Color Range Expansion color-separates the returns from items like the seabed, reefs or wrecks, and fish, making it easier to spot the difference between fish and the structure they’re hugging.
Another techy touch the FCVs enjoy is wireless connectivity. That means you can add a second display if you’d like or pull up the TZ iBoat app and check out the views on your phone or tablet. The units meet IP56 specifications, the FCV600 puts out 600 watts, the FCV800 puts out 600/1kW, and both units have a max range of 1,200 meters (3,937 feet). Price: $895–$1,495.