Depthfinder with a "paddle wheel"

[Bass Mafia]

Back in 1992, I bought a 17.5' Sea Nymph Sidewinder (Walleye Boat) that I ordered from OMC in Indiana, with a 120 Johnson on it. WOT, the speedo pegged and the Eagle Depthfinder with a paddle wheel for speed, said 62 mph. Are those paddle wheels still around and if so, are and were they accurate?

I know now the answer's gonna be that the GPS is probably more accurate, but I'm getting the "itch" and want to explore my options.

Thanks,
Ray

[Humminbird Greg]

Ray,
Not my brand and I don;t know if they are still available for Lowrance/Eagle units or not (I would guess "Yes" though) but all of the paddlewheels are basically the same.  These were first developed as trolling speed indicators and were meant to be used at slower speeds.  The problems with these that I have seen is that after a certain speed the wheels start slipping through the water and may not be able to give an accurate reading.  Most of this is due to the mounting location on the boat which determines the angle that the water flows across them.  Just like transducers; you get some air mixed in that water and they start to not read accurately.

So if you want high-speed accuracy than GPS is the way to go.  I would say for low speed accuracy though the paddlewheels are still the better option (as long as you can keep the weeds off of them!).

[fishin couillon]

Your right, GPS is more accurate and yes Lowrance still has them. In fact, i bought a new unit earlier this year and it came with one and i don't use it. You would get more use out of a GPS/Sonar unit vs. a regular sonar unit with a paddle wheel. Oh, don't forget, what ever you go with make sure its a color unit. They are the best.