Hi all, I want to upgrade my echo sounder but I find that all of the units
I am looking at give up at around half a meter - unlike my 20 years old
unit that I wanted to replace (I need zero depth performance for inland
waterways). Does anybody know of a unit/brand/type that would work for me?
I'm not interested in fish, just displaying depth.

I have a garmin with the transducer mounted inside my fiberglass hull, and
it can read as shallow as the two foot range with no problem, and I've seen
it go as shallow as 1.2-1.8.
On several occasions I've also seen it measure double the actual depth in
shallow water, but that is a rarity. I assume when that happens that it is
measuring the second bounce off of the hull.
Having the transducer mounted inside the hull may reduce the sensitivity,
enhancing the shallow water performance. I mounted it with silicone seal,
rather than hard epoxy, and I don't have a problem with water up to
100-ft(deepest I've been) in sal****er. I used the silicone seal, since I
wasn't sure how well it would work in that location, and I wanted to make it
easy to move. It worked so well, I never re-installed it with the epoxy.
To install the transducer inside the hull, take the end from a spray paint
cap and cut the remaining collar to the hull angle and glue it down. After
it sets, put about 3/8" of silicone into it and push the transducer into it.
I can't remember if I positioned the transducer bottom flush with the hull
or vertical.