humminbird 787c

[bundymal]

Hi finally decided on this unit after looking around for weeks and comparing prices.Did have a magellan hand held which used in the boat as well as my old humminbird . So now don't need the hand held or my old humminbird fishfinder. Going to buy from the U.S for half the price . Went to BCF and they sell the 787c for $1499 ,would rather get from here but $ make the decision . Bought stuff from US before with no problems . A bit over kill for my 4.1 metre tinny but gives me everything i want in a gps and sounder .If kept the handheld and bought a good sounder from here would still be spending $500 + .

P.S was looking at the GARMIN combo as have BLUECHART software but the screen is smaller so now just have to save for the navionics card to go with the 787c

cheers
mal

[Nomad62]

Good choice mal, my mates doin the same thing, he has a garmin gps, isnt happy with it at all, he also has opted to buy a 787c from the US, definately is a good unit. Its a shame aussie dealers arn't a little more competitive, they must be losing a lot of sales to the US,

Cheers, Nomad62

[Vickypoint]

I am looking at one of these units. Where is a good place to start looking for a price from the states. Also are you liable for any customs duties on such an import.

Thanks Frank

[Fitzy]

Good choice, the 787C are a great unit.
Just be aware that if buying a US version, the uni maps are as good & there are less features available on them.
Aussie models are upspeced, have 1 year more warranty, are C Tick approved. Non C Tick approved units are illegal to sell & may not be covered in an insurance claim. Could acutally void insurance in the event of a fire.


Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Nomad62]

Hey Fitzy, what do you mean by"upspeced", can you give some more details , i have heard that the US electrical specs meet and in some cases exceed our aussie approvals. i know a couple of guys that are comparing the specs for their own benifit, as they have US models,

Hey flmath, you are liable for a import duty if the item value is over $1000 Aus , duty is 15% i believe,


Cheers , Nomad62

[brettrock]

Hey Nomad62,

This missus said that was a big Barra, and i told her that it is!
As your bigger than me and thats without legs.....

I couldn't resist... But I think i just blew my fishing trip.

[Nomad62]

Now now Brett, thats not nice, i showed my missus your photo and told her that thats a 45kg red emporer that your hanging onto, she's still in shock,

Guess the trips still on

Cheers Nomad62

[Fitzy]

I know "some" Humminbird models sold (legally) in Oz via authorised Oz distributor have:
- better transducers as US standard
- All more features & functions in menus that USA models
- have a better quality UNI map in GPS/Plotters & Combos
- longer warranty period than US
- All are C Tick approved & are legal to sell

Cheers,

fitzy..

[Piscatory Pursuit]

Hi, I am a Marine Electronics dealer here in the states and as a Humminbird dealer I have signed an agreement that I will not sell Humminbird products to customers overseas. There are several reasons for this. One is the units are totally set up for US use. The basemap or unimap is US only. It only reads in imperial, not metric, and the warranty is only valid in the US and Canada. Humminbird also does this to protect their international dealers.

If someone in the states is offering to sell you a Humminbird and ship it to Australia then they are probably not an Authorized Dealer, or they are putting their dealership at risk by shipping to Australia which makes them a dumb ass dealer!

I don't know how the specs compare with Aussie models, and I can't believe US models are a fire hazard because they work on boats in the US so they should work on boats in Australia.

The 787 is a great value and super easy to use. I have one on my boat now. It doesn't have enough manual overides like A scope and bottom lock nor does it allow you to view a section of the water column. The sensitivity is realatively useless, but its auto settings does a pretty good job and is a really good shallow water performer. If you want a unit that you don't have to mess with this unit is perfect. It is also easily operated from buttons on the front of the unit so you don't have to sift through menus which I like a lot.

If you prefer to buy from the US, i recommend Garmin, Furuno, and Raymarine to my Austalian customers because they are truly international models with worldwide basemaps, international warranties, metreic system, and you can get service in Australia.

Have a great day!

[davo]

The mate has the 787c2 and I have the 777c2. I find the GPS functionality not as good as Garmin because you can't search a waypoint by name. Meaning you have to scroll through the whole list or go nearest. I do like the Navionics chart over Blue chart. We've had so issues with the GPS's loosing it's fix for no reason and also interfereing with Garmin GPS's. These are issues BLA haven't go back to me with. As far as oversea purchases go, when you can buy something for $400 less after you have posted it individually I think we are getting ripped off. Also some of the distributers in Australia give such poor service that you can post electronics back to the Us and get them back as quick for less money. Let me say that BLA have up till now given good service and my Humminbird is a Aussie one but most of my other stuff is overseas purchased.

[bundymal]

thanx all for the feedback .


cheers
mal

[Robbo_Townsville]

Rather than buy them overseas direct you can buy them from an importer based here in Australia who has them for $920 AUS. PM me if you want his website.

[Nomad62]

Guys,
I have been doing some research on the specification differences between Humminbirds domestic model and the international model, i have a contact at Humminbird US that states this about the international model,

Quote " I believe that the software load that gives the unit its identity is different, but the sonar specifications should be the same.The international models have more menu options that the domestic models don't and as you have stated the maps that are loaded are different, all are manufactured in the same factory",

I have also been told from another source that post 9/11, the electrical standards including radiation emmittance standards in the US are possibly higher than that of Australia, ( C-Tick approval)

It just doesn't make sense that the Americans would make an inferior product for themselves, i also agree that the difference in price between the US domestic model and the International model just can't be justified,

Hope this helps,

Cheers Nomad62

[Steven78]

Its Because BLA are the ONLY wholesaler that sell them. They have a Captive market which means they can charge more. Its a good product.
You get what you pay for.
Thanks Steven.... BTW i just bought on too from BLA.

[Fitzy]

I'm not inclining that a US domestic model Humminbird is a fire risk or is inferious in its construction... what I AM saying is that Us Domestic models have NOT been tested to Oz/NZ C-Tick standards approval. This, according to Oz law, makes them illegal to sell & could pose a potential insurance claim rejection in some instances.

Cheers,

fitzy..