Fishfinder map help

[DLM]

I am about to pull the pin and pickup a new fishfinder, a Humminbird 788ci HD. Fishermans Marine has them for 15% off, which is a$104.00 discount and I don't think I could do any better than that at the sportsman or boat show.

It comes with maps/charts installed, called Humminbird Contour XD. I have seen this demod and it looks pretty good for the lakes I am interested in. I cannot find out who produces these maps, if they are made by Navionics or some outher company.

I know several of you have the Humminbird units. If I buy the Navionics chip will I be getting any better charts (more detail) than what comes with the unit, or would I be wasting my money?

 

[DLM]

bump ttt..

 

[SmokeOnTheWater]

I have a Lowrance HDS5 and bought the HotMaps SD card at Cabela's. With the standard software that came with the unit displayed basic shapes of the lakes with limited or no contour lines. The HotMaps is true-to-form shoreline showing all the nooks and crannys to accurate detail. With the zoom cranked up, even the underwater contours are extremely accurate showing humps and structure.

As for Humminbird, you'll have to dig into your owners manual to see what is truly compatible. Good Luck and let us know what you find out.

 

[DLM]

Navionics products are fully compatible with Humminbirds, I just don't know if they are better than the pre-packaged charts that come with the FF. I suspect they are better.

 

[SmokeOnTheWater]

They're like 1000% better than the pre-installed software the unit comes with.
It's a bit un-nerving shelling out $100+ for such a small SD card though. 4moremney
But then again, you've already spent the biggest portion on the Humminbird. Now it's time to accessorize! 2cents

 

[DLM]

Looks like I will be getting the chip. It will wait a bit though, she doesn't even know about the FF yet.101duh101

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Besides, we took the grandson to a movie last night and all I could think about was how much tackle that money could have bought.......not really, had a great time, but those prices are out of control.