<< > I enjoy sailing in Georgian Bay (eastern half of Lake Huron) where
> everything is solid rock. Often the bottom will rise from great depths
> to semi-submerged walls of granite. Navigation is sometimes akin to
> walking a mine field. I was wondering if it would be possible to use
> a fishfinder to "look" forward as well as down....so that I could know
> when I was approaching one of these boat-stoppers. Something that
> only looks down doesn't allow enough reaction time. If the trans-
> whatchamacallit were tilted forward and were up closer to the bow
> (perhaps at the front of the keel) maybe it would give me <a little> time
> to react.
>
> Any thoughts on the matter?
>
> Tod Mills
>>
Which Potter are you sailing?
You could install a depth finder on bow aimed forward. The Apelco 365 is a
wide sonar that displays about 5' to 10' of bottom to side. With a range of
1000' it could probably indicate an obstruction with enough time to swerve
around it. Only problem is you have to be watching it all the time to avoid
the "Crunch".
Isn't it a bummer how with a depthfinder you only know when you've run aground
when it crunches?
Good Luck
SF