Usage
We had an Interphase Twinscope in boats from 1989-2010 and were very happy with it cruising in tropical waters and in the Pacific NW. When the last one failed, the company was out of action, so we bought an Echopilot 2D. Lacks the side scan mode and it doesn't look directly ahead (beam starts 30-45 degrees from water surface and sweeps to vertical) and the resolution isn't as high, but high enough to see your anchor as it is lowered. And it was around $1500, which was much more cost effective for something used intermittently. In general we use the system only for anchoring or when entering an area not clearly sounded on the charts. Great for finding shelf edges and slope gradients that help you figure out swing room during wind changes and falling tide. If you ever need the side-sweep view in a narrow channel, you can slow to a near-stop and swing the bow back and forth with the bow thruster.
We had an Interphase Twinscope in boats from 1989-2010 and were very happy with it cruising in tropical waters and in the Pacific NW. When the last one failed, the company was out of action, so we bought an Echopilot 2D. Lacks the side scan mode and it doesn't look directly ahead (beam starts 30-45 degrees from water surface and sweeps to vertical) and the resolution isn't as high, but high enough to see your anchor as it is lowered. And it was around $1500, which was much more cost effective for something used intermittently. In general we use the system only for anchoring or when entering an area not clearly sounded on the charts. Great for finding shelf edges and slope gradients that help you figure out swing room during wind changes and falling tide. If you ever need the side-sweep view in a narrow channel, you can slow to a near-stop and swing the bow back and forth with the bow thruster.