Inaccurate / glitchy depth gauge on AR210?

[Daren and Heather]

My depth gauge will sometimes suddenly go from 3ft to 150ft deep on a lake that is only 30ft deep. This is on a brand new 2020 AR210.

I get that something in the water could make the depth finder suddenly read shallow, but I can't imagine any reason a depth gauge would ever read deeper than the actual bottom of the water unless it's broken.

Any thoughts/ideas? Others experience this?

 

[HangOutdoors]

I am not seeing this. Mine is pretty accurate and I use the Navionics Boating App for lake maps on my phone and I look at them both all the time.

 

[jamesk]

17 sx210..... mine sometimes shows nothing or shows a way off reading maybe 10% of the time, usually corrects it's self after a few seconds.
I have a Garmin chartplotter as well and the two are pretty close when it is actually showing a true reading.
Not sure why it happens, seems almost random.

 

[minn19]

The same happens on my boat and it did on my old fishing boat as well that had a Lowrance HDS5/transducer off the back of the transom. My lake is very weedy like most MN lakes now unfortunately. It usually happens when we go through a ton of weeds or have been going fairly fast. It resets itself in a somewhat reasonable amount of time for the most part. I know the lake I usually boat on really well, but I could see it being a problem when I take it on the St. Croix/Mississippi or other unfanmalier bodies of water. I'll study a lake map or have an app though if I go to a different body of water to get an idea of the problem spots etc.

 

[DanP]

Mine does the same thing, I have the same boat. Pulling out of the dock yesterday it was reading 150 feet deep. Then a while later it seems accurate again.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I will specifically pay attention to see if it happens next time out.

 

[A_mo7]

Mine does this as well on the 2020 AR210, it typically happens in very low speed situations or even just floating.

 

[Daren and Heather]

WOW, so there's already 4 of us that have 2020 21ft boats, who all have the same problem with the depth finder! That's just the people who happened to notice this thread in the last day. Seems like there is probably a widespread problem here. Anyone new to this thread experiencing this issue, please post a reply as well.

I'll probably take mine to the dealer to get it replaced since it's under warranty. If any others on here get more information - let us know!

 

[minn19]

WOW, so there's already 4 of us that have 2020 21ft boats, who all have the same problem with the depth finder! That's just the people who happened to notice this thread in the last day. Seems like there is probably a widespread problem here. Anyone new to this thread experiencing this issue, please post a reply as well.

I'll probably take mine to the dealer to get it replaced since it's under warranty. If any others on here get more information - let us know!

I honestly wouldn't bother because the replacement one is going to most likely do the same thing. I wasn't trying to say there was anything wrong with mine as all depth finders I've used over the years have quirks like this.

I've never had a really expensive one though and I'm guessing the Yamaha ones are on the lower ends of the spectrum. If you want a really accurate one my guess is you will have to go aftermarket.

 

[anmut]

Five of us. My 2020 21' does this exact same thing when pulling out of a sand bar. Takes about a minute for it to start registering correctly again.

 

[A_mo7]

Currently in knee deep water anchored on a beach. .

 

[anmut]

Currently in knee deep water anchored on a beach. .
View attachment 123913

That's the same false depth I get.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Took the boat for a spin to do some tuning of things and I watched the depth gauge most of the time. I am getting the same wrong depth reading in shallow water, it only happened twice.

 

[Daren and Heather]

LOL, so that's 6 of us now with the same problem on 2020's... @BeauSko, do you have the same problem on yours?

 

[4x15mph]

2018 AR210 and I have only noticed where it would say 0 feet when first started up until it reads.... not all of the time and it provides the reading after a minute or two. I haven’t seen this other problem and will also pay more attention when in shallow water but that is really the few times I look at the depth gauge. I use a chart plotter and/or Navionics when on the bay. The lake not so much

 

[Wishfull1]

Not a 2020, nor a 21', but my 2018 SX195 did the same after running shallow down a river. Ran aground, then after that the depth read between 50 and 60 feet even though I was in about 2 1/2 feet of water. Resolved itself after a few minutes.

 

[BeauSko]

LOL, so that's 6 of us now with the same problem on 2020's... @BeauSko, do you have the same problem on yours?

I’ve only seen this happen one time, and that was yesterday. I was in very shallow water, shallow enough to scrape the bottom of the hull (that is another story) and it jumped from 2-3 feet to 150+. As soon as i got out of the shallow water, it was reading accurately again.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Maybe it is a feature we didn't know existed?

 

[flipdogg]

I have a 2019 212X and my depth gauge is glitchy as well. It happens just about every time using the boat, but it does fix itself relatively quickly. Its something I've learned to live with.

 

[Daren and Heather]

I just reported this to my dealer in Minnesota and opened a case. He said he's never heard of this issue before, so it must be something newer in the last year or so. He started the process with Yamaha so we will see what they say. I'm guessing they will just replace the transducer but I'll let you guys know what the fix is. I'd recommend all of you call your dealers as well while your boats are under warranty, which will also help Yamaha realize that there's a widespread issue here.