Fishing electronics have been hard to keep up with since day one, constantly changing and improving. The amount of money we spend on the latest technology is simply insane!
I have been trying to find good simple, affordable tech that the kids can use and operate as well as seasoned vets.
Turns out the answer has been right under our noses that last few years and has went on under the radar for the most part, or doesn’t get the praise it deserves at least. It’s the Garmin Striker 4! I personally think it’s the best and most affordable tech you can get for ice fishing, if you’re on a budget, or are simply looking to outfit the kids with their own graph without spending a ton of money. It just doesn’t get marketed as an ice fishing unit the way it should. Retail on the Garmin striker 4 is $129.99 at most retailers. And when you find them on sale you can snag them for $99 bucks! That $99 gets you 2d sonar, multiple zoom options, flasher mode, AND GPS! You can mark waypoints, navigate tracks and trails. And they do more than that! But where else can you get a unit to do all of that for $99, heck even $129. And they are great on batteries with only a .23a draw. There’s definitely some serious bang for your buck with the Striker 4!
My kids and I decided to come up with a fun little ice shuttle for the striker 4 with drill battery power, we made a few all aluminum shuttles last season to give the concept a try, we were all pretty darn impressed! So we cleaned it up a bit and made a final design. I happen to have a fab shop, and we have a 3d printer in the house. So I came up with a frame and a few parts to 3d print.
What you see here is the final product, kid and dad tested!
The shuttle is powered by either Dewalt or Milwaukee drill batteries. The shuttle will come with the battery adapter of your choice (or no adapter at all if you would like to use your own adapter, you may have to drill new holes if you wish to use your own). Will come wired with an in-line fuse and pre-installed heat shrink butt connectors to hook up to your striker’s power cable.
-waterjet cut aluminum frame with all mounting holes to match the striker mount.
-3D printed handle, transducer cup, and rod holder in your choice of standard colors. The transducer cup fits the actcual ice transducers best(which would be an upgrade to your striker 4 purchased separately), however the summer ducer that will come with your striker will also fit, it’s just not as clean. We will also have a transducer leveler available to use the summer ducer for ice fishing. All printed parts have a lifetime warranty.
-all stainless steel hardware included with nyloc nuts
NOTE- battery, the striker 4 and transduy is not included in the shuttle. But we will have strikers and transducers available for purchase.
