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Fish & depth finders need to have smooth water flow across the transducer to maintain speed readings while underway. Then you are still at the mercy of angle, gear quality, crap in the water and you name it. If the xducer is mounted well, you can expect to get decent readings at slower speeds and the lucky ones can get readings higher.
2 problems with depth/fishfinders in what you are looking for. First, the faster you go and more tossed around the boat is, the less accurate your reading will be. Second, it only reads what's behind the boat so you can still easily smack a ledge with the sonar reading 10 feet. If you're running in the harbor, there are tons of ledges that rise from deep depths to just under the surface in the span of inches - picture sheer cliffs with the "ledge" being just above water...
There is no substitute for a good map, quality POLARIZED glasses, not only will you see fish better, you can pick out rocks quicker, and time on the water. Never go sailing into areas that you don't know like the back of your hand...
I'd also recommend a power squadron course if you've never had one...
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