Help with electronics choice

[Vtmopar]

Needing an upgrade on my dash electronics. GPS/sonar. Looking to stay with navionics. Down imaging.
Fiberglass boat so through hull transducer.

3 ive narrowed down to:
Lowrance elite 7 TI
HELIX 7
Garmin echomap chirp 94 sb

Any thoughts ?

[keithm87]

I have a helix 5 DI SI, if I had it to do again, I would probably have gotten a Lowrance. The HB seems to not mark fish like the lowrances I have seen. might be how I have mine set up, but the arches are not very arch like. The fish ID rarely ID's a fish even when I can visibly see one streaking. The ducer mount is also flimsy but that wont impact you since you will be through hull. If I were to do it today I would buy one if the networked lowrances more money, but you can add on screens, attach motorguides, and other things.

[Reelax]

Can’t go wrong with lowrance... I have an elite 7 and love it...

[nhjim]

have the garmin just not chirp like it very much only downfall is not networkable would love a second display in back of boat.

[Crayfish]

I have an Echomap Chirp 54DV that works very well. I have the transducer bolted onto my little boat (only boat at the time), but now use it as a chart plotter / GPS without a transducer in the new boat. Boat already had a FF in it that didn't have GPS. My only complaint is that the base maps are not very accurate, but at least give you an idea. You can create your own maps, though. That worked well for us on smaller lakes that aren't very accurate in the Navionics or the Garmin maps.

Good luck. There's lots of good choices out there.

[Dirtyhooker]

I have run a Hds 9 gen 3 with 3d structure scam for a year had some boat problems this spring and had to learn my fishing partners new ray marine touchscreen then a couple weeks ago bought a new ride to me that came with a Garmin 740 touchscreen 2010 era all have similarities but I will stick with my Hds 9 just have to get it installed on my new boat.I may be mistaken but I thought navionics could not be used on garmin

[fishingmachine]

Have you seen the new Garmin panoptics live,unbelievable!! google it

[Wallyandre (Andre)]

I have run a Hds 9 gen 3 with 3d structure scam for a year had some boat problems this spring and had to learn my fishing partners new ray marine touchscreen then a couple weeks ago bought a new ride to me that came with a Garmin 740 touchscreen 2010 era all have similarities but I will stick with my Hds 9 just have to get it installed on my new boat.I may be mistaken but I thought navionics could not be used on garmin

Your right, no Navionics on a Garmin

[Trackertroller]

Have you seen the new Garmin panoptics live,unbelievable!! google it

If I had the $1500 I’d at it to my 94 echomap!
It looks beast!!!

[Wallyandre (Andre)]

Have you seen the new Garmin panoptics live,unbelievable!! google it

From what I heard not so good for trollers

[TUnamas]

After watching several episodes of Wicked Tuna last night, even though they have the alarms set, I'm surprised that the tuna don't mark more clearly. They are big fish, and the graphs show arches and streakers, but there is still some "essence of familiarity and knowledge" that goes into reading the graph, even with 400 lb fish and high powered transducers. Every time I crew bluewater boats I'm amazed that the technology isn't so much better than I get on my own obsolete unit, which I use to find bait schools more than fish themselves.