Help me pick a depth/fish finder for my canoe... please

[MDRookie]

With there being so many choices out there... it can be a little bit overwhelming. I'm not sure what I'm looking for.... I'd like something as small as possible with the most features. Is that possible? What's the smallest unit that I can possibly have maps with contours? Not a necessity but would be nice.. My budget is $200-300. Thanks in advance! 

 

[A-Jay]

I'd be looking hard at the newest Humminbird Helix 5 line coming out soon.  

Might have to spends a little more but these units offer quite a bit of bang for your buck.

A-Jay

[Sprocket]

Garmin Striker 5cv.  $299.  ClearVu, standard sonar, gps.  Easy to use.

 

SE Kansas grass grower

[12poundbass]

I'd check out the Helix 5 models. Do your research. Now there is a new Gen2 model so that means the first gen models should come down in price. 

[Wayne P.]

The smallest with GPS and mapping are 4" displays. Lowrance and Garmin have them

[CrustyMono]

you really can't go wrong

try to find one on sale down from 500 to like 250

the deeper smart fish finder connects to your phone and can be clamped  to the side of the boat with the flexed arm mount

[Scott F]

9 minutes ago, CrustyMono said:

you really can't go wrong

try to find one on sale down from 500 to like 250

the deeper smart fish finder connects to your phone and can be clamped  to the side of the boat with the flexed arm mount

If, you can easily see your phone in direct sunlight and your phone is waterproof, you might consider this. I wouldn't use my phone as my depth finder on a kayak. 

If a small unit and mapping are important to you, the Garmin 4 inch Echomap unit has excellent built in maps. You don't have to buy any map chips and you can create your own high def maps. Pretty good for an inexpensive unit. 

[MDRookie]

Went to BP today to look at what they have.. They didn't have any Striker units out. Sales guy said they had to pull them due to a legal issue. The Helix units seem to be pricey and don't come with mapping. The Lowrance Hook 4 with GPS and maps appears to be a decent unit. It will be on sale for the holiday... 

[12poundbass]

5 hours ago, MDRookie said:

Went to BP today to look at what they have.. They didn't have any Striker units out. Sales guy said they had to pull them due to a legal issue. The Helix units seem to be pricey and don't come with mapping. The Lowrance Hook 4 with GPS and maps appears to be a decent unit. It will be on sale for the holiday... 

Most of the Helix units have mapping. I would look at on line marine electronics stores, you'll pay below MSRP. 

[moguy1973]

Striker has GPS but no maps.

You probably don't have any Academy Sporting Good stores in MD but you might be able to order it online.  In their ad this week they have a Garmin EchoMap 53cv on sale this week for $279.  It's normally $499.  Has 17,000 pre-loaded maps with about 8000 of them being 1' contour intervals.  Just has standard 2D sonar so no down imaging but I think that's a pretty good deal.  I have the 53dv, which does have down imaging, at the bow of my boat and it works great.  Go to their website and its on page 18 of their ad.

[MDRookie]

10 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

Striker has GPS but no maps.

You probably don't have any Academy Sporting Good stores in MD but you might be able to order it online.  In their ad this week they have a Garmin EchoMap 53cv on sale this week for $279.  It's normally $499.  Has 17,000 pre-loaded maps with about 8000 of them being 1' contour intervals.  Just has standard 2D sonar so no down imaging but I think that's a pretty good deal.  I have the 53dv, which does have down imaging, at the bow of my boat and it works great.  Go to their website and its on page 18 of their ad.

Thanks for the info.. seems like a good buy. I think I'd be okay with 2D. Are the loaded maps just lakes? Does it have any coastal mapping or rivers?

[Wayne P.]

19 hours ago, MDRookie said:

10 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

Striker has GPS but no maps.

You probably don't have any Academy Sporting Good stores in MD but you might be able to order it online.  In their ad this week they have a Garmin EchoMap 53cv on sale this week for $279.  It's normally $499.  Has 17,000 pre-loaded maps with about 8000 of them being 1' contour intervals.  Just has standard 2D sonar so no down imaging but I think that's a pretty good deal.  I have the 53dv, which does have down imaging, at the bow of my boat and it works great.  Go to their website and its on page 18 of their ad.

Went to BP today to look at what they have.. They didn't have any Striker units out. Sales guy said they had to pull them due to a legal issue. The Helix units seem to be pricey and don't come with mapping. The Lowrance Hook 4 with GPS and maps appears to be a decent unit. It will be on sale for the holiday... 

The Garmin cv (ClearVu ) is imaging, not 2D sonar. They renamed the imaging technology they copied from other brands due to the lawsuits. The unit on the Academy site shows what was called DownVu.

[NYWayfarer]

On ‎11‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 8:36 AM, Scott F said:

If, you can easily see your phone in direct sunlight and your phone is waterproof, you might consider this. I wouldn't use my phone as my depth finder on a kayak. 

If a small unit and mapping are important to you, the Garmin 4 inch Echomap unit has excellent built in maps. You don't have to buy any map chips and you can create your own high def maps. Pretty good for an inexpensive unit. 

 

On ‎11‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 8:29 AM, CrustyMono said:

you really can't go wrong

try to find one on sale down from 500 to like 250

the deeper smart fish finder connects to your phone and can be clamped  to the side of the boat with the flexed arm mount

That deeper flexed arm mount is way overpriced and it is not well suited for a canoe. when clamped on a canoe gunnel it forces the arm to be bent at a weird angle to get the deeper in the water. I would tie a line on the deeper and trail it behind the canoe as a better, cheaper alternative.

Luckily the new iPhone 7 is waterproof and with the brightness turned way up you can see it. It beats my old iPhone in a Ziploc sandwich baggie waterproofing system.

I also use one of those neoprene armbands to hold my phone for easy viewing.

[MDRookie]

This is why I asked for some help...  with so many choices with different features.. it becomes confusing and overwhelming. Does anyone think the Hook 4 with Nautic Insight Pro is a good unit? I think coastal mapping would be something I could use with so many waterways off the Chesapeake Bay. They said it is loaded with 3000 lakes and rivers... but I have no idea what lakes and rivers those are? Are they relevant to the area I live? 

[moguy1973]

3 hours ago, MDRookie said:

Thanks for the info.. seems like a good buy. I think I'd be okay with 2D. Are the loaded maps just lakes? Does it have any coastal mapping or rivers?

Well, seems that Garmin has changed their naming conventions as Wayne P said above.  Anyways, if you want coastal maps with the Garmin Echomap units you need to look for the units with a x4 in their name, with x being the size of the screen.  So you would look for a Echomap 44cv if you want a 4" screen one with coastal maps, 54cv for 5", etc.  You can always get a map card for coastal maps from Garmin also.

 

[moguy1973]

3 hours ago, Wayne P. said:

The Garmin cv (ClearVu ) is imaging, not 2D sonar. They renamed the imaging technology they copied from other brands due to the lawsuits. The unit on the Academy site shows what was called DownVu.

Looks like it has both though looking at the other pictures?

[MDRookie]

thanks for the help... I picked up the Lowrance Hook4 yesterday :-)