How To Select Bass Boat Electronics ?

[ChrisD46]

Watching TV and reading magazines I see all the ads for : Garman , Hummingbird , Lowrance and Ray Marine ... They all look great and have awesome features it seems . *However , after necessities - like built in lake maps and GPS ,  it all gets confusing pretty quickly ! ... Your thoughts on main things to look for when selecting new fishing electronics ?

[slonezp]

Figure out your budget. Then figure out what features you want that are within that budget. Then, head over to Bass Pro or another big box store and play around with the graphs. Some are more user friendly than others. 

[Further North]

@slonezp has it.

 

...and "user friendly means different things to different people.

 

Try 'em ,see which menu systems makes the most sense to you, go with that.

 

...all the cool, whizbang features in the world don't do us any good if we can't get to them on our fish finders,

 

 

[jbmaine]

The above posters have it right. Find the one (brand) that is the easiest for you to use, then get the largest screen you can afford, and fit, in your boat.

[TOXIC]

Another consideration is networking and if you ever want to utilize an Ulterex/Ulterra TM, there are features that only work with birds.  

[Chris at Tech]

Biggest screen you can afford, especially if SI and DI are part of the equation.

[PAbasser927]

Also something to think about, if you are kayak angler, is power consumption on larger units.  Not something I ever had to think about prior to this year but I picked up a kayak on craigslist over the winter.  Larger units, with sidescan, will require a higher capacity battery that is heavier and more expensive.

[ChrisD46]

Good replies - thanks ! ... For a bass boat is the intended use which means a front unit(s) and a console unit(s) .

[Yakalong]

Also, if you fish with other people or just talk to people at the boat ramp ask them what to look for or is something not to buy