Best budget SI unit?

[5by3]

Looking for a unit to mount on a kayak that has GPS mapping, SI, and DI. Screen size does not need to be large. 
 

what’s the best bang for the buck unit capable of this? Brand does not matter.

[casts_by_fly]

A humminbird Helix 7 MSi GPS G3.  Pick up a lightly used one for $250-$300 or so on marketplace or other places.  Its the best image quality you're going to get on equivalent units.  And the 7" screen is the biggest 'small' screen so it is usable in split screen (with limitations).  Smaller screens are tough to split screen and even can be tough overall size unless you just want 2D sonar.  With side imaging, the 7" makes a difference.

[12poundbass]

Best bang for your buck in my opinion is the Garmin Echomap. Easy to use, good image quality, and you can make your own maps with just a cheap micro SD card. Humminbird requires a zero line card to make your own maps which if I remember correctly, will run you and extra $100+.

[casts_by_fly]

27 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Best bang for your buck in my opinion is the Garmin Echomap. Easy to use, good image quality, and you can make your own maps with just a cheap micro SD card. Humminbird requires a zero line card to make your own maps which if I remember correctly, will run you and extra $100+.

 

True on the zero lines card, though the GPS part of the maps come loaded in the unit and there is an amount of storage on the unit itself without the zero lines card.  Its not a ton, but will do a couple local lakes highlights.  That said, I ended up with a zero lines card as a christmas gift because it wasn't enough on my 7.  I guess we need to know if the intention is to personally map the lake for depth or just have GPS for lake outlines and navigation.

[Run2jeepn]

I have a Garmin Striker Vivid 9SV I picked up for $300. The 9in screen is nice when split. Can set waypoints and make contour maps. Has built in Wifi so you can connect your phone and use the Garmin Captain app. I'm still learning how to use all the features, but overall happy with it.

[MediumMouthBass]

Better to spend a little more and buy new, unless you are getting a great deal on a used one. That being said the Garmin Strike Vivid 7SV is very nice, i was going to buy one a week or 2 ago but i decided to save some money and just get the Striker Vivid 5CV, i did alot of research on most of the fish finder brands and models, and this one fit what i wanted and price range the most. Aside from price, another reason i chose the 5CV instead of the 7CV or 7SV is the size, on a kayak that has a motor/trolling motor, go as big as you can. On a kayak you paddle and fish out of, a bigger fish finder can get in the way.

[Bankc]

Yeah, I'd recommend buying new as well.  The reason being that transducers have a crystal piezo in them, and they break easily, especially on the larger side imaging units.  And they may not fail completely.  They may just stop creating such a strong signal which leads to loss of detail on your screen.  So you might see rocks and other hard structure, but soft cover like grass and stuff might go unnoticed, as the unit can no longer differentiate between it and noise.  And if you've never seen it work when new, you might not realize how much you're missing.  

 

At least that's a problem I've had.