Top 5 Editorial Picks
Five current fishfinders chosen for distinct buyer needs—from compact value to a premium expandable system. These are editorial selections, not Amazon or reader ratings.
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Best Compact Value
A straightforward sonar and GPS unit for kayaks, jon boats, and small boats.
Best All-Around 7-Inch Fishfinder
A capable sonar-first choice for anglers who want a useful 7-inch display without moving into a full chartplotter system.
Best GPS & Chartplotter Upgrade
The mapping step-up for buyers who need confident navigation as well as high-quality scanning sonar.
Best Side-Imaging Upgrade
A current 9-inch imaging platform for anglers ready to build around serious side imaging and boat integration.
Best Premium Expandable System
A larger-boat platform for buyers who want premium sonar, mapping, networking, and a serious expansion path.
Choosing a handheld GPS for your boat, whether as a primary or back up navigation device, amounts to determining how you intend to use this tool and how much you are able and willing to spend to acquire hardware and software. Today’s handheld GPS units range from roughly $100 to
The recently announced Garmin 78sc is at the pinnacle of the three model 78-series marine handheld GPS lineup. Not only does this unit float, it also features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, and two onboard sensors, an internal electronic compass and barometric altimeter. The “c” designation in the model number indicates
The Magellan eXplorist 200 is on the smallish side at 4.5 inches tall and about 2 inches wide. Its lightweight too, at only 4 ounces including a pair of AA batteries. It carries the screen mid-case with pushbuttons below. Everything is downsized somewhat, the eXplorist screen measures 2.3 inches on
The Lowrance Endura Sierra is the top of the line unit of the three in the Endura™ series. The entry-level Out&Back and the versatile Safari fill out the lineup. All three were released in 2009. The Sierra will be the first unit in the series to be subjected to the
The Garmin Oregon 550 is a compact handheld GPS with touchscreen control, a high-sensitivity GPS sensor, 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, altimeter, microSD™ card slot, and a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera. This Garmin portable GPS new addition sits at the pinnacle of the Oregon lineup. Memory capacity and waypoint storage have
The Garmin Oregon 450 is a compact full-mapping handheld GPS with touchscreen control of its sophisticated functionality. This Garmin portable GPS is the latest iteration in the Oregon lineup; it adds significant memory capacity and doubles the maximum number storable waypoints. The 450 features a high-sensitivity GPS sensor, built-in base
The Garmin Oregon 400c is a compact sophisticated full-mapping handheld GPS with touchscreen control. Several original Oregon models are available, the hardware in each is the same, and only the onboard cartography in each unit varies. The Oregon 300 features a world base map, while each variant of the 400
The Garmin MapSource CD is available in one of four versions, Americas, Atlantic, Atlantic Small, and Pacific. Retail prices range from $136 to $250 per CD. We reviewed the Bluechart Americas CD. It has marine chart data coverage for coastal waters of Alaska, Hawaii, the Continental U.S., Canada, South America,
The Garmin eTrex Vista HCx portable GPS is one of the newer additions to the Garmin lineup. It’s a compact design and one of the smallest and lightest Garmin handheld GPS units on the market. The ‘HCx’ in the model designation means this unit has a removable memory card, high-sensitivity
The Garmin eTrex Legend H portable GPS is the latest and greatest in the eTrex lineup. It’s a compact unit that measures only 4.4 inches high, 2.2 wide, and 1.2 thick or just about the size of a bar of soap. It weighs in at a paltry 5.4 ounces with
The Garmin eTrex handheld GPS is the low price leader among units we’ve reviewed. This compact Garmin portable GPS measures only 4.4 inches high, 2.2 wide, and 1.2 thick or just about the size of a bar of soap> It weighs in at 5.3 ounces with a pair of AA
The Garmin eTrex 30 is one of three recent additions to the popular Garmin portable GPS eTrex series. This line is designed with multiple uses in mind including marine use by boaters. The eTrex 30, like its siblings, boasts a compact design and the capability of using a Garmin marine
The Garmin eTrex 20 is one of several recent additions to the Garmin portable GPS lineup with a design aimed for multiple uses including the marine environment. This unit features a compact design, the ability to use a Garmin marine chart card, and is one of the smallest and lightest
The Garmin Colorado 400c is a very sophisticated full-mapping marine handheld GPS. A variety of Colorado models are available, while the hardware remains the same in each variant, the onboard cartography in each unit is different. The Colorado 300 features a world base map, while each variant of the 400
The Garmin 76 has been around for several years and has a proven track record of reliability in the Garmin portable GPS lineup. Overall it is one of the larger handhelds we’ve tested, but we found it still fits well in one hand. It can be operated with the thumb
The Garmin 76Cx portable GPS is an upgraded version of the original mapping 76 model. It gets the ‘x’ designation for the addition of a removable memory card slot and a high-sensitivity GPS receiver. Its sister model has both an altimeter and electronic compass and carries the CSx model name.
The Garmin 72H is the latest version of this venerable Garmin portable GPS. Earlier versions of this handheld GPS have been around for a number of years and have a proven track record of reliability. The “H” designation added to the model number indicates this portable GPS now features a
The Garmin 62s is one of five models in the new 62-series of handheld GPS gear to hit the Garmin lineup recently. All units in the 62-series feature a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, color display screen, and world base map. The “s” designation in the model number of our test unit
The Garmin 60 uses a monochrome screen measuring 2.6 inches on the diagonal with 160 x 240 pixel resolution. The high resolution on this Garmin marine handheld made the edges of small fonts and circles smooth and easy to read. We found the night lighting on this Garmin portable GPS
The Garmin 60CSx portable is the latest incarnation in the 60-series handheld GPS lineup and our latest Garmin portable GPS review. The ‘x’ in the model designation adds a removable memory card and a high-sensitivity GPS receiver. It shares all the utility of earlier 60-series versions and has both a