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.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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.
The Garmin 60CS handheld shares all the functionality of its 60C brethren plus has both a built-in electronic compass and barometric altimeter. These two added sensors get this handheld the “S” designation. Eight pushbuttons and a rocker switch are located below with function labels clearly marked on the case front
The Furuno GP-33 is a new release WAAS-enabled non-mapping GPS navigator that displays loads of useful navigation information on a high-resolution 4.3-inch color screen. The GP-33 package ships with the display unit, protective display front cover, tilt-only mounting bracket, GPS antenna with a 10-meter cable, operators manual, quick start guide,
The DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 is a powerful full-mapping handheld GPS has a 32-channel WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, onboard electronic compass, and barometric altimeter. There is currently one other Earthmate model available, the two units are identical except the newer PN-30 model costs less and doesnt have the electronic compass or altimeter.
The DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 is a powerful full-mapping handheld GPS that uses a 32-channel WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and has 1-GB of internal memory. Two Earthmate models are currently available, though they are similar in both hardware and software the PN-40 model adds a digital compass with accelerometer and a barometric
I bought a Magellan Triton 2000 as a refurbished unit for 300 dollars. Unfortunately, it did not work correctly and by the time I discovered it had a serious problem, it was out of the warranty period. I called Magellan support to find out where I could send it for
We find the Magellan 5000 with its vintage mid-90’s handheld GPS technology which includes a with full keyboard for manually entering waypoints to be far superior than anything found on the GPS handheld market today. All mariners need paper charts for reliability, however cruisers like me are not into supporting
The Brunton MNS is one of the larger units listed on our handheld marine GPS review page. Its big?nearly three inch on the diagonal?display screen is located toward the bottom of the front panel with a leveling bubble in the extreme lower right corner. Nine pushbuttons are located above the
I’ve had my Garmin Nuvi 360 for almost 2 years. I don’t use it while boating but since it is so portable thought I would comment anyway. I reviewed a number of GPS product specifications before I purchased. The one feature I knew I wanted was bluetooth capability in the
Editor’s Note – This post was provided to us from D. Bell from Fort Myers, FL The Garmin GPSMAP 76 is a great handheld unit for boating. I kayak twice a week and carry this unit because it meets my navigational needs. It runs for over 12 hours on a