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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  1. 1
    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 4cv, Easy-to-Use 4-inch Color Fishfinder and Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes 4 Inch STRIKER Vivid 4cv Transducer

    Best Compact Value

    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 4cv

    A straightforward sonar and GPS unit for kayaks, jon boats, and small boats.

    • CHIRP and ClearVü scanning sonar in a compact package
    • A sensible pick when you do not need a chartplotter or SideVü
    • Best fit for budget-conscious small-boat anglers
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  2. 2
    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 4cv, Easy-to-Use 4-inch Color Fishfinder and Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes 7 Inch STRIKER Vivid 7sv Transducer

    Best All-Around 7-Inch Fishfinder

    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 7sv

    A capable sonar-first choice for anglers who want a useful 7-inch display without moving into a full chartplotter system.

    • CHIRP, ClearVü, and SideVü sonar for fish and structure
    • Simple setup with a practical 7-inch screen
    • Strong value for most general boat anglers
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  3. 3
    Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv with GT54 Transducer, 7” Touchscreen Chartplotter, Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland 7' Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland with GT54 Transducer

    Best GPS & Chartplotter Upgrade

    Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv

    The mapping step-up for buyers who need confident navigation as well as high-quality scanning sonar.

    • Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland mapping and touchscreen control
    • Ultra High-Definition ClearVü and SideVü sonar
    • A better fit than STRIKER when charts matter
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  4. 4
    Humminbird XPLORE Series GPS Fish Finder MEGA Side Imaging+ & HD Touchscreen Display Transducer Included) 9-Inch Display

    Best Side-Imaging Upgrade

    Humminbird XPLORE 9

    A current 9-inch imaging platform for anglers ready to build around serious side imaging and boat integration.

    • MEGA Side Imaging+ and MEGA Down Imaging+
    • 9-inch display with touchscreen and keypad control
    • Recommended configuration: 9-inch, transducer included
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  5. 5
    Lowrance HDS PRO Fish Finder/Chartplotter with C-MAP, 9 to 16-inch Options 10 Inch ActiveImaging HD 3-in-1

    Best Premium Expandable System

    Lowrance HDS PRO 10

    A larger-boat platform for buyers who want premium sonar, mapping, networking, and a serious expansion path.

    • Active Imaging HD and C-MAP charting
    • Wide networking support for integrated electronics
    • Ready to expand with ActiveTarget 2 and the Lowrance ecosystem
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Garmin 740 Review

The Garmin 740 is a multifunction display featuring a high resolution 7-inch display with a touchscreen user interface. An internal high-sensitivity GPS sensor combined with preloaded Garmin BlueChart g2 U.S. Coastal cartography gives detailed position and navigation information.

The 740 package ships with the display unit, a protective front panel cover, mounting bracket, power/data cable, owner’s manual, quick reference guide, and installation instructions. The front panel footprint measures approximately 9-inches wide and 5.5-inches high. Overall depth is 3.2-inches.

Buy this Garmin chartplotter here.

garmin 740 touchscreen chartplotter unit

Garmin 740

The display unit back panel has four connectors, one each for a power/data cable, NMEA2000 port, radar sensor, and external GPS sensor.

The latter uses a metal twist-lock BNC connector while the other three use threaded connectors.

The thread-lock connectors are new and I like them for their solid lock and security when compared to the old style plastic twist-locks. The 740 chartplotter will interface with several Garmin radar units but is not capable of being networked to other MFDs. Officially designated the Garmin GPSMAP 740, this Garmin marine GPS chartplotter is capable of communicating with other devices using a NEMA2000 network. It will also interface with a marine VHF radio, autopilot, as well as other compliant sensors using the NEMA0183 protocol.

At the top and bottom of the display face you will find removable bezels that cover mounting holes in the case used for a flush mount. All you’ll need to complete the task of flush mounting the 740 in a helm area panel is cut the hole and fasten the unit in place with the supplied screws.

The display has a front panel footprint that measures approximately 9-inches wide and 5.5-inches high. Overall depth is 3.2-inches.

Screen Size and Viewability

The 740 screen has a landscape layout and measures 6-inches wide by 3.7-inches high which yields a 7-inch display screen size when measured on the diagonal. Pixel count is a very high 800 by 480.

garmin 740 chart view

One of the combination views available is two charts. On the left is the standard 2D view and in the middle the Perspective view. The data box on the right has a wealth of information.

I am rating the daytime viewability of the high resolution Garmin display screen as excellent. With its high resolution even fine details are sharp and clearly readable.

When viewed using polarized sunglasses I noticed slight darkening of the screen, however it always remained fully readable, even out at severe side angles. No screen fogging was apparent in the display at anytime during our review.

The Garmin 740 has two color palettes, day and night, either can be selected manually or the selection can be set to automatic. The night palette uses darker coloration to enhance night viewing. This unit also has an automatic backlight control system that uses a sensor to determine the appropriate backlight level. I tried it and found it worked very well at matching the surroun