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.
The Standard Horizon CPV350 is not easily categorized. It’s a marine VHF radio, chartplotter, and even has sounder capability when it is paired with the Standard Horizon FF520 black box sounder. This unit is also AIS capable when coupled to an AIS receiver. The CPV350 is a perfect fit for
The Standard Horizon CPF300i combines a moderately large high-resolution display screen with an integral 50-channel WAAS GPS receiver and a 600-watt sonar to make a highly capable piece of marine electronics gear. This Standard Horizon combo will interface with an optional external GPS sensor if your installation requires something other
The Standard Horizon CPF180i integrates chartplotting capabilities with an internal 50-channel WAAS GPS receiver and a 600-watt fishfinder. This Standard Horizon GPS combo can use an optional external GPS sensor. On an installation where overhead structure might limit GPS signal reception adding an external antenna would be the appropriate choice.
The Standard Horizon CP390i is built around a very high resolution 7-inch display screen that packs 800 by 480 pixels of resolution. Compared to its smaller brother, the CP390i is a big step up in screen space, pixel count, and the ability to see fine detail. This Standard Horizon chartplotter
The Standard Horizon CP190i is built around a bright crisp 5-inch display screen and features a built-in 50-channel GPS sensor. It also comes with preloaded cartography and is one of the least expensive standalone chartplotters on the market today. The preloaded charts in this Standard Horizon GPS chartplotter provide detailed
The Standard Horizon CP180 we tested ships with an external Smart GPS sensor. This unit is one of the least expensive standalone chartplotters on the market today. Another version, the CP180i is equipped with an internal GPS sensor. Our test unit comes with a base map. More detailed cartography is
The Standard Horizon CP1000C is a large screen colorized version of the original CP150 Standard Horizon GPS chartplotter. It measures just over 13.5 inches wide by nearly 9 inches high and is equipped with a huge 10.4-inch color screen boasting 640 x 480 resolution. Well known in the marine electronics
The Sitex CVS126 is a new release fish finder for 2009 and features dual frequency capability and a color LCD screen all in a compact reasonably priced package. It uses a single rotary knob to make changes to the gain mode of operation and to fine tune gain settings. Weve
The Sitex ES502 black box sounder is designed to provide sonar data to a number of Sitex chartplotters, including the full ColorMax line, that are not equipped with an internal fish finder. We reviewed the ES502 black box fishfinder with an Airmar P58 transducer connected to a Sitex Colormax 5E
The Sitex ColorMax Wide chartplotter we tested was paired with the Sitex ES502 black box sounder to provide both plotting and sounder capabilities. This unit will also accept radar inputs from a Sitex radar sensor. The ColorMax Wide comes with a quick-release bracket that allows for easy removal of the
The Sitex ColorMax 6 will interface with the Sitex ES502 sounder and AIS. The case measures just over 8-inches wide by 6-inches high and is under 3-inches deep. ColorMax 6 comes with a quick release bracket that keeps all wiring on the boat. A nice feature but, in our opinion
The Sitex Colormax 5 ships with a Smart GPS sensor. The unit does contain a base map but to get detailed cartography, tide information, and buoy data you’ll need to add a map card. We filled the unit’s single card slot with a C-Map Max chart card covering South Florida
The Sitex ColorMax 11 is a large screen all-in-one chartplotting system. It will interface with the Sitex ES502 sounder, a couple different models of Sitex radar, AIS, and video. This unit will take up some panel space as it measures just under 13-inches wide by nearly 9 inches high. ColorMax
Sirius Marine Weather Service Sirius marine weather is one of two nationwide satellite radio service providers beaming radio and data information to over 7 million customers. Well known for their entertainment radio Sirius is also a provider of satellite weather data broadcasts for both aviation and marine users. WSI, a
The Simrad CX33 E holds up to the Simrad tradition for excellence and robustness with its aluminum frame and polycarbonate housing. We’ve always been impressed with a Simrad chartplotter and this one is no exception. Our test unit measures 10 inches wide, almost 6 inches high, with a depth of
Marine VHF Antenna Review The Shakespeare 5225-XP marine VHF antenna is part of the superior Galaxy line. This line features highly polished stainless steel ferrules and a bright white well-built outer housing finished with high-gloss polyurethane. This particular antenna is 8-feet tall and has 6dB of gain. It is rated
We tested several high output models of both the Attwood and Rule Bilge Pumps. A Rule bilge pump can be found in many new boat bilges. For our test of bilge pumps rated over 1400 GPH we pitted three Rule pumps against a pair of high-capacity Attwood pumps. Our five
Raymarine VHF radios are an integral part of the long line of marine electronics products produced by UK-based Raymarine. The list includes chartplotters, marine radar, marine AIS, fishfinders, and more. The basic entry level marine VHF radio is priced above a number of other manufacturer’s entry level units. However, this
The Raymarine E80 is a mid-sized multi-function marine chartplotter designed for recreational boats. Ten dedicated pushbuttons, plus a rotary enter knob, cursor pad, and five multi-purpose soft keys make operating this unit a snap. The E80 display will interface with and display information from a number of sources. Raymarine radar
The Raymarine DSM30 black box sounder is designed to provide fishfinder data to Raymarine C-series and E-series multi-function display units. It uses digital technology to continually monitor and adjust a number of parameters making the onscreen picture cleaner and more accurate when compared to older analog machines. This 600-watt dual