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.
Raymarine DSM25 black box sounder designed for use with the Raymarine A60 or A65. This 500-watt sounder is housed in a box approximately 8-inches by 5-inches with a depth of 2-inches. The black box, actually this one is grey, must be mounted on a bulkhead or deck area near the
The Raymarine C90W is the little brother in the updated C-series widescreen lineup. The update was more like a complete revamp of old C-series into what is best described as a next-generation multi-function display capable of interfacing with radar, AIS, other C-series units, a black box sounder, and more. The
The Raymarine C140W is the king-of-the-hill in the newly released C-series widescreen lineup. This next-generation network capable multi-function chartplotter can do it all and in a very big way too with its huge display screen. The C140W ships with the display unit, a sun cover, documentation, and cabling. The display
The Raymarine C120W is the midsized unit in the newly released C-series widescreen network capable multi-function chartplotter lineup. The C120W ships with the display unit, a sun cover, documentation, and cabling. The display has an internal GPS sensor and can connect to an optional external GPS antenna if desired. It
The Raymarine AIS250 is designed to work as a marine AIS system in conjunction with either a C- or E-series Raymarine multifunction display. This unit is neither Class A or Class B, it operates as a receive-only unit. The AIS250 is housed in an 8.6-inch by 6.7-inch by 2.5-inch black
Raymarine A-Series chartplotters and chartplotter fishfinder combos are available in a number of combinations covering two model generations. The A60 and A65 were the first pair of chartplotter fishfinders introduced in the A-Series lineup. Both were some of the first units packaged to sell with cartography onboard. These highly regarded
The Raymarine A70D has the largest screen of the triad of new release A-series chartplotter fishfinder combo units. Like the other fishfinder versions of the new release Raymarine A-series units, the A70D ships with a 500-watt internal sounder and an internal GPS receiver. Our test unit also came with preloaded
The Raymarine A60 system pack ships with the display unit, DSM25 black box sounder, RS12 GPS sensor, and a Navionics Silver All-in-One map card. The display measures 9.6 inches wide, just under 7 inches high, and 3.4 inches deep. We mounted the display head on the supplied metal bracket. Connections
We received the Raymarine A65 in a System Pack. It included the A65 display unit, GPS unit, DSM25 black box sounder, a Navionics Silver US All-In-One Marine chart card, and a dual-frequency transducer. The display unit measures 9.5 inches wide, just under 7 inches high, and about 3.5 inches deep.
The Raymarine A57D is the mid-size unit of three new A-series chartplotter fishfinder combo units recently released by UK-based marine electronics maker Raymarine. Our A57D test unit shipped with an internal sounder, internal GPS receiver, and preloaded cartography covering U.S. coastal waters, both mainland coasts, and the Great Lakes. This
Our Raymarine A50D test unit shipped with an internal sounder and preloaded cartography. It also had preloaded U.S. coastal cartography covering both mainland coasts and the Great Lakes. You can also get a Raymarine A-series unit with no preloaded charts, U.S., or rest of the world coverage. All A-series plotters
The Raymarine 55 is a miniaturized version of the companies’ top-of-the-line radio. The two even share the same owner’s handbook. This model VHF has a few less features and a significantly lower price tag. The standard microphone has push buttons to control channel selection, scan, transmitter power, local/distant receive sensitivity,
The Raymarine 54 marine VHF is one of a series of re-designed radios with upgraded styling and sophistication. One button provides quick 16/9 channel selection, another dual and tri watch, one for save and scan, call and menu, clear and weather channel, and the last sets high/low transmitter power and
The Raymarine 49 is a newly redesigned entry level marine VHF radio from marine electronics giant Raymarine. Additional functions on the Ray 49 are operated by going into menus and then making choices with the channel rotary knob. Some commonly used VHF menu choices are local/distant receiver setting, picking the
The Raymarine 240 VHF modular design follows a common aviation design theme. Pilots flying large aircraft make VHF calls with a hand mike plugged into a bulkhead, change channels with a small control head on the center pedestal, and listen to incoming calls on an overhead speaker. This Raymarine VHF
The Raymarine 218 is the most expensive and sophisticated radio produced by well-known marine electronics manufacturer, Raymarine. Special features on this best-of-breed marine VHF radio include a moderately large dot matrix display screen with three soft keys and a movable microphone. The Ray 218 can use an optional microphone relocation
When the Raymarine 215 first appeared on the market it was at the top of this marine electronics makers’VHF radio lineup. When connected to a GPS unit through its NMEA0183 connection this radio will display latitude/longitude and current time. This Ray VHF can use an optional remote microphone and operate
The ProMariner Watersport RC is a 7×50 marine binocular that looks sleek with a smooth yellow soft plastic finish. As part of our binocular review we weighed these binos in at 39-ounces. The Watersport RC is equipped with center focus and a single adjustable diopter on the right eyepiece. As
The ProMariner High Seas RC is another of the 7×50 compact-style marine binocular we checked out thoroughly in our latest binocular review. They stand just over six inches high when resting on the objective lens caps and weigh in at 40-ounces. The High Seas RC uses a center focus mechanism
The ProMariner Gulfstream GS50 and Gulfstream GS30 are compact nearly identical 7 x 50 marine binoculars. We cover both on this page. Both are fairly light, weighing in at a mere 35-ounces. The pair features a squat design and measure right at six inches high when standing on the front