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 Icom M602 has a large front panel footprint that measures 8.6 inches wide by 4.3 inches high. A full alphanumeric keypad makes for easy data entry. The large display screen on the M602 has 7 levels of backlighting, both transmit and receive icons, designated areas for position and time
The Icom M502 fits well in the upper echelon of the Icom marine VHF radio lineup with its large front panel, top performance, and fairly extensive feature list. This fixed mount VHF will couple to a remote microphone and is capable of interfacing with an optional voice scrambler. Microphone control
The Icom M504 is one of the less expensive top-of-the-line radios on the market today. The front panel of this marine VHF houses numerous function pushbuttons, a large dot matrix display screen, and a number of control knobs. Optional add-ons include a remote microphone with controls and a voice scrambler.
The Icom M424 marine VHF radio is the latest fixed mount entry from this well-known marine electronics maker to hit the market. This boat radio features basic VHF functionality as well Class D DSC capabilities, noise cancelling circuitry, and introduces a new Icom user interface. The M424 ships with the
The new release Icom M412 marine VHF radio fits right smack in the middle of the Icom marine VHF fixed mount radio lineup. This boat radio is features all the basics plus built-in Class D DSC capabilities all in a compact package. The M412 ships with the radio and attached
The Icom M36 is the second floating marine handheld VHF from this well-respected communications company. It features 6-watts of power, a lithium ion battery pack, and clear voice boost. Voice Boost is an exclusive feature that offers a large increase in audio volume with a single button press. This radio
The Icom M34 is a totally new handheld design and the first handheld VHF we’ve tested that is designed to float. The case is just under 6 inches tall, about 2.5 inches wide and a tad less than 2 inches deep. It weighs a meager 10.8 ounces and floated on
The Icom M304 is this manufacturers entry level fixed mount marine VHF radio. It is compact in size and performs basic transmit, receive, and DSC operations without the fuss and expense of unwanted features. One-button operational features are limited to: making a DSC distress call, selecting the call channel or
The Icom M302 is an entry level fixed mount VHF radio with basic features and good overall performance. This fixed mount VHF needs little panel space. The front panel footprint measures just 6-inches wide and 2.5-inches high. Microphone control capability provides for changing radio channels, quick selecting 16 or 9,
The Icom M24 is the first truly compact lightweight floating marine handheld VHF radio to hit the marketplace. This is one of seven Icom handheld radios in the stable. The radio case is solidly constructed and well sealed against water intrusion. It measures approximately 5-inches high, 2.4-inches wide, and 1.6-inches
The Icom IC M88 is an expensive sub-compact handheld VHF packing loads of features into a lightweight package about the size of a bar of soap. The Icom M 88 controls include a rotary on/off/volume control located on top, a push-to-talk and a squelch button located on the side, and
Icom handheld marine VHF radios have had and continue to own a reputation for straightforward functionality, reliability, and quality in the large and diverse field of marine electronics. They offer a range of models from basic to full-featured to commercial grade that will meet the needs of a wide variety
The Icom GM1600 is a marine handheld VHF specifically designed for use aboard survival craft. It can also be used aboard ship and meets rigorous GMDSS requirements. We tested this radio with two different batteries. It ships with a 750 mAH rechargeable nickel cadmium (BP-224) for shipboard use. When stored
The Humminbird 788ci is our first product review from this well-known marine electronics company. This one is a chartplotter fishfinder combo featuring a high-resolution 5-inch display screen, internal 50-channel GPS receiver, and a built-in 500-watt sounder. All the other units in the 700-series lineup feature a 5-inch display screen. The
The Humminbird 385ci is a combination fishfinder and GPS chartplotter. This chartplotter fishfinder combo is fitted with a 3.5-inch display screen, an internal 50-channel GPS receiver with WAAS capability, built-in 300-watt sonar, and Humminbird UniMap covering U.S. coastal and inland lakes. Other models in the 385-series feature the same 3.5-inch
In this example of how to install a washdown pump I will be replacing a below deck raw water pump on a 25-foot Grady White center console. The only symptom supplied by the operator was, “The system popped the circuit breaker when I tried to use it”. With these symptoms
By following the how to install a transducer instructions provided here you should be able to turn what many consider a difficult task into an easy straightforward transom mount transducer installation. The two big issues that pop as problematic on most transducer installation jobs is properly locating the transducer so
California based GizzMoVest is a small upstart designing and building a line of protective cases for handheld devices. Sailors and powerboaters will appreciate the case and mounting solutions available for mariner favored handheld GPS from Garmin. Each GPS case is manufactured from Ethylene-based foam offering outstanding protection against impact while
The Garmin VHF 200 is the middle unit in a group of three marine VHF radios available from this marine electronics maker’s lineup. This boat radio is marketed as a sophisticated top level integrated unit. The VHF 200 ships with the radio, detachable microphone, plastic tilt bracket, fused power cable,
The Garmin VHF 100 is one of three marine vhf radios in the marine electronics giants communications stable. This one is marketed as a sophisticated entry level unit and is priced accordingly. The VHF 100 ships with the radio, front panel bezels that match the current Garmin chartplotter line, plastic