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 Fishfinder with Transducer - 4-inch LCD Display - Easy-to-Use Scanning Sonar - Color Palettes, 11.2 Ounces (010-02550-00) | Transducer, 4-inch LCD Display, Easy-to-Use Scanning Sonar, Color Palettes, 11.2 Ounces 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 7sv, Easy-to-Use 7-inch Color Fishfinder and Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes (010-02553-00) | Easy-to-Use 7-inch Color Fishfinder, Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes 010-02553-00 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 Fishfinder/Chartplotter with Smartphone Integration and Preloaded C-MAP U.S. & Canada Charts 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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Raymarine A57D

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 unit can also use Navionics Gold or Platinum cards in its single card slot.

The display unit measures 8.8-inches wide, 6.3-inches high, and just under 4-inches deep.

At various times we tested the Raymarine A57D using the internal GPS antenna and a Ray125 external sensor, both worked well at plotting position accurately.

We mounted the Raymarine A57D using the supplied bracket. The bracket is beefy, swivels, and allows you to run wires for the display unit hidden inside then out through the bottom. It uses a single lever to lock the unit tilt angle.

raymarine a57d chartplotter fishfinder combo

Raymarine A57D

Swivel and tilt angles use preset positions and none of them worked perfectly for our setup. In the end we decided the mounting bracket was overly complex and did not meet our needs well. We’d look to flush mount this unit on our own boat. Hardware for flush-mounting is supplied.

Power and NMEA 0183 data pass through a single cable that fastens to the case back with a twist lock connector. There are two additional cable connectors on the back; one provides a transducer hookup and the other is a next generation Raymarine SeaTalk connection. SeaTalk is now an N2K compliant network.

The Raymarine A57D has a pair of NMEA 0183 ports and either or both can be set to normal or high-speed mode. We tested the A57D connectivity with an external GPS antenna and an AIS unit. One required a normal NMEA 0183 connection while the other needed a NMEA 0183 high-speed connection. We found the Raymarine unit performed well with both units.

Screen Size and Viewability

The Raymarine A57D display screen uses a landscape layout and measures 4.5-inches wide and 3.3-inhces high. On the diagonal it is 5.7-inches and carries a 640 by 480 pixel screen resolution. This combination provides for razor sharp, clearly readable onscreen details. We rated day viewability on the Raymarine display screen good. However the screen is not quite as bright as some we’ve seen.

One thing we noticed: The resolution is so high for the size of the screen you’ll need to have good eyes and get close to see all the detail. When viewed straight on through