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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Sitex Colormax 6

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 bracket is a little wobbly.

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sitex colormax 6 chartplotter combo

Sitex Colormax 6 Marine Chartplotter

This unit is setup to be flush mounted easily. Wiring is more complex on the Sitex plotter than some others. Several small wires need to be connected from the GPS antenna to the quick release bracket.

This Sitex chartplotter has two map cartridge slots and is compatible with C-Map MAX cartography. It can store 500 waypoints and 25 routes.

Screen Size and Viewability

The ColorMax 6 has a 6 inch display with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. In addition to brightness and contrast controls 4 color palettes are available, sunlight, classic, night, and normal.

Sunlight, which noticeably lightens the display colors, improves the screen viewability in direct sunlight. Normal and classic modes are to be used when the display screen is not in direct sunlight, classic uses C-Map NT colors. Night darkens the colors to reduce glare and improve low light viewing.

Viewability of the ColorMax 6 is excellent under all conditions. Using the sunlight palette improves viewing in very bright light conditions.

Waypoints

Hitting the enter key followed by another button push or two will, yield a waypoint at the current position, bring up a Go-To menu, or get an instant range and bearing on anything you select with the cursor.

Waypoint names can be 8 characters long and use one of 16 symbols in one of 8 colors.

Odds and Ends

Course prediction is taken to the next level on the ColorMax 6; the predictor line is fully adjustable. Not only does the line show your intended course, but also the length of the line predicts the boat position in the future based on your settings. Its large and easy to see.

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Final Thoughts

The Sitex Colormax 6 display and external GPS sensor can be found online for around $550.

GPS Chartplotters, Si-Tex