Can anyone recommend a good kayak fishfinder

I want it to be waterproof have GPS possibly chirp with a 4 to 5" screen and user friendly and no more than $200 bucks

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Lowrance-Hook-4-MidHighDownScan-P5110.aspx

That Lowrance is not good, I know too many who bought them and dumped them. You can't add a map card to that unit either, so you are stuck with the map on it and no way to update.

Look at a Humminbird Helix 5 CHIRP GPS G2. At $300 it is close to your budget, but you get a lot more for the extra $100. There isn't another unit that will do what this does for the price. Don't waste your money on a HB Piranha either, it is the same grade as the Hook-4.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/pr...oJn.oD13DYKqarw

I don't have this FF so cant comment
but it is within your budget... $349.98 minus (2) $75 rebate

You're asking for a lot for $200 or less. Cabelas has a refurbished Lowrance Elite-5 with CHIRP and GPS for $199. A new unit with CHIRP and GPS will cost at least $300.

Not a bad unit, but they are all discontinued. No new software updates. Humminbird has discontinued ALL previous models. The Piranha is their bottom of the line "almost useless at a great price" model and the Helix series is now their main model line.

Save money and buy the biggest fish finder you can afford. You won't regret it.

Yep, at $200 you will get what you pay for which won't be much in the way of bells and whistles!
Putting an expensive unit on a kayak is kind of like putting racing slicks on a Prius, but that's just my opinion.

I would recommend 7in+ screen with side imaging to cover more ground

Don't get discouraged... $200 will get you a lot more than Zero if your money is burning a hole in your pocket. For starting out, just having gps and downscan is well worth the money spent to me. My first unit was a Lowrance Elite 4 DSI (down scan imaging and gps) .. depending on where you mount the unit (I have mine in center hatch area) no problem with being able to see the smaller screens. Will I go bigger the next time, probably, but don't think it will help catch a lot more fish.

IMO, the FF you need depends a lot on how you want to fish and even what species and water bodies you fish.
If you're just beating the banks and mainly fishing shallow water I don't recommend spending the $ or going thru the hassle of a FF, just get a affordable GPS unit to fit your needs. Sonar and Down Imaging are not very useable in shallow water, IMO.
If you're wanting to get away from the high pressure shore lines and start fishing structure and cover, then I'd highly recommend a Side Image unit. They all have sonar and GPS and Side Image works great in shallow and deep water.
The new HB Helix units are hard to beat for the $, I know they are more than your budget.
If your budget isn't flexible, I'd consider looking for a used HB 798 with SI (older & discontinued) of even a newer Helix 5 with Side Image.
A lot of people buy the smaller size then upgrade to a bigger unit very soon.
The HB units are very user friendly.
Keep in mind if you do get a Side Image unit you'll have to mount your transducer with a clear view left and right, but it's well worth the extra effort and $, IMO.
GOOD LUCK!

What about something with GPS that is waterproof in case I flip in the surf. Something with a color readout. It's gonna be used for lakes and offshore.

If you've done your homework...practiced paddling out through the surf zone and back and practiced reentries in the surf zone in conditions much worse than you would ever want to fish, you'll know when to stay on shore. The surf is a fast teacher. If you have any doubts you might dump, don't go. Only when you have confidence your gear is not in danger should you take it out. I never had a fishfinder on kayak while offshore fishing but found that kayaks and salt water are a great way to shorten the lives of other electronics... hand held marine radios, handheld gps, and phones. Even if you never dump the salt exposure will eventually shorten their lifespans. A strong plastic bag over the fishfinder head unit and taped around wires with electrical tape should keep you in good shape going out and coming in through the surf. I would be more fearful of having fishfinder in case completely ripped off kayak.


A good practice day surf... seriously.

You can learn the hard way (best) or by listening to those that have made mistakes.

Looks like fun... Seriously!!

Yes, I like that video and it does look like fun to me too at least if I were a bit younger.

What about the Raymarine Dragonfly-4 pro with chirp sonar/GPS combo with down vision and conventional sonar along wit c- map essentials. For $149

You get what you pay for, IMO.

Humminbird leads the industry in sonar. Lowrance is second, but their units don't quite match the quality and operation of Humminbird. Simrad, Garmin and the rest all rank below.

If you pay less, you get less; in this case, a lot less. Save your money and buy a unit that does the job you want it to. Other wise, you will spend your money and never get the results you wanted.

I have a garmin echo map 95sv and HB 699hdsi sitting in the closet...worried I would knock the 95sv with my feet getting in and out. Thoughts on this......

All the brands are good these days
I'd choose an option depending on the size and shape of the transducer and how it fits in the scupper or transducer shield cavity. The quality of the return you get with a level, protected transducer outweighs any small differences between the different brand technologies

Best 2D lowrance
Best mapping lowrance
Best downview raymarine
Best sides scan humminbird
Best forward view garmin

I had a 7 inch unit for a while, overkill IMHO and mine burned thru the battery charge too fast.

So I went to the other extreme with a Garmin Striker 4. With my 10% veteran discount it was just over $100 at Tackle Warehouse. I mounted the transducer in the hull with duct seal. I couldn't be happier with it. The places I fish 99% of the time aren't mapped anyway, so I don't need the mapping. And the little Garmin works great shooting thru the hull.

Even without a map of the lake you're fishing in the database you can still set waypoints on structure and cover and find your way back to the truck or to your fishing spot on dark nights or when the fog gets thick.
As far as power consumption goes, so long as you match the correct battery (size and type) to your FF
and factor in how long you're going to be running your FF and you maintain your battery, there should be no issue with battery life, IMO.

The Striker has a GPS function, just no maps. Imagine a blank canvas, I have lots of waypoints stored on mine.

The Garmin 70dv i used before had a tremendous draw, 2.5 mA. A standard 7 ah deer feeder battery wouldn't even last 3 hours. I used a 15 ah battery with it, which should have been good for 7 hours or so. The Little Striker 4 draws about .5 mA and would last for days on the 15 ah battery.

I mostly want to know how deep it is, and where the drop offs are. I'm with you Pelican, if you're just going to beat the banks, a fishfinder isn't worth much.

Cool Lot's of good info. My trolling motor and fish finder will be on the same battery. I'm thinking about hooking up a small solar trickle charger the kind that are used for a car that go on the visor. Any thoughts?

Once the battery is completely charged the trickle charger should keep it going all day. They r light and compact

Using a lipo from my rc stuff.....5.2ah.....get about 3 hrs out of it on the garmin echomap

It'll take one heck of a solar charger to keep up with a FF or a TM let alone both.