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Going to replace the finder that came with my new-to-me 15' footer this spring and want to take advantage of the current spring sales. I'm very new at this so...any recommendations? I will be using it to teach my students who are blind how to fish, so it has to be reliable and user friendly as I'm not a tech wiz and will need to have my eyes on them and not the finder. Figuring to spend $500-700...
Craig in windy Kansas

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Craig,
I have always been a Lowrance man. I have a HDS 5 which can sometimes be tough to navigate through the steps to get to a function you do not use often. The GPS and fishfinder are top notch. I have not used them but there are several auditable alarms that might be beneficial to your students. You may not need a GPS but it might be fun for your students. Check out the other Lowrance products. Great cause, have fun and be safe!

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I am not sure of user friendliness cost at the upper end of budget but.... Ray Marines Dragonfly with Down Vision Imagery can create visions of the bottom and water underneath that would really hold the interest of the students. The type of toy this generation of students is into.

Garris

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Take a look at the Garmin DownVu series. The imagery of the bottom is phenominal. I put one on my 1968 13'er and just bought another to put on my 2010 13'er.

You will not be disappointed.

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I second the vote for Raymarine Dragonfly. I installed one on my 15 lasy year and have been very pleased.

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Regardless of brand, pay attention to the unit's dimensions, especially if you make an Internet purchase. Several finders I looked into were too large to mount on the console of my Super Sport 130. I eventually purchased a Lowrance Elite 4, which fits perfectly and works fine.

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Thanks for the information. CHIRP sonar seems to be the in thing. Two questions:
1. Is the 5' screen on the Lowrance or any device display large enough?
2. The Dragonfly lists two different maps: CMAP or Navionics: difference? One better or worse? Also the two Dragonfly models have two different sceens 5.7" and 7": significasnt differences.
Lastly, is investing in sidevu technology worth the buck?
Craig

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Chirp is a very evident improvement.

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I have the 5" version. More than large enough and its very high contrast and readable in full mid day sunlight. The screen on the dragonfly unit is particulary large relative to the physical size of the unit i.e. the screen takes up most of the surface area of the front panel. Depending upon the layout of your helm you may be able to fit the 7" version if you wanted even larger. I considered this but for my layout it would have been tight and also for me wasn't worth the extra money.

The Raymarine provided maps are excellent (based on NOAA data), are updated regularly, and you have two choices: 1. Raster version or 2. Vector version. All you need to do is purchase a micro-SD card, download them, and install to the card. THE ONE DOWNSIDE IS THERE IS NO INLAND LAKES COVERAGE. For that you will need to purchase the Navionics package which is what I did. The navionics charts are excellent and the price not too bad if purchased bundled with the unit.

I wanted sideview too but none of the units on my price range came close in my opinion to the quality of the Raymarine unit (not intending to insults any others with one of these unis - just my opinion).

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My Ray Marine rep said side view for lake fishing....I did not take it further because I am strictly salt water. I do know it is an ad on feature to cost.

Garris