Fish finder plotter advice

[fowlthing]

I currently have a 9 inch Lowrance at the drivers seat with GPS and sonar.

At the bow I have 5 inch Lowrance with sonar only.

I know I  want to get a bigger screen up front and want the GPS map for sure with the sonar.

 

Is sidescan really that helpful?  How about downscan?

 

Is hummingbird a better choice.. I know it is often the ford versus chevy argument.

If I upgrade with a budget of 3000 what would you suggest.  I have room to add a big screen in the dash at drivers seat.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Thanks to those that commented on the boat trailer issue vibrating at 70 mph... had two tires out of balance and water in the bearings.

 

 

[Dutch]

Since you already have a Low. You can save some serious coin by sticking with that brand.  You did not state what the 9 and 5 are.  Are they hds gen 2 or 3?

What is the 5 that doesn't have gps?  I use side scan both in the front and back.  I like it both places.  I fish with down and 2 d sonar depending on if I am casting or vertical fishing.  If I had to give up something it would be side scan.

 

I know a lot of guys want the large screen at the wheel but I only spend minutes there and hours at the bow so I have my largest screen at the bow.

[dan hufferd]

What do you want for the 5 I need one with sonar only, is it color?  If I was going spend that kind of money I would look at the Lowrance TI models  You should be able to get everything, with a large 12" screen in the $1700 range then you can buy two and give me the old one  

[fowlthing]

HDS 5X

and HDS 8 insight

The 5 is color sonar only best i can tell. 

 

I too too like the idea of bigger screen up front. Thanks for the input that side scan would be the first thing to give up. 

I may look at replacement or addition of a screen up front for now  

 

Thanks

[rps]

I have now fished from a Garmin. Several times. Try this:https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01804-01-Echomap-Chirp-transducer/dp/B01MCV225L/ref=pd_cp_107_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01MCV225L&pd_rd_r=1315HHT6BE39ART9NCFC&pd_rd_w=df0mD&pd_rd_wg=AsP1Z&psc=1&refRID=1315HHT6BE39ART9NCFC

 

 

[Sore Thumbs]

If you get Hds 9 gen 3 touch up front it has side and down scan built into the unit. It will share way points with your 8. Has to be hds or they can't be shared. I went through all of this recently. I was gonna buy a hook 9 for up front but it doesn't have hook up for Ethernet cable. If you don't need to share waypoints they have smokin deals on Hook models right now. 

[Dutch]

You said you had a 9 then you say 8;  Which is it?  Which Gen I II III?  That makes a difference in how you can set things up.  Like Sore Thumbs said you have to get an hds in order to network wpts.  In my opinion that is the most critical thing you can do if you mark any spots then fish them later.  If you can fit it into your budget a Point 1 antenna and an NMEA 2000 network are great additions.

[Longball22]

So my HDS 5 Gen 2 stopped powering on last weekend during the BBT.  I called Lawrence today, and was astonished at what they told me.  Unit is out of warranty, but still covered under their discounted replacement plan.  Here's what they offered:  $275 for a replacement, $475 for an HDS 7 Gen 3, $928 for the 9", and $1250 or so for the 12".  Having a hard time saying no to that price on the upgrade to 12"

 

I'm currently looking at  Gen 3 information, and I was reading the fine print and noticed something that I believe is noteworthy.  the 7" and 9" have the same screen resolution, which means all the 9 does is give you a bigger picture, not a clearer one.  If you can see the 7" fine, I find it hard to justify the extra $$$. The 12", however, has a much higher resolution (1280 x 800 vs. 800 x 480).  This would equate to much better clarity of your picture.  I will say, however, that I think Lowrance did a great job of making their demos so this isn't as noticeable.

Looks like I'll be moving my HDS 7 Gen 2 touch to the console, and put the 12" at the bow based on what I saw playing around at Bass Pro tonight.

If that HDS 8 you have is a Gen 2, a lot of folks really liked that particular unit.  If you aren't concerned about the latest and greatest bells and whistles, I'd look at some of the deals Cabela's is running on Gen 2 touch stuff.  For $900 with $100 in Cabela's bucks, this would be hard to beat in the 9"range.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/bargain-cave/electronics/boating-electronics|/pc/105591780/c/105681780/sc/105684480/lowrance-reg-hds-9-gen2-touch-sonar-gps-combo-with-hdi-transducer/2130800.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fboating-electronics%2F_%2FN-1102704%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105684480

[Sore Thumbs]

The Gen 3 units are far superior to my Hds gen 2's. Much faster processing, ease of use and screen resolution. I gotta say those new Hummingbird megahertz units look fantastic though. Best picture to date on down and side imaging. 

[fowlthing]

I incorrectly posted it was a 9... it is an 8 and i believe gen 1.  The info on replacement plan is very helpful.

 

Thanks..