Market for a new fish finder

[Donsail68]

Would like your input on which fish finder you like. Like to get one for my kayak. I'm willing to spend up to $400-$500. My concern is getting something that may be too power hungry and requires a car size battery. I seem to like the Helix 5 but not sure if they are suitable for kayaks.

[dtandrade]

Lowrance elite 5 HDI is plenty on a kayak, only need a small 12v 7ah battery and that will run it for several trips without a charge.

[mweber02]

The Helix 5 was a consideration for me too, but I ended up with the Lowrance Elite 5 HDI. Even if it ends up needing a larger battery, the screen size and available features will be worth it.

[daolai]

Same as Mike so far it's real nice with the screen size and the ability to chart/sonar/down scan. I have done two trips 5+ hours each one one 12v 7ah battery. I think I can go longer but hate risking it.

[skinnywater]

West Marine has a 4 day sale with a wide variety of sonars and gps on sale.

[Just Jim]

I just picked up a Lowrance 5HDI Gold with the Navionics Chip for $400 from Amazon a few days ago. The 5 HDI Gold model from West Marine did not include the transducer, another $99.