Sonar
The best chartplotters for fishing and navigation
Quick answer
The Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv is the best chartplotter for most boats, combining a seven inch touchscreen, a GT54 transducer and Garmin Navionics Plus inland charts for around 1,000 dollars, with a LiveScope port ready for later. Budget buyers get a real chartplotter for around 450 dollars, while boats with real console space should look at the twelve inch ECHOMAP Ultra 2 instead.
A chartplotter differs from a plain fish finder in two ways: real cartography instead of a basic waypoint map, and networking that lets the unit share sonar, routes and trolling motor control with other displays on the boat. Every unit below is a genuine chartplotter, meaning it ships with or supports detailed lake or coastal charts rather than a generic basemap.
The tiers here track console space and networking ambition as much as price. A boat with one small dash and no plan to add live sonar does not need the same chartplotter as a bass boat bow that will eventually run a networked ecosystem of screens, a trolling motor and a live sonar module.
On this page
How we chose these chartplotters
Screen size, included transducer, cartography and price were compared directly from manufacturer product listings, then checked against verified owner reviews for touchscreen responsiveness and glare in direct sunlight, two complaints that show up consistently across brands when a unit falls short. We did not test these units on a boat. Where a listing did not state a spec, such as an exact viewing angle, this page leaves it out rather than guessing.
What a chartplotter adds over a plain fish finder
A chartplotter ships with, or is built to load, detailed cartography covering thousands of lakes or a coastline, complete with depth contours, hazards and marina locations. It also typically adds a touchscreen and networking over Wi-Fi, Ethernet or NMEA 2000, letting two chartplotters on the same boat share waypoints, sonar and routes, and letting a compatible trolling motor be controlled and monitored from the screen. A basic fish finder can mark a waypoint. A chartplotter can route to it, share it with another display, and layer it over a real chart of the lake.
Beginner: a first real chartplotter
The goal is a genuine chartplotter with real cartography at the lowest entry price, on a screen small enough for a modest console.
Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 53cv
$449.99The cheapest way into the ECHOMAP line and into Garmin Navionics cartography, on a five inch screen.
Best for: A small console where a five inch chartplotter still fits comfortably
Check price on AmazonIntermediate: the value in the range
Seven inches is the size most boats settle on, and this tier is where a real transducer, a touchscreen and live sonar readiness all show up together.
Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv
$999.99 Published specsSeven inch touchscreen, a GT54 transducer and inland cartography, plus a LiveScope port for when the budget allows it.
Best for: A buyer who expects to add live sonar within a season or two
Check price on Amazon
Lowrance Elite FS 7
$949.00 Published specsShips with the Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer and C-MAP Contour Plus, and takes ActiveTarget live sonar without a separate module.
Best for: Anglers already on C-MAP charts who want ActiveTarget readiness built in
Check price on AmazonExpert: the performance ceiling
At nine inches and larger, screen area stops being the limiting factor and becomes a genuine multi-view workstation, running a chart, a sonar view and a live sonar feed at once.
Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 93sv
$1,299.99 Published specsNine inches with a GT56 transducer, the ultra high definition transducer rather than the GT54 the smaller units ship with.
Best for: A console with real space and a plan to run detailed sonar full time
Check price on Amazon
Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 126sv
$2,899.99Twelve inches, the point at which a split screen of live sonar, side imaging and chart is all usable at once rather than a compromise.
Best for: A bow with a large enough cutout and a budget that has already planned for live sonar
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Any console that cannot take a nine to twelve inch cutout, which is most small boats, and any budget that has not planned for a live sonar module on top of the display price.
Chartplotters compared by screen size and price
Every figure below is the manufacturer own published specification. The price gap between tiers buys touchscreen capability, a better transducer and, at the top, screen area for a multi-view layout.
Moving from a five inch chartplotter at roughly 450 dollars to a seven inch touchscreen unit at roughly 1,000 dollars adds a GT54 transducer, live sonar readiness and full networking.
Published figure A published engineering, regulatory or manufacturer figure. It does not change because somebody disagrees with it.
| Model | Screen | Transducer | Touchscreen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 53cv | 5 in | CHIRP and ClearVu | No | $449.99 |
| Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv | 7 in | GT54 | Yes | $999.99 |
| Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 93sv | 9 in | GT56 | Yes | $1,299.99 |
| Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 126sv | 12 in | Sold separately | Yes | $2,899.99 |
The 126sv does not include a transducer in the box, unlike the smaller ECHOMAP UHD2 units.
Does a chartplotter need a subscription for charts
Not on the units listed here. Each ships with or includes access to a named chart package, such as Garmin Navionics Plus US Inland or C-MAP Contour Plus, as a one time inclusion rather than a subscription. Optional premium chart upgrades exist from every manufacturer, but the base cartography that makes a unit a genuine chartplotter rather than a plain fish finder comes in the box.
How we chose
We did not test this equipment in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets, published engineering and regulatory figures, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real thrust rating, a real published amp draw, a real capacity or a real conductor size rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its published capability actually belongs. We rejected the unbranded flood that dominates several of these search results, because a lithium pack whose management board is the only thing between a cell fault and a fire, a breaker protecting a battery cable, a life jacket and a bracket holding a two thousand dollar motor to the bow at highway speed are all parts whose failure has a consequence nobody can walk away from. Where a figure is convention rather than a published standard we label it that way, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we leave it out instead of estimating it.
Sources
- Garmin and Lowrance published product specifications for each model listed
Frequently asked questions
What is the best chartplotter for most boats
The Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv is the best chartplotter for most boats. Its seven inch touchscreen fits most consoles, the included GT54 transducer supports ClearVu and SideVu scanning sonar, and it ships with Garmin Navionics Plus inland cartography covering more than 18,000 lakes. It also includes a LiveScope port, so a buyer who later adds live sonar does not need to replace the display.
Is a chartplotter worth the extra cost over a plain fish finder
For a boat that moves between lakes, explores new water, or will eventually network multiple screens and a trolling motor, yes. The real cartography and touchscreen networking a chartplotter adds are not available on a plain fish finder at any price. For a single boat fished from memory on one small lake with no plan to add other electronics, a plain fish finder like the ones covered on the fish finders roundup may be enough.
What screen size chartplotter should I buy
Five inches suits a small console with limited space and a tight budget. Seven inches is the size most boats settle on, large enough for a split screen of chart and sonar while still fitting most dash layouts. Nine inches and larger only makes sense on a console with a genuinely large cutout and a plan to run a chart, sonar and live sonar view together, since the screen otherwise goes underused.
Can two chartplotters on the same boat share data
Yes, on units built for it. Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 models share sonar, waypoints and routes wirelessly with another ECHOMAP UHD2 unit, and Lowrance Elite FS models network over wireless, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet with compatible displays and equipment. This is genuinely useful on a boat running a bow unit and a console unit, since a waypoint marked at the bow shows up at the console without manual entry.
Does a bigger chartplotter screen mean better sonar
Not directly. Screen size affects how much information is comfortably visible at once, not the sonar quality itself, which depends on the transducer. The nine inch ECHOMAP UHD2 93sv ships with the GT56 transducer, an upgrade over the GT54 in the smaller seven inch models, so in this specific range a larger screen does happen to pair with a better transducer, but that is a product decision, not a rule.
What is the difference between the inland and coastal chartplotter versions
The hardware is identical. The difference is the preloaded cartography region, inland lake charts against coastal and offshore charts. Buying the wrong region means paying separately for the correct chart later, since the display itself does not change. Always confirm the chart region matches the water actually being fished before ordering, especially when two model numbers look nearly identical apart from one digit.
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Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published engineering and regulatory figures, manufacturer specifications and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Figures described as a rule of thumb are boating convention rather than published standards, and they are labelled that way wherever they appear. Marine electrical work is not house wiring. Use tinned, finely stranded marine cable, size it for voltage drop and for the ABYC E-11 ampacity table rather than one or the other, and put overcurrent protection within seven inches of the battery positive terminal, because everything between the post and the fuse is unprotected. A lithium battery needs a charger with a lithium profile. Never load a boat past its capacity plate, and remember that canoes and kayaks carry no federal capacity plate at all, so their stated capacity is the manufacturer own figure. Wear the life jacket, and treat early season water as the hazard it is: cold water immersion takes your breath and then your hands long before it takes your core.