Lowrance finder ideas?

My old humminbird 587ci finally kicked it.  Since hobies (I have a '15 outback) seem to prefer lowrance and I have no objection to that, what's a good option that won't break the bank, but also isn't the cheapest?

I like to run a split screen with a chart and sonar, so my only requirement is that be possible.  I have a navionics fish 'n chip card.

Any ideas appreciated!

Holy shit, it's Rory!!   

I just bought the Elite Ti2 7" with ActiveImaging (sidescan) transducer for my 2019 Outback recently, but in hindsight I would have chosen the Hook2 7" with splitshot transducer instead. I don't really use the sidescan as much as I expected to and the touch screen on the Elites is sometimes problematic with wet hands, or in rough water or in rain, even with the BerleyPro visor on it. The touchscreen also uses a bit more power. I'm just not enough of a power user to need a lot of the extra stuff the Elite Ti2 has, and a lot of it is really designed for use on a bigger boat (including boats with more than one fish finder that can sync with each other). I could have saved a bunch of money and had an easier install on the transducer.

If you're going to go split screen a lot, I wouldn't advise smaller than a 7" screen. Note that the actual resolution (distinct pixels) is the same on the 7" and 9" screens, so the image on the screen is bigger with the 9" models but isn't any more defined than it is on the 7" models.

I just bought the Elite Ti2 7" with ActiveImaging (sidescan) transducer for my 2019 Outback recently, but in hindsight I would have chosen the Hook2 7" with splitshot transducer instead. I don't really use the sidescan as much as I expected to and the touch screen on the Elites is sometimes problematic with wet hands, or in rough water or in rain, even with the BerleyPro visor on it. The touchscreen also uses a bit more power. I'm just not enough of a power user to need a lot of the extra stuff the Elite Ti2 has, and a lot of it is really designed for use on a bigger boat (including boats with more than one fish finder that can sync with each other). I could have saved a bunch of money and had an easier install on the transducer.

If you're going to go split screen a lot, I wouldn't advise smaller than a 7" screen. Note that the actual resolution (distinct pixels) is the same on the 7" and 9" screens, so the image on the screen is bigger with the 9" models but isn't any more defined than it is on the 7" models.

Thanks for the info Jason - that's very helpful.  Where do you have your finder mounted and also how?
I googled and found this:
https://www.lowrance.com/lowrance/type/reconditioned/refurb-hook2-7x-gps-splitshot-b031df74/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwj9LkBRDnARIsAGQ-hUdYygXmeye05IDevUZvQDwfsETEOMkCqxVn7Q1rGYaF9r_h84KMacIaAskvEALw_wcB
I wonder what the deal with "factory reconditioned" is. 

Holy shit, it's Rory!!   

hi rawk!

Be careful about looking at the Hook2 "x" models. They are more basic than the standard Hook2 models. You can see more info here.

https://www.lowrance.com/lowrance/type/fishfinders-chartplotters/hook2-7-splitshot--us-inland/

Scroll down to "The HOOKČ 'x' Models* Provide Basic Navigation" near the bottom of the page. I don't think the "x" model will fill your needs for mapping. Lowrance has the standard Hook2 7 model in the reconditioned list also.

https://www.lowrance.com/lowrance/type/reconditioned/refurb-hook2-7-splitshot-us-inland-f6e9fdc5/

I don't know any more about the Lowrance factory reconditioned units than it says on the website, but I see this on their page.

"We back these reconditioned products with a full one-year limited warranty and standard return policy."

I have my Elite Ti2 7" model mounted with the a RAM ball mount on the rail. I have the "ActiveImaging" transducer mounted just like the Tripleshot (sidescan) transducer mount shown for the 2019 Outback on the Hobie video on YouTube.



It won't be the same on your 2015 Outback, but the Hobie Guardian transducer mount seems to only really be needed with a sidescan transducer that needs to be down below the hull.

I have been using my Garmin EchoMAP 7" Chirp non-touchscreen side scan unit for a few years now and I think I can safely say it's a winner. I was hesitant at first since I had problems with the transducer I originally got with my order, but after having it warrantied and swapped for a new one it's been great. The first one really didn't like salt water for some reason. Make sure to use a lot of grease on the connections if you're putting this on your kayak. The picture on it is fantastic and it's pretty easy to use. It allows you to create your own bottom contour map as you move around but you can't take it off the unit, or I haven't figured out how to do that. You can inteface it with a computer by transferring data from the unit to a flash chip.

I mounted the transducer right onto the bottom of the transducer mounting shield of the Revo and printed a nose guard for it to protect it from the rocks. I recommend getting the BerleyPro cover for it, like Jason mentioned, if you go that route.

Also, like Jason mentioned, I don't use my side scan a ton, but there are a few circumstances where it shines, like trying to spot bait balls around you, or trying to find snags so as to avoid them. Also, I've marked salmon schools on it, which made me super giddy.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend!  Nice to see you back Rory!

-Mark-

Hi Spot!
JasonM - I rolled the dice on that refurbed hook2 (the 2nd link you posted).  Thanks for your help!

Welcome backs tall man. Enjoy your new fish finder