alex8q4 wrote:
I had a Lowrance elite 5 on my last boat and I loved it. The only beef I had with it was the regeneration speed when zooming or panning around a chart. That said, that was an older style unit, and Lowrance now has an HDS 5 Generation 2 unit that I test drove on a friends boat. It is very fast and priced between $500 and $600 provided you stick with the regular sonar. This unit is also capable, at a price, to preform some pretty amazing sonar imaging.
My Elite 5 had a great quick release mount that allowed me to remove it in under 20 seconds, and stash it in my hiding spot when we were not on the boat
I will be purchasing a lowrance hds 7 Touch in the spring for the new boat. I really like their software layouts and mapping options.
I suggest what ever you decide to do, you at least test drive a few at the store first. See if you like the layout of the software and get a feel for the speed of the unit.
Happy shopping and be sure to let us know what unit you decide to go with.
I put an Elite 5 DSC on my Sundowner a couple years ago. Picked it up for about $300. I don't fish, just use it for depth readings and GPS. Still pretty happy with this purchase!
_________________
-Andrew

1984 Four Winns 225 Sundowner
5.0L Mercruiser, Alpha 1