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Daddy by day, fisherman at night.
In all the years I’ve been an angler, what I’ve noticed is that the people who do the best are the ones who have gear that matches their style of fishing – in this case, an excellent fish finder for inflatable boat.
In this article, we’re going to help you find the best fish finder for inflatable boats to completely change how you go fishing. So, let’s get started!
Best Portable Fish Finder For Inflatable Boat
Deeper Smart Sonar PRO+ 2
- Wireless Wi-Fi works without an internet connection
- Great value for the price
- Dual-beam sonar
- Easy to use
Runner-Up
Garmin Striker Vivid 7CV
- ActiveCaptain
- Built-in GPS
- Split-screen zoom
- High-quality display
Best Budget Fish Finder
Garmin Striker Cast
- Simple to use with Apple and Android devices
- QuickDraw and ActiveCaptain
- Reliable
Table of Contents
- 5 Best Inflatable Boat Fish Finders
- Deeper Smart Sonar PRO+ 2
- Garmin Striker Vivid 7CV Fish Finder
- Garmin Striker Cast Fish Finder
- Garmin Striker 4 Fish Finder
- Lowrance Hook Reveal 5 SplitShot with C-MAP Contour+ Card
- How We Decided - Our Testing Process
- Buyer’s Guide
- The Most Important Features to Consider for Inflatable Boat Fish Finders
5 Best Inflatable Boat Fish Finders
- Deeper Smart Sonar PRO+ 2 – Good fish finder for a 10′ inflatable boat
- Garmin Striker Vivid 7CV Fish Finder
- Garmin Striker Cast – Portable fish finder for inflatable boat
- Garmin Striker 4 Fish Finder
- Lowrance Hook Reveal 5 SplitShot with C-MAP Contour+ Card Fish Finder
#1
Best Overall Fish Finder for Inflatable Boat
Deeper Smart Sonar PRO+ 2
- Brand: Deeper
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: UNKNOWN
- Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.35 x 3.03 inches
- Weight: 0.19 lbs
- Display Size: Uses Cell Phone to display
- Display Type: N/A
- Resolution: N/A
- GPS: YES
- Maps: YES (Available online application)
- Wifi: YES
- Bluetooth: NO
- Compatibility: iOS 13.0 and later, Android 7.0 Nougat and later
- Waterproof: YES
- Portable: YES
- Frequencies: 100/240/675 kHz
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: NO
- Maximum Depth: 330 feet
- Transducer Angle: Cone angle (7°/20°/47°)
- Target Separation: 0.4“
- Mounting Options: cast
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle:
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: YES
- Battery Life: 9H
- Battery recharge time: UNKNOWN
- Charts: NO
- Sonar Type: 3 Frequency
- Warranty: 2 years limited warranty
- Others Features:
- Photo and notebook features to track your fishing adventures
Pros
- Wireless Wi-Fi works without an internet connection
- Great value for the price
- Portable
- Easy to use
- Dual-beam sonar
Cons
- Isn't great in choppy weather
- The battery is unable to be replaced
The Deeper pro smart sonar fish finder for inflatable boat is an extremely popular device on the market at the moment. If you’re on a budget but want a quality fish finder for inflatable boat, the Deeper pro smart sonar is definitely for you!
Some of the features of this castable fish finder include a GPS system, the ability to create bathymetric maps, and dual beam sonar technology. Now there are a few things worth mentioning. The dual beam technology does allow for you to choose a narrow or broad scene. However, you must know how this device won’t indicate the depth of its finding. It just provides rough ideas. Finally, the battery lasts eight hours, so charge up before you leave the house!
Overall, this is a great fish finder for inflatable boat that provides decent readings and a decent range.
#2
Runner-Up
Garmin Striker Vivid 7CV Fish Finder
WHY WE LIKE IT: Garmin’s Striker Vivid 7cv is a great fish finder thanks to a powerful transducer, sturdy mount, and numerous features that make it perfect for fishing. It’s perfect for ice fishing and inflatable vessels. It’s pretty much everything you’d hope for in a fish finder: accurate, well priced, and insane water depth.
- Brand: Garmin
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2020
- Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 8.2 inches
- Weight: 4.4 lbs
- Display Size: 7 inches
- Display Type: HVGA color display
- Resolution: 800 x 400
- GPS: YES
- Maps: NO
- Wifi: YES
- Bluetooth: NO
- Compatibility:
- Waterproof: IPX7
- Portable: NO
- Frequencies: 50/77/200 kHz (CHIRP) 260/455/800 kHz (ClearVu)
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: YES
- Maximum Depth: 2300 feet
- Transducer Angle: Cone angle
- Target Separation: YES
- Mounting Options: flush, tilt/swivel
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle:
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: YES
- Battery Life: Requires independent power source
- Battery recharge time: N/A
- Charts: NO
- Sonar Type: CHIRP & ClearVu
- Warranty: 2 years limited warranty
- Others Features:
- Split-screen zoom
- records and displays water temperatures in graph format
Pros
- ActiveCaptain
- Built-in GPS
- High-quality display
- Easy to use
Cons
- The lack of chart-plotting capabilities is disappointing
Garmin’s Striker 7cv isn’t an entry-level fish finder for inflatable boat model. Instead, it is a high-quality unit ready to hop aboard your boat, inflatable or otherwise, and help you and your fishing needs.
The Striker 7CV features a classic stylish display typical of fish finders. You get a panel of well-set-out buttons, a high-quality display, and technical features that make this product amazing. The sonar is CHIRP and ClearVu, so you’ve got your basic sonar, and then you’ve got down imaging. It allows for more opportunities to discover tons of fish in the water.
One of the best features is the split-screen zoom which allows you to view multiple sets of information. Overall, Garmin has knocked it out of the park with this fish finder for inflatable boat!
#3
Portable fish finder for inflatable boat
Garmin Striker Cast Fish Finder
WHY WE LIKE IT: There are many reasons to enjoy the Striker Cast from Garmin. It’s a compact device that’s portable, easy to use, and has a great app. Thanks to Garmin’s Striker Cast, you’re able to achieve far more on your fishing trip than you would without it! One of the best fish finder for inflatable boat.
- Brand: Garmin
- Color: White
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2020
- Dimensions: 3” x 2.97” x 2.28”
- Weight: 0.16 lbs
- Display Size: Uses Cell Phone to display
- Display Type: N/A
- Resolution: N/A
- GPS: NO
- Maps: NO
- Wifi: NO
- Bluetooth: YES
- Compatibility: iOS 13.0 and later, Android 7.0 Nougat and later
- Waterproof: IPX7
- Portable: YES
- Frequencies: 260/455 kHz
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: NO
- Maximum Depth: 150 ft
- Transducer Angle: Cone angle
- Target Separation: NO
- Mounting Options: Castable
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle:
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: YES
- Battery Life: 10+ Hours
- Battery recharge time: Unknown
- Charts: NO
- Sonar Type: CHIRP
- Warranty: 2 year limited warranty
- Others Features:
- Garmin QuickDraw Community for 0.3-meter contour maps
Pros
- Reliable
- Simple to use with Apple and Android devices
- Great app
- Portable
- QuickDraw and ActiveCaptain
Cons
- Castable models are limited in what they can do
Garmin’s Striker Cast is a popular fish finder for inflatable boats. This fish finder is a compact portable unit that’s the size of a tennis ball.
With the Striker Cast, you can get impressive sonar images on your phone and the ability to create your own maps for future use. Garmin has worked to make this a straightforward device that’s much easier to use than anything else on offer. It’s a rugged machine that utilizes two types of sonar technology, both 2D and ice fishing flasher modes. Overall, while Garmin might be late to the party, they’ve made a great fish finder for inflatable boat that’ll help you catch all the fish.
#4
Garmin Striker Cast Runner-Up
Garmin Striker 4 Fish Finder
WHY WE LIKE IT: Garmin’s Striker 4 is a well-rounded budget version of more expensive Garmin fish finders. There are sacrifices to be made, but by the end, you don’t feel defeated because the quality of this device exists. It’s not only easy to use, but it’s a pleasure to have on the boat when fishing, making it the perfect fish finder for inflatable boat option.
- Brand: Garmin
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2015
- Dimensions: 3.6 x 1.6 x 5.9 inches
- Weight: 0.5 lbs
- Display Size: 3.5 inches
- Display Type: LCD
- Resolution: 480 x 320
- GPS: YES
- Maps: NO
- Wifi: NO
- Bluetooth: NO
- Compatibility:
- Waterproof: IPX7
- Portable: NO
- Frequencies: 50/77/200 kHz
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: NO
- Maximum Depth: 1600 feet
- Transducer Angle: Cone angle
- Target Separation: YES
- Mounting Options: tilt/swivel mount
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle:
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: YES
- Battery Life: Requires independent power supply
- Battery recharge time: N/A
- Charts: NO
- Sonar Type: CHIRP Sonar
- Warranty: 2 years limited warranty
- Others Features:
- Water temperature log and graph
- Split-screen zoom capabilities
Pros
- High-res screen
- Great value for the price
- Portable
- Easy to use
Cons
- The screen is a bit small
- The wire clamps could be sturdier
- Doesn't work in temperatures 14°F and below
The Garmin Striker 4 is another excellent fish finder for inflatable boat option available to anglers looking for a great transducer to help them go fishing with purpose. The Striker 4 isn’t large display-wise, but it still offers excellent images that are detailed and showcased with a healthy backlight. If you can get passed the 3.5-inch screen, the rest doesn’t seem to matter.
In terms of its sonar capabilities, it uses standard CHIRP, which is a traditional transducer. They only emit sound waves at a single frequency and can provide improved results in the form of clear images to ensure you get the best results.
Overall, Garmin’s knocked it out the park. This is one of the best budget fish finders on the market.
#5
Inflatable Boat Fish Finder with SplitShot
Lowrance Hook Reveal 5 SplitShot with C-MAP Contour+ Card
- Brand: Lowrance
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2022
- Dimensions: 7.31″ (185.7 mm) x 4.32″ (109.8 mm) x 4.53″ (115.0 mm)
- Weight: 0.90 lb. (0.41 kg)
- Display Size: 5″
- Display Type: SolarMAX™
- Resolution: 800 x 480
- GPS: 1 Hz GPS GLONASS WAAS EGNOS MSAS
- Maps: C-MAP, C-MAP Genesis, Navionics®
- Wifi: NO
- Bluetooth: NO
- Compatibility: YES
- Waterproof: IPX7 with card door closed
- Portable: YES
- Frequencies: 50/200 kHz
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: YES
- Maximum Depth: 500 feet
- Transducer Angle: Cone angle (80° top/bottom, 85° left/right)
- Target Separation: YES
- Mounting Options: Easy front-dash or gimbal-bracket mount
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle: Can purchase US lake maps as an additional purchase
- Fishreveal: YES
- Autotuning sonar: YES
- Flasher: NO
- Battery Life: Ongoing as it needs to be connected to a power source
- Battery recharge time: N/A
- Charts: C-Map US Inland Charting
- Sonar Type: TripleShot™ High CHIRP Sonar
- Warranty: 1 Year + 4 additional years of upgrade options Totaling 5 years
- Others Features:
- Night fishing feature
- 8-way directional keypad
- Zoom capabilities
Pros
- Night mode option
- Large screen, perfect for all types of vessels like a boat, a kayak, etc.
- FishReveal technology is included.
- Has downscan, sidescan, and tripleshot transducer included.
Cons
- The number of features can be overwhelming and, at times, confusing.
- Lowrance tech support is less than ideal.
When it comes to fish finders, Lowrance knows their stuff. Heck, they even invented some of the features we crave in fish finders. So when it comes to their Reveal Hook 5 SplitShot, it’s not surprising that they’ve nailed it with this brilliant yet affordable fish finder for inflatable boat option.
This machine uses Lowrance’s signature SolarMAX screen, which produces high-quality images. The downside is that the screen is on the smaller side at about 5”.
One of Lowrance’s most popular creations was their FishReveal technology, making it easier to identify fish. It uses the CHIRP sonar and its high-resolution images from down scanning to better identify what’s in the water and where to produce more accurate results. In addition, the down scanning feature allows you to enjoy brilliant charting abilities like routes, waypoints, tracks, etc.
Overall, this is a fantastic fish finder for inflatable boat at a great price with impressive features.
How We Decided - Our Testing Process
In order for us to ensure we’re providing you with the best possible fish finder for inflatable boat recommendations, we do several important things.
Firstly, we evaluate every available fish finder for inflatable boat currently on the market. By reviewing them all, we can make our determinations on what is the best fish finder to recommend.
Overall our process looks at the quality of the product, the brand’s reputation, technology, accuracy, special features, and price.
Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider for Inflatable Boat Fish Finders
Mount Type
There are several types of mounts available, but the one you choose for your inflatable vessel matters. You’ve got several options, some of which will obviously not work for an inflatable vessel. You’ve got a screw mount, suction cup transom mount, stern pad, magnetic transducer mount, glue-on mount, trolling motor mount, floatable, etc.
Color Screen & Screen resolution
Color screens are better for fish finding than a black and white screen. With color you’re getting more detail and more information available to you. A screen, at a minimum, should be 240 x 160 pixels. The higher, the better.
Water resistance
This should be relatively obvious, but you want a fish finder that’s 100% waterproof as you’re in an environment where water can easily come into contact with your fish finder. The standard rating is IPX7.
F.A.Q.
If you’re willing to spend a little money, then go for the Garmin Striker Vivid 7cv. If that’s out of your price range, we still highly recommend the Deeper Smart Sonar PRO+ 2.
In this case, I’d argue it’s the mounting options available. A cast or floatable fish finder is better because it doesn’t rely on the vessel. But for a model that does a glue-on, mounted to a trolling motor, or suction cup is the best option you have.
In conclusion, selecting the right fish finder for your inflatable vessel involves careful consideration of several critical factors. The choice of mount type is pivotal, as it must be compatible with your inflatable setup. Options like screw mounts, suction cup transom mounts, and trolling motor mounts offer versatility, while others may not be suitable.
To explore further and discover the top-rated fish finders that excel in these essential aspects, check out our guide on the best fish finders for the money. By carefully evaluating the mount type, screen quality, and water resistance of your fish finder, you can make an informed choice that enhances your inflatable vessel fishing adventures, helping you locate and catch fish more effectively.