Wanting an opinion on getting a fishfinder

I sold my kayaks a few years back and bought
boat to take the family fishing . Found myself missing  having a kayak. A couple of weeks ago I bought a molken  12 for a really good price. Working on making a milk crate for it and I was going to buy a fishfinder. On my boat I have an garmin 7 inch touch screen that I really like . I want something smaller and I was thinking of getting another garmin in the 4 inch . One is the vertical screen for less than $200. The other is one with the horizontal screen for about $350. I was wondering if anyone has had opinion on the smaller screen or should I get the next one up. I like to keep things simple and clean . Not a lot of things on the kayak.

Thanks
Javier

I’m no FF connoisseur but I love my simple Garmin Striker 4.
4 years with it, no complaints.

Thanks will look at that one

I’m no FF connoisseur but I love my simple Garmin Striker 4.
4 years with it, no complaints.

Same. Great little device, doesn't take up too much room, and very simple to operate with exactly the info I need. Gonna buy one for my boat, haha. Also, I have a 12ah lithium battery, and can do 2-3 trips (at 5-6 hours per trip) without any issues with the Striker 4. 

I have the basic one, with GPS but no map. When I buy a second to use in my little boat, I'm gonna get the next level up that makes a sonar map based on your track. It stores and displays the depth reading as you go, so if you find structure, you can return easily to it.

I’m no FF connoisseur but I love my simple Garmin Striker 4.

+1

Another vote for a smallish Garmin. My first one lasted more almost 10 years with plenty of abuse. My current one does not seem quite as sturdily constructed, but still better than the competition.

They seem to be really good on handling warranty issues too. When I purchased my new one (2+ years ago) it had a leaky seal. All I had to do was email them a picture, and they immediately put a new head unit in the mail. The new-new one has not had any issues.

I like to have the most basic FF - for like a hundred bucks.  I keep the GPS and other nav devices separate, because once shit starts to go haywire, you're not out $350...

That said, it's nice to have everything in one unit, and if you're not a heavy addict and you take care of it, the units should all last several seasons at least.

Lowrance has been pretty bomb-proof, but I hear about problems with all makes.

I  take  good care on my equipment.  I don’t like to replace thing after a couple of years.  I had a lowrance but I had issues with it. I like the garmin since it is easy to use. Have one already on my fishing boat. I like not having a lot of gear  on my kayak. Just the essential items  since there is not a lot of room.

I am bit different having started with an Eagle Cuda 3.5 inch B&W screen FF/ GPS combo about 15 yrs ago. I like 7 and 9 inch screens since I do a lot of bottom fishing.

With the 20 fathom and 50 fathom regs in place, a bigger screen combined with a Navionics Platinum chip with relief shading has made my trips succesful. I can plan where to go and see the bottom contours clearly.  Yes it does cost more.