GPS fishfinder combo???

[ReelTime]

First off what's your budget? Need to know that before making a recomendation.
Like said above Lowrance offers a more affordable line in their Elite series. The Elite 4 is around $300.00 but the screen is really small. The Elite 5 is around $550.00 and gives you a bigger screen. If you move up to the HDS series you are gonna be in the $700.00 range for a fishfinder/chartplotter combo. Again, need to know your budget.

Another option and what I myself like to do is shop around on Ebay/Craigslist and the used market for a good used deal. Alot of good deals out there from guys who upgrade and sell their old units. Example, I just sold a Lowrance LCX-27HD 7" combo unit for $400.00.

As for the shoot thru transducer, you will spend as much $$ on a good transducer as you will the entire unit. You can epoxy a regular transom mount transducer in your hull but you're not gonna have a very good signal. A good shoot thru ducer like the Airmar M260 transducer will cost you around $600.00. What is the reason that you can't use a transom mount transducer?

Myself I am currently running seperate fishfinder and chartplotter. I run the Lowrance HDS7M chartplotter and a Furuno FCV-585 fish finder. I find that running seperate units gives me more options and better viewing capabilities.