Find other fishermen who have different equipment and ask to see what they have and get an idea in person on a boat. It doesn't have to be Garmin unless that's what you prefer. I had access to Garmin and I had a HDS 7 side, down and 2d images, I liked My HDS7 better and I thought it was the best for me. Then I saw the Helix 9 SI combo and I really liked the images better. Now I have the helix 12 G3 mega and I'm liking it a whole lot better. If you stay with Garmin you have the opportunity to add more with Live Scope later. It all boils down to you and what you like. Good luck choosing.