Set my new boat up with electronics...

I have on order my retirement boat. I have a new 2026 Xpress XR21 on order. It is a new deck layout. It has 3 seat plates on the front deck and I mainly crappie fish. I use FFS and will mainly be me, but sometimes 2 of us up front.
If money is not an obstacle, how would you set up your electronics? My plan was to combine both Humminbird and Garmin. But now I'm rethinking it and considering all Humminbird. Minn Kota trolling motor with a 12" HB at console and 2-12" on the bow with BeatDown mounts. LiveSweep with Mega 2 FFS.
Give me some feedback and design my perfect layout.
What mounts, what size, what model?

I have Lowrance live sonar and have fished with Garmin, but not HB. My advice is to go large for your live sonar screen. I run a 16 for AT 2 and a 12 for mapping on the bow.

This and $4.50 will buy you a cup of coffee in some places.

I have that setup and have been very satisfied with it. I have an Xplore 12 at console and two Xplore 12s on the bow with ML2. I have my ML2 on a hand control pole mount. Check out Cornfield Fishing Gear for your mounts. They are built to last and built right here in Kentucky. American Made!!! Also have a Minn Kota I Pilot Link trolling motor that connects to the Hbirds thru the One Boat Network.


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Originally Posted by ChrisHill

I have on order my retirement boat. I have a new 2026 Xpress XR21 on order. It is a new deck layout. It has 3 seat plates on the front deck and I mainly crappie fish. I use FFS and will mainly be me, but sometimes 2 of us up front.
If money is not an obstacle, how would you set up your electronics? My plan was to combine both Humminbird and Garmin. But now I'm rethinking it and considering all Humminbird. Minn Kota trolling motor with a 12" HB at console and 2-12" on the bow with BeatDown mounts. LiveSweep with Mega 2 FFS.
Give me some feedback and design my perfect layout.
What mounts, what size, what model?

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12 in livescope,2 12 in bird xplore's and a ultrex.Im the shop manager at performance fishing electronics,we rig over 500 boats a yr.We rig Jake Lowrance's boat,he fishes the bass pro tour professionally.

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10 or 12” Garmin up front strictly for livescope, a brand of your favorite choice 9” unit for marking waypoints up front interlinked to a 10 or 12 of the same brand at the console for marking waypoints, side imaging & navigating. Spotlock trolling motor with heading sensor. About as easy a no nonsense set up as you can get.

Whether you sit or stand while fishing, you definitely want a mount that raises the fish finders off the deck of the boat for ergonomics, but due to lift, it will likely be in the way for running at speed. Beatdown has good telescoping flex mounts that I almost got until I got a stupidly good deal on the Millennium and can live the minor inconvenience of loosening the pivot to fold down vs the quicker folding setup of the Beatdown. If you need to see fish at distance, you can go either way with Garmin LVS34 or Humminbird MEGA Live 2. Since I'm not looking at the map at the same time as the FFS on the same fishfinder, I didn't worry about having all Humminbirds or all Garmin's. I still have Humminbird 1199s for 360, mapping, and controlling my Ultrex when setting up trolling routes.

I would go with a 16" HB at the console, they have the best side and down period and good mapping as well.
On the bow I would go 16" Lowrance or Garmin. Definitely not HB Mega.
I've had all 3 major brands of FFS. I absolutely love my Lowrance AT2. Some prefer Garmin. Both have their plus and negatives. Sorry HB Mega but no way.
Power Pole move for the trolling motor.
Cornfield Fishing or Beat down for the mounts.
I really like my motorized pole that is attached to my trolling motor from Cornfield Fishing.

I have 2 HB Xplore 12's at the console, one Xplore 10 up front for maps and to link to the Minn Kota Ultera Quest. Then a Garmin 8617 to see my LVS34 livescope on. Attachment 512120 Attachment 512121