GARMIN AND RAYMARINE FISH FINDER PRICES IN AUSTRALIA (2026)

Fish finder prices from different makers do not cover the same hardware. Every Garmin package priced below includes a transducer, and the ECHOMAP ones include Australian and New Zealand charts. Raymarine's Element HV is priced as a display, and the transducer is not in the box. Below are those prices in Australian dollars, what each maker says its ranges are for, and where the published information runs out.

We have not tested any of these units, and this is not a ranking. Every price and specification is the manufacturer's own listed price or figure, read from its Australian website on 20 September 2026, and each links to the page it came from. Prices move, so check the page before you buy.

What each range is for, in the makers' own words

Garmin's STRIKER series is a "cost-effective fishfinder series" with "clear and colourful sonar that's perfect for small boats and kayaks", in Garmin's words. The STRIKER Plus is a 4-inch unit with keyed control, CHIRP sonar and Garmin Quickdraw Contours software. The STRIKER Vivid is a fishfinder with keyed control and sonar (Garmin Australia).
Garmin's ECHOMAP series adds mapping, and Garmin describes it as sonar and mapping support on a "bright sunlight-readable display". The ECHOMAP UHD2 has optional touchscreens, maps and sonar. The ECHOMAP Ultra 2 has touchscreen displays and keyed assist, plus optional sonar and maps (Garmin Australia).
Lowrance's Eagle is aimed at "casual, weekend anglers" fishing fresh water and inshore coastal water, from kayaks to near-coastal fishing boats. It comes in 4, 5, 7 and 9-inch screens, with SideScan and DownScan imaging optional on some models, and Lowrance lists "easy to install" among its features (Lowrance Australia).
Lowrance's Elite FS is pitched at avid weekend anglers in fresh or salt water, on fishing boats and kayaks, and comes in 7, 9, 10 and 12-inch sizes. Lowrance lists 50, 83, 200, 455 and 800 kHz as supported sonar frequencies, and says it comes with preloaded C-MAP AUS/NZ Enhanced Embedded charts. It is compatible with ActiveTarget 2 live sonar and Active Imaging HD, and Lowrance says Active Imaging HD requires an S3100 module (Lowrance Australia).
Lowrance's HDS PRO is pitched at tournament and serious anglers, and described as suiting "all sizes of freshwater and saltwater fishing boats". It comes in 9, 10, 12 and 16-inch sizes. Lowrance lists 50, 83, 200, 455, 800 and 1000 kHz as supported sonar frequencies, and describes it as Active Imaging HD ready with no module required (Lowrance Australia).
Raymarine's Element HV is a chartplotter with HyperVision sonar, in 7, 9 and 12-inch sizes (Raymarine Australia).

What they cost, checked 20 September 2026

Garmin's Australian range page shows starting prices of $279 for the STRIKER Plus, $389 for the STRIKER Vivid, $789 for the ECHOMAP UHD2 and $2,999 for the ECHOMAP Ultra 2. This is not every Garmin model. The first four below are those starting packages, and the 7-inch is the size we compare with Raymarine further down. Garmin's product pages say what is in each package:

STRIKER Plus 4, with a dual-beam transducer (part number 010-01870-01): $279
STRIKER Vivid 4cv, with a GT20-TM transducer (010-02550-01): $389
ECHOMAP UHD2 5-inch 55cv, with a transducer and Garmin Navionics+ Australia and New Zealand mapping (010-02592-70): $789
ECHOMAP UHD2 7-inch 75cv, with a GT20-TM transducer and Navionics+ Australia and New Zealand mapping (010-02596-70): $1,149
ECHOMAP Ultra 2 10-inch 105sv, with a GT56UHD-TM transducer and Navionics+ Australia and New Zealand mapping (010-02879-20): $2,999

Raymarine's Australian page lists these prices for the Element HV, and states beside each that the price includes GST. The Garmin pages we read do not separately state GST treatment.

Element 7 HV (SKU E70532): $1,069, or $1,169 with LightHouse Charts Australia and New Zealand (E70532-00-ANZ)
Element 9 HV (E70534): $1,459, or $1,559 with the charts (E70534-00-ANZ)
Element 12 HV (E70536): $2,439, or $2,539 with the charts (E70536-00-ANZ)

Lowrance's Australian range page shows no prices, so none are quoted here. We left out retailer prices on purpose. They change more often than the makers' figures, and we have not checked them.

Headline prices cover different hardware

Every Garmin package above includes a transducer, the part that sends and receives the sonar signal. The three ECHOMAP packages also include the Australian and New Zealand charts.

Raymarine's page reads differently. Its in-the-box list for the Element HV, which covers all six SKUs above, names the display, a surface-mount gasket, a sun cover, trunnion knobs, a trunnion bracket, surface-mount fixings, documentation, and a power and NMEA 2000 cable. There is no transducer on it. Raymarine lists its HV-100 transducer (SKU A80603, transom mount) as a separate product, and its page shows no price for it: the price field displays 0. The versions with LightHouse Charts Australia and New Zealand cost $100 more at each size.

At 7 inches, the Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 package is $1,149 with a transducer and Navionics+ Australia and New Zealand mapping. The Raymarine Element 7 HV is $1,169 with LightHouse Charts Australia and New Zealand, and the transducer is not in the box. The two units have different sonar and are not equivalent, so the gap between the prices says nothing about which is better value.

The Lowrance range page does not list what is in the box for any range, so ask the dealer before you compare. None of the manufacturer pages we read publishes installation costs. Ask for a written quote that lists the display, the transducer, the cable and the labour as separate lines.

Sonar types in plain terms

Garmin describes its three sonar views this way: traditional CHIRP is "good for displaying fish arches", ClearVü is "excellent for displaying fish and structure below your boat", and SideVü is "excellent for displaying fish and structure to the sides of your boat". Garmin's product pages show that some models add SideVü and others do not, so check the sonar type on the exact model. The 7-inch 75cv bundle lists ClearVü and traditional CHIRP.

Lowrance's range page names DownScan and SideScan imaging, and Raymarine's page names DownVision and SideVision.

Raymarine publishes depth figures by frequency. Its Element HV overview says the 1.2 MHz HyperVision mode is optimised for imaging up to 100 feet (30 metres), while the specification table on the same page lists 38 metres (125 feet) for that mode, without explaining the difference. The table gives the 350 kHz range as 183 metres (600 feet) for DownVision and 91 metres (300 feet) for SideVision and RealVision 3D, and the 200 kHz conical CHIRP range as 274 metres (900 feet). Check any figure like this against the deepest water you actually fish, and ask the dealer which figure applies.

Charts and screen size

Charts are handled differently by each maker. The three ECHOMAP bundles above include Navionics+ for Australia and New Zealand. The Lowrance Elite FS comes with preloaded C-MAP AUS/NZ Enhanced Embedded charts. On the Raymarine Element HV, the Australia and New Zealand charts add $100 at every screen size, and Raymarine says the unit supports Navionics and C-MAP charts as well.

Screen size matters on a small boat because it has to fit the console. Raymarine publishes dimensions and weights for the Element HV. With the trunnion mount, the 7-inch is about 264 x 163 x 149 mm (width, height, depth) and the 12-inch is about 373 x 225 x 149 mm. The display alone weighs 1.0 kg for the 7-inch and 2.0 kg for the 12-inch. Raymarine also lists separate dimensions for surface mounting, so check the mounting method against your console before you choose a size.

Buying a boat that already has one fitted

The transducer is a separate part from the screen, fitted to the hull, so a unit on the dash does not prove there is a working transducer on the boat. Before you count a fitted fish finder as part of the price:

Ask for the make and model of both the display and the transducer, then check whether that model is still sold on the maker's Australian site.
Ask to see it switched on and showing a depth reading, ideally with the boat in the water. A display that powers up in a shed does not prove the transducer works.
Ask what charts are loaded, and whether they cover the waters you fish.
Ask who installed it, and ask to see the wiring and how the transducer is fitted.

Quick answers

Is Garmin or Lowrance better?

We have not tested either. On paper, Garmin pitches the STRIKER at small boats and kayaks, and Lowrance pitches the Eagle at casual weekend anglers on kayaks through to near-coastal fishing boats. Compare the exact models on sonar type, screen size, charts and what is in the box.

Side imaging or down imaging?

Garmin describes ClearVü as looking below the boat and SideVü as looking to either side of it. Lowrance and Raymarine name their down and side views DownScan and SideScan, and DownVision and SideVision.

Which unit priced above is the cheapest?

The Garmin STRIKER Plus 4 at $279, with a 4-inch screen, keyed control, CHIRP sonar and a dual-beam transducer in the package. That is the lowest of the units in this guide, not a survey of the whole market.