I'm looking at a fishfinder for my kayak and am mostly lost on what I should be looking at. I have a Wilderness Systems Ride 115. I'm looking to spend a max of around $300, so I'm not looking to get something massive. How valuable is being able to mark waypoints in a kayak? Is DSI something I should be looking at? Any help ya'll can provide me with is more than appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Look at the kayak posts here:

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/forum/45-electronics/

Look at the kayak posts here:

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/forum/45-electronics/

Thank you.

I've got a buddy selling his Elite 7X HDI for $400 obo, it's about 6 months old and really good shape, and good working order. He's just looking for something a little more advanced for his Ride 115X.

I know a guy who has a basic Lowrance Elite-4 on his kayak, and uses his smartphone to mark way-points. Work just as well he says, and he used the money saved towards a good stakeout pole.

This is a great deal, and it includes side imaging. You wouldn't be able to do a through-hull transducer installation with this.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Humminbird-409380-1-Imaging-Chartplotter-Fishfinder/dp/B00BSJDRDE

I've got a big H'bird SI unit on my bass boat but doubt I would feel the need for SI on a kayak.  The transducers for SI are large, cause some drag, and have to be totally submerged to work.  Not saying it wouldn't be "nice to have" but I don't think $300 is gonna get one.  The kind of sonar you want depends on how you want to fish in your kayak.  Want to research lakes before you see them for underwater features that hold fish?  Then you need a unit with a map cartridge ($150) that shows depth contours.  Just want to mark and save waypoints as you fish the lake?  Any GPS unit will do that.