i have an hds 9 with si, di, sonar and gps already i took offf my old boat. i plan on putting that at the console of my new boat. cant decide want i want to run up front tho (trying to stay under 1500)... do you use side imaging very often at the front??? i was thinking of either getting a hds 7 or 9 and a trolling motor transducer for the front and then i can link the structure scan with it... was always thinking of getting a hook 9 with di sonar and gps... also thought of gettin the humminbird helix 7 but didnt like the idea of running 2 different brands of graphs.. gonna wait to install the one i have until i get one for the bow so i can do it all at once. 

 

figured i should add. i want di, sonar, and gps for the front, and structure scan isnt a necessity but if i go the hds route ill just link them.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lowrance-reg-HDS-Gen-Touch-Sonar-GPS-Combo-with-HDI-Transducer/2130800.uts?productVariantId=4334812&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04286081&rid=20&gclid=CjwKEAiAtefDBRDTnbDnvM735xISJABlvGOvNkSMVFO2QOVg8S2WF0Oi13zmFV1oASW1WHiHS-kxqRoCJa3w_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

this graph at bow and get the trolling motor rig thing and then an ethernet cable for structure scan and ill be set???????

I would put the hds 9 at the bow then buy a hds 7 with structure scan and put it at the counsel. I recommend structure scan at the bow

i decided on the gen 2 touch with the hdi transducer. it was 999 on sale at cabelas. i ran an ethernet cable from the console to the bow to get structure scan and share data also decided to run 2 10ga wires from the start battery to a blue seas 6 circuit panel under the console im putting in. from there ill run the console graph to the fuse panel and run 12 ga wires to the bow graph. also adding a 30 amp inline fuse between the battery and the panel.

For the front of the boat, for me...

 

SI is pretty useless...360° is the best bet if you want to see what's going on around you in real-time.  Or Panoptix, though I have not used it.

 

DI and 2D are critical for me up there, I want to know what I've fishing over and how deep it is.

 

I want a map view as well so I can set the Minn Kota Ulterra to follow a contour without having to jump to the console unit.

yep di and map were the 2 main features i wanted at the bow. but i figured i may have a use for structure scan at some point at the bow. who knows

Having the ss on the front unit can be helpful. If I'm on a new body of water I always have it on just for the fact that you'll find stuff you weren't even looking for. There's a few lakes I fish on a regular basis where it still comes in handy since some of my waypoints are still from before I got a side scan unit and not all that accurate having ss up front it helps me find the actual piece of structure I want to fish. The other place it works really well for me is when fishing cribs. A lot of lakes around me have fish cribs put in and lots of those have a bunch in the same area. I do my best to mark all of them, but there's times I miss some and when I'm fishing through them, I'll leave my side scan on and I'll see those cribs. It takes a little getting used figuring out the angle and distance to cast to hit it, but after a little bit you'll get a feel for it and if it shows up on the screen you can hit it. I think you made the right choice by sticking with the same brand and networking them. Just being able to share a mapping card or IG along with waypoints is really nice. I had two units that didn't link up before and it never failed, you'd drop a waypoint on one and be looking for it the next time out and forget that it's not on that unit. I think you'll enjoy your setup.