6 Best Compact Fishfinders For Pontoon Boats That Do More Than Find Fish

Your pontoon boat is more than just a fishing platform; it’s a floating living room, a mobile swimming dock, and the hub for a perfect day on the water. That’s why grabbing the cheapest fishfinder off the shelf is a huge missed opportunity. The right piece of electronics can transform your boat from a simple cruiser into a smart, safe, and incredibly capable vessel for everyone on board.

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Why Pontoons Need More Than a Basic Fishfinder

A pontoon boat pulls double, or even triple, duty. One minute you’re trolling for walleye, the next you’re pulling the kids on a tube, and later you’re navigating an unfamiliar cove to find a quiet spot to anchor. A basic fishfinder, the kind that just shows digital depth and a few pixelated fish, only serves one of those purposes. It’s a one-trick pony on a multi-purpose machine.

Modern compact "fishfinders" are actually powerful marine computers. They integrate GPS for navigation, detailed mapping for safety, and advanced sonar for understanding the world beneath your deck. For a pontoon captain, this is about more than just finding the drop-off where bass are hiding. It’s about confidently navigating back to the dock in the fog, seeing a submerged rock pile before it becomes a problem, and accurately monitoring your speed while towing a tuber.

Think of it this way: you wouldn’t put a single camp chair in a spacious living room. You furnish it for versatility. Your pontoon’s console deserves the same treatment. A multi-function display is the command center that enhances every single activity you do on the water, making the experience better and safer for your family and guests.

Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv: GPS & Bright Display

The Garmin Striker Vivid 5cv hits the sweet spot for most pontoon owners. Its defining feature is a brilliant, 5-inch screen that you can actually see in direct, glaring sunlight. This isn’t a minor detail; on an open pontoon deck, a dim screen is a useless screen. The Vivid’s bright display and multiple color palettes mean you can always get a clear read, whether you’re checking depth or following a route.

But the real game-changer is the high-sensitivity internal GPS. This isn’t for turn-by-turn navigation with pre-loaded maps, but it’s a massive upgrade from no GPS at all. You can drop a waypoint on a productive fishing spot, a hidden beach, or a submerged hazard. More importantly for pontoon life, you can see your speed over ground—essential for watersports—and follow your track back to the launch ramp as the sun goes down.

It also includes Garmin’s Quickdraw Contours, a feature that lets you create your own custom 1-foot contour maps of any body of water. As you drive around, it automatically draws a detailed map on your screen. For pontoons that frequent smaller, unmapped lakes, this is an incredible tool for both fishing and safely learning the layout of the lake bottom.

Humminbird HELIX 5: Live Custom Lake Mapping

If the idea of creating your own maps is appealing, the Humminbird HELIX 5 with AutoChart Live takes it to the next level. This unit is built for the explorer, the person who wants to truly understand the lakes they frequent. AutoChart Live creates incredibly detailed, real-time maps of depth, bottom hardness, and vegetation. You’re not just marking a spot; you’re building an institutional knowledge of the entire lake.

Imagine pulling into a new bay. Instead of guessing where the channel is, you can spend ten minutes idling around while the HELIX 5 literally draws you a map. This turns a potentially stressful situation into a safe and predictable one. For a pontoon loaded with guests, that confidence is priceless. You can identify the big, flat sandy bottom perfect for swimming or spot a dangerous shallow reef from a hundred feet away.

While its CHIRP and Down Imaging sonar are excellent for finding fish, the mapping capability is what sets it apart for versatile pontoon use. It empowers you to go beyond the known spots and safely explore the entire lake. The HELIX 5 transforms you from a visitor on the water to a true local expert.

Lowrance Hook Reveal 5: Easiest Sonar to Read

The biggest hurdle for casual anglers is interpreting the sonar screen. What’s a fish? What’s a tree? What’s just noise? The Lowrance Hook Reveal 5 solves this problem brilliantly with its signature feature: FishReveal. It takes the crisp, photo-like detail of DownScan Imaging and overlays the bright, distinct fish arches from CHIRP sonar. The result is an incredibly intuitive and easy-to-read display.

This is the perfect unit for the family pontoon. You can point to the screen and tell your kids, "See that bright yellow arch hovering over that log? That’s a big fish." It removes all the ambiguity and makes the underwater world accessible to everyone on board, turning fishing into a more engaging group activity. No more squinting and guessing.

Beyond FishReveal, the Hook Reveal is a capable all-around unit. It includes basic GPS plotting for marking waypoints and tracking your route, and its Genesis Live feature offers real-time custom mapping. But its core strength is simplicity. It’s designed to give you the most important information in the clearest possible format, letting you focus more on enjoying your time on the water and less on fiddling with settings.

Simrad Cruise 5: A True Navigation Chartplotter

While most units on this list are fishfinders with GPS added, the Simrad Cruise 5 is the opposite: it’s a dedicated chartplotter that also has sonar. This distinction is crucial. The entire interface, with its rotary dial and simple keypad, is designed for effortless navigation. It feels less like a complex fishfinder and more like the GPS in your car.

This unit is the ideal choice if your primary use is cruising, exploring new waterways, and confident navigation. It comes pre-loaded with U.S. coastal or inland charts, so it’s ready to go right out of the box. You can plan routes, see navigation aids, and understand your position on a detailed map without any extra work. The sonar is a straightforward, traditional 2D view—perfectly adequate for checking depth and spotting fish, but not the main event.

For the pontoon owner who spends more time island-hopping on a large lake or cruising a river system than they do fishing, the Simrad Cruise is a breath of fresh air. It prioritizes the most important safety and convenience feature—knowing where you are and where you’re going—in a package that anyone can operate without a manual.

Raymarine Element 7 HV: Pro-Level Side Imaging

If you want the absolute clearest, most detailed view of the underwater world from your helm, the Raymarine Element 7 HV is in a class of its own. The "HV" stands for HyperVision, a 1.2 megahertz sonar technology that provides an unprecedented level of detail in its SideVision and DownVision imaging. The images are so sharp, you can distinguish between different types of vegetation or count the individual branches on a submerged tree.

On a pontoon, this technology is about more than just finding fish. With SideVision, you can scan a 100-foot swath to either side of your boat. This is a massive safety and exploration advantage. You can spot that old, submerged dock foundation, find the edges of the one clean, sandy spot on a mucky shoreline, or identify the precise location of a channel marker’s anchor. The larger 7-inch screen also makes a huge difference, allowing you to see this incredible detail without straining your eyes.

The Element 7 HV is a step up in both price and capability. It’s for the pontoon owner who is serious about technology and wants the best possible information at their fingertips. It bridges the gap between a casual day-cruiser and a professional-grade survey vessel, giving you a god-like view of what lies beneath.

Deeper PRO+ 2: The Ultimate Castable Solution

Not everyone wants to permanently mount electronics on their pontoon. Maybe you use a rental, own multiple boats, or simply don’t want to drill holes and run wires. The Deeper PRO+ 2 is a brilliant, unconventional solution. It’s a small, tennis-ball-sized sonar unit that you cast with a fishing rod or attach to a flexible arm mount on your boat. It sends a detailed sonar and GPS signal directly to an app on your smartphone or tablet.

The flexibility is incredible. You can use it to scan a cove before you even pull the boat in. You can map an entire small lake just by trolling it behind your pontoon. The unit has its own internal GPS, so it creates highly accurate bathymetric maps that you can save and review later. The sonar itself is surprisingly powerful, with clear target separation and a strong signal down to 330 feet.

Of course, there are tradeoffs. You’re relying on your phone’s screen and battery, and a phone screen can be tough to see in bright sun. But the benefits are compelling. There is zero installation, it’s completely portable, and it provides data that rivals many fixed-mount units. For the minimalist or non-committal pontoon owner, the Deeper PRO+ 2 offers incredible power in a tiny, castable package.

Key Features for Your Pontoon’s Fishfinder

Choosing the right unit comes down to how you actually use your boat. Don’t get mesmerized by features you’ll never need. Instead, focus on the core functions that will make your time on the water safer and more enjoyable.

Here are the key things to prioritize for a pontoon boat:

• Screen Size & Brightness: This is non-negotiable. An open pontoon deck is a bright environment. Aim for a minimum of a 5-inch screen, and make sure it’s specifically rated for sunlight viewability. A bigger, brighter screen is always better.
• GPS & Mapping: At a bare minimum, you need a built-in GPS for marking waypoints and tracking your speed. A huge step up is a unit with either pre-loaded charts (a true chartplotter) or the ability to create your own maps (live mapping). This is the single most important safety and navigation feature.
• Sonar Type (Down vs. Side Imaging): All these units have traditional 2D and Down Imaging sonar, which shows you what’s directly beneath the boat. Side Imaging is a major upgrade, allowing you to scan huge areas to the left and right. It’s fantastic for finding structure, channels, and hazards without having to drive directly over them.
• Ease of Use: A complicated interface will just gather dust. Look for units with intuitive menus, simple controls (like the Simrad’s rotary dial), or features that simplify interpretation (like Lowrance’s FishReveal). The best unit is the one you’ll actually use every time you go out.

Ultimately, the best fishfinder for your pontoon is one that serves all of your passengers, not just the angler. By prioritizing a bright screen, robust GPS and mapping, and an easy-to-use interface, you’re not just buying a fishing tool. You’re investing in a central command unit that makes every trip safer, more confident, and more fun for everyone aboard.