I need to replace the front depth finder on my boat and have been thinking about adding a Livescope. I'm not a depth finder guy ( ie just use them as a quick glance while I'm fishing an area) but want to up my game. It is somewhat hard to filter through the web searches as it appears to be mostly parts of the system - transducers, through hull transducers , etc.

Any recommendations for a full entry level system and cost for the system? I have an 18 foot bay express so just an avg size front deck and I'm not planning on using to spend more time looking than fishing. Would like a system with front / side view for when I'm fishing Keith Lake system which is all 3-4 feet coastal marsh

I would be interested to know as well. I'm currently restoring a 2004 Hurricane 198R. Need a new depth finder as the current one is original.

"Would like a system with front / side view for when I'm fishing Keith Lake system which is all 3-4 feet coastal marsh."

If this is your intended primary use then Livescope is going to be a waste of money. Livescope is designed for offshore bass fishing. Without getting too complex, you need to be fishing in water at least 6 ft deep at minimum. Ideally at least 10 ft.

Livescope does have a mode called called Perspective which is designed for shallow water but isn't a true live sonar. (Forward-facing is live sonar).

Listen to this man. He is correct.

If you do want a less expensive option of forward facing sonar I suggest you look at Lowrance's Eagle Eye 9" System. Comes with FFS transducer and 9" head unit.
About $1000.00.
Or you can put together a nice Garmin budget system by
getting a Garmin EchoMap UHD 93SV paired with the Garmin Panoptics Livescope Transducer System for around $2000.
From that you move up to more larger screens and FFS modules and you are going to be in the $2500 plus range.

Except that Perspective mode is live forward facing sonar, just turned 90 degrees (flat), instead of vertical.

I run two LSV-34s and two 1243s on the front of my boat. One is set up in normal mode (vertical), the other in Perspective (horizontal).

I was not commenting on the unit. I was commenting that he was correct that FFS was not meant for 3-4 ft water.

That's an antiquated way of thinking about FFS. Perspective mode is a killer in shallow water since you can see exactly where they are in real time, along with which direction they're moving. The biggest blowout in Elite Series history came this year with someone exclusively scoping fish in that depth.

My apologies, I misunderstood. You are correct again, sir.

As I replied to the other poster….argue with maroonedinaustin. I agreed with him that true FFS (not withstanding Garmins perspective mode) is not really meant for that shallow water.
If the OP buys a Lowrance or Hummingbird he is going to be unhappy with its performance in that shallow water imho. Just what maroonedinaustin stated in his post.

Gunny456 said:

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As I replied to the other poster….argue with maroonedinaustin. I agreed with him that true FFS (not withstanding Garmins perspective mode) is not really meant for that shallow water.
If the OP buys a Lowrance or Hummingbird he is going to be unhappy with its performance in that shallow water imho. Just what maroonedinaustin stated in his post.

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I just displayed my ignorance on the systems - I want a true live scope for deeper bass fishing - I thought the live scope system also included a side/ front view as part of the package. I do more lake fishing but my passion is shallow water reds which I only get to do few times a year because of my distance to coast. Great recommendations - thanks

You can certainly get units that have the capability of having side-scan, down scan, and forward facing sonar (Livescope) all in the same unit. Garmin, Lowrance and Humminbird all make them. It's typically (depending on the unit's capabilities) depending on transducer types.

One thing not previously mentioned is wiring. I would highly recommend either buying a premade wiring harness to run power to your unit and sonar box or building your own with heavy gauge marine wire and a quality fuse block.

Clean power (not from your boats existing wiring and direct from your battery) means a clear picture.

Yes sir. Good info for him.

ReelAg6 said:

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One thing not previously mentioned is wiring. I would highly recommend either buying a premade wiring harness to run power to your unit and sonar box or building your own with heavy gauge marine wire and a quality fuse block.

Clean power (not from your boats existing wiring and direct from your battery) means a clear picture.

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Spend the extra dollars on lithium as well

Gunny - what would I gain with Panoptix over the Lowrance Eagle? Better clarity of the structure and the ability to see clear images of fish moving ? Is there a big learning curve difference between the two? I also don't want to spend $1000 and then regret not spending a little more for.a big difference in images.

Also what are your thoughts on this system - have a later option to add live scope transducer if I want/ need more than this package has

Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 93sv 9" Fish Finder/Chartplotter with GT56UHD-TM Transducer and Garmin Navionics+ US Inland Mapping

AgDad. I really wish I could help you more but our company does not OEM with Garmin. We just do Lowrance and Humminbird. So I have limited knowledge of Garmin in comparison in real life.
There are some guys on here that can answer your question much better than myself.
I do know the Garmin sales rep. Good friend. I will reach out to him for some input for you. I will call him tomorrow. Usually takes him a day or two to return calls.
I will post what he says.
In the meantime hopefully some more knowledgeable guys on Garmin models and features will join the thread for you.
I will find out what I can though. It will help me learn more too!
I can say with confidence that Garmin builds good equipment. Each brand kinda is good at something….Hummingbird has the best side-scan, Lowrance has great picture quality. Garmin leads in forward facing sonar technology. IMHO.

Gunny - thanks for all the help. I may be caught up in the Garmin live scope hype as that is all you hear about lately and missing good options in the price range I'm looking at in Lowrance and Humminbird products.

The chartplotter you listed is compatible with Livescope, so yes, you can add it later.

I'd check Bass Boat Central and TexasFishingForum before you go to the store.

https://www.bbcboards.net/forumdisplay.php?f=12
https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/22/1/trading-post-swap-classifieds