Elite 3 fishfinder

Hi guys
Have anyone of you tested the new Elite 3 fishfinder from lowrance? Price is pretty good ($99) but i am not sure how it compares to the elite 4 hdi (that is twice the price...). Is downscan imagine really necessary and justifies $100 more? Is this and the screen size the only difference with the 4 hdi model?
I was about to buy the 4hdi model but the price difference makes me think twice...

I have the DSI and like the down scan on it, and the screen is already pretty small. Feel like 3 inches may be tough.

look, i have the HDI 4 on my kayak and to be honest i wish i had saved extra 150 to buy the HDI 5. i can only imagine how annoying it must be on a 3" screen. is down scan worth it? absolutely. you can distinguish bait fish balls from brush piles and such. ill be saving money this off season and get the hdi 5 the next.

Ok thanks, I will avoid the elite 3 then, but the elite5 is a bit pricy for me...
Besides lowrance does anyother brand have something worth it i. The price range?

are these portable? how u put one of these bad larrys on a kayak?

You don't really need a portable model. There are many ways to rig one on a kayak. You can make the transducer shoot through the hull, or mount it externally. Power can be supplied by rechargeable batteries made for kayaks and small boats, or you can improvise and use other things for power supplies.
I mounted a Lowrance X-4 on my kayak, transducer mounted on the stern externally, powered by a 20v Lithium battery from a Black and Decker cordless drill. I can usually run my fish finder for about 18 to 20 hours total before I need to recharge the battery.
One thing you have to remember about fish finders - the view of the bottom is about 1/3 of the depth you are fishing in. So, if you are sitting in 3 feet of water and you are stationary, you are only seeing 1 foot of the bottom - a fish would have to swim directly through the 20 degree cone to register.... I turned the Fish ID off on my unit - it was saying every weed with some kind of leafy top attached to a skinny stem was a fish. I primarily use it for water temp and depth. I imagine the fish finder aspect of higher end units on a boat that you are going to go out in 30 to 50 feet of water would be a fantastic thing. But for me on my kayak, paddling local ponds, I have all I need and got what I paid for.

humminbird has a nice portable case and mount you can use with several models of finder. there are several lower end models that should work for you but it's all about what you're looking to get out of it like others have said. do you just want depth, water temperature, and idea of what structure is under water or do you want to see high level detail like baitfish, game fish etc?

http://www.humminbird.com/Category/Company/Newsletter-Signup/

I agree that there is no need for a portable.

Electrician's putty at Home Depot/Lowes is all you need for a Kayak installation.

It's cheap, easy to install, easy to remove and from my experience works pretty darn well. The only real drawback is that you don't get super accurate temp readings.

I have a DSI unit and it shoots through the hull of my yak just fine.

i'd probably want a real nice one that gives all details. i still can't picture how it would shoot thru the hull etc.. but this is not in the immediate future.