All Tested Simrad Models (1)
Simrad GO9: Full Review and Price
Full ReviewSimrad traces back to 1946, when Willy Christian Simonsen founded Simonsen Radio to develop echo-sounding equipment; the Simrad name itself was adopted the following year. Nearly eight decades later, the brand is still building marine electronics, though the company around it has changed hands several times. In 2006, Simrad Yachting merged with Lowrance Electronics under their shared owner to form Navico, which means Simrad and Lowrance are sister brands today, not competitors from unrelated companies. Navico itself was acquired by Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division and Altor Fund IV in 2016, then by Brunswick Corporation in 2021. Navico is now described as the world's largest marine electronics company, with roughly 1,800 employees and headquarters in Egersund, Norway.
Where Simrad Sits in the Market
On the cleaned SEMrush export used to build this site's architecture, the Simrad brand cluster carries 100,190 cumulated search volume, one of the largest single-brand clusters we tracked. That volume skews commercial rather than purely informational: buyers searching "simrad go9" or "simrad fish finder" tend to already know the brand and want to confirm a specific model before buying, not learn what a fish finder is.
Simrad's real positioning sits closer to mid-range-and-up than budget. The four models we've reviewed individually range from $899 to over $1,000, and Simrad also sells a higher-end NSS4 series (10-inch, 12-inch, and 16-inch displays) at one confirmed retailer for $3,199 to $6,499. If you're shopping on a tight budget, Simrad generally isn't the first brand to check; if you want a display built to grow into a fuller networked setup (sonar, radar, engine monitoring), it's a real contender.
The Simrad Models We've Tested
We've reviewed four Simrad models individually, each chosen because its own search volume was large enough to justify a dedicated page rather than a shared mention:
The Simrad GO9 is the largest-volume model in our dataset for this brand, a 9-inch touchscreen chartplotter with a sharp 1920x1080 display, though it ships with no transducer included. The Simrad GO7 is its 7-inch sibling, a real $200 cheaper but at a noticeably lower 800x480 resolution. The Simrad NSS12 evo3 is a step up in capability, a 12-inch hybrid touchscreen-and-keypad display built to power higher-end sonar and radar add-ons, though we couldn't confirm a current price for it after checking four separate sources. And the Simrad Cruise 7 is the one honest gap in this lineup: we confirmed its 7-inch screen size through Simrad's own accessory naming, but couldn't find the base display unit for sale anywhere we checked, which is itself worth knowing before you go looking for one.
The full, current list of every Simrad model reviewed on this site, along with real photos where we could source them, appears below.
What CHIRP and Sonar Mean Across the Simrad Lineup
One pattern holds across every GO-series and NSS-series model we checked: the display and the sonar transducer are sold separately. Simrad's own product descriptions are direct about this, describing the transducer as an add-on that unlocks CHIRP sonar and fish-finding once connected. If you're comparing a Simrad chartplotter against a standalone fish finder that ships with a transducer included, factor that separate purchase into the real total cost before deciding which is actually cheaper.
Where to Buy a Simrad Fish Finder
Amazon.com is the merchant we could most reliably verify prices and stock through for this brand, including the GO9 XSE and GO7 XSR models above. Bass Pro Shops and West Marine both carry Simrad as well, though we haven't yet independently confirmed either merchant's commission rate or cookie window, so we're not stating those terms here until they're verified. We'll update this page and each model review once that's confirmed.
FAQ
Is Simrad a good brand for fish finders?
Simrad sits in the mid-range-and-up part of the market, with real, capable hardware, but it isn't a budget brand, our reviewed models range from $899 to over $1,000, before adding a required transducer.
Is Simrad the same company as Lowrance?
They're sister brands, not the same company. Simrad Yachting and Lowrance Electronics merged in 2006 under a shared owner to form Navico, and both brands are still sold today under that same parent company (now owned by Brunswick Corporation).
Do Simrad fish finders come with a transducer included?
Not in the models we reviewed. The GO9, GO7, and NSS12 evo3 all sell the display and the sonar transducer as separate purchases.
Which Simrad model should I buy?
It depends on budget and how much you plan to expand the system later. The GO7 and GO9 are simpler, fully-priced touchscreen chartplotters; the NSS12 evo3 is built for a more fully-networked boat with room to add higher-end sonar and radar. See each model's own review for the specifics.
Is the Simrad Cruise 7 still available?
We couldn't confirm that it is. We found real accessories for it (a compatible transducer, sun covers) but no listing for the base display unit at any of the retailers we checked. See our Simrad Cruise 7 review for the full detail.
Sources
- [S001] Wikipedia (EN) : Navico
- [S002] Amazon.com : Simrad GO9 XSE product page
- [S003] Tackle Warehouse : Simrad brand category page