When you're settling on marine electronics sonar navigation, the first fork is usually between a dedicated fishfinder and a full chartplotter. The two Garmin units in this head-to-head sit at opposite ends of a $65 to $699.95 price spread: the GARMIN Fishfinder Depth Finder 80 Marine Boat Sonar and the GARMIN GPS MAP 8008 VOLVO PENTA TOUCH SCREEN CHARTPLOTTER 2VD000078 MARINE BOAT. One is a purpose-built sonar for anglers; the other is a touch screen navigation station meant to plug into a larger electronics network.
Quick Verdict
If your priority is finding fish and reading bottom depth without overcomplicating your setup, the Fishfinder 80 is the straightforward pick. If your priority is a large touch screen for GPS chartplotting, with connections for engine data, NMEA, and video, the GPS MAP 8008 Volvo Penta is the unit to consider. The split is clean: a sonar specialist versus a connected chartplotter.
At a Glance
| Product | Listed Price | What It Offers | Price Bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| GARMIN Fishfinder Depth Finder 80 Marine Boat Sonar | USD 65.00 | Sonar sensors, decimal and imperial readouts, durable plastic housing for marine use | |
| GARMIN GPS MAP 8008 VOLVO PENTA TOUCH SCREEN CHARTPLOTTER 2VD000078 MARINE BOAT | USD 699.95 | Touch screen chartplotter with GPS, NMEA/network/video connections |
Where the Fishfinder 80 Wins
- It is the lower-priced entry point in this pairing, and its sonar sensors plus decimal and imperial measurement options cover the essentials for fishing-focused depth finding.
- The plastic housing is described as durable for harsh marine environments, so it's a simple, dependable tool for boats that don't need a full navigation screen.
Where the GPS MAP 8008 Wins
- It is the touch screen chartplotter, and its description lists an extensive set of connections: NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000, four network ports, DVI-I video, CVBS inputs, engine, house, and power connections.
- This is the unit that can become the center of a networked helm, pulling GPS and boat system data onto one screen.
Product Notes
GARMIN Fishfinder Depth Finder 80 Marine Boat Sonar
The GARMIN Fishfinder Depth Finder 80 is the right tool when your outing is centered on angling. Its overall design is sonar-first, which fits the name, and it offers both decimal and imperial measurement systems, so you can read depth in the units you prefer. The plastic housing is listed as durable for marine environments, and the country of origin is the United States. The concrete reason to choose it is that it gives you a focused fishing and depth-finding instrument without the layout complexity or expense of a full chartplotter. The limitation to weigh is scope. Everything listed points to sonar and depth work, not GPS navigation; it is not pretending to be the all-in-one helm display that the GPS MAP 8008 is. If you already have navigation handled and only need fish and bottom readings, this is the pick.
GARMIN GPS MAP 8008 VOLVO PENTA TOUCH SCREEN CHARTPLOTTER 2VD000078 MARINE BOAT
The GARMIN GPS MAP 8008 Volvo Penta Touch Screen Chartplotter steps in when your boat needs more than depth readings. The title tells the story: it is a touch screen chartplotter, and the description backs that up with connections for NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000, four network ports, DVI-I video, CVBS inputs, engine data, house data, and power. It also lists mounting holes and dimensions of roughly 7 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches, so this is designed to be installed into a helm rather than carried around. The concrete reason to choose it is connectivity: it pulls GPS, engine, and video into one display. The limitation is the flip side of that integration. It is a specialized Volvo Penta-branded unit, and the cabling and mounting are a bigger project than a simple standalone sonar.
Final Choice by Use Case
Choose the GARMIN Fishfinder Depth Finder 80 Marine Boat Sonar when you want a fishing-first sonar with depth readouts and you don't need chartplotting. Choose the GARMIN GPS MAP 8008 VOLVO PENTA TOUCH SCREEN CHARTPLOTTER 2VD000078 MARINE BOAT when you're building a networked helm around GPS, engine integration, video, and touch control.
