Chartplotters
Lowrance Elite FS 9 review
Quick answer
The Lowrance Elite FS 9 is a $1,099.00 chartplotter that ships with the Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer and C-MAP Contour Plus charts preloaded, and it accepts ActiveTarget live sonar without a separate sonar module. The catch: ActiveTarget itself is a separate purchase that can add more than the screen already cost.
The Lowrance Elite FS 9 sits at the middle of Lowrance's touchscreen chartplotter line, on a 9 inch multi touchscreen with the Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer and C-MAP Contour Plus cartography included in the $1,099.00 price. That combination, CHIRP sonar, SideScan and DownScan Imaging from one included transducer, plus a real chart of the lake rather than a blank basemap, is the entire argument for buying an Elite FS over a cheaper screen.
This review is built from Lowrance's published specifications for the Elite FS line and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews of the Elite FS 9 specifically. Where a spec is not stated in Lowrance's own listing, that gap is called out directly rather than filled in with a guess.
On this page
- What ships in the box that a bare screen does not
- Published specifications across the Elite FS line
- The catch: ActiveTarget live sonar costs extra
- Alternatives: budget down to the FS 7, or sideways to a bundled live sonar unit
- Elite FS 9 against the size below and the bundled live sonar alternative
- Why the preloaded charts matter more than they sound
- Who should buy the Elite FS 9
What ships in the box that a bare screen does not
Open an Elite FS 9 and the Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer is already in the package, reading CHIRP sonar, SideScan and DownScan Imaging together with Lowrance's FishReveal overlay. C-MAP Contour Plus charts are preloaded too, showing lake contours, ledges and drop-offs on the first trip rather than after a separate chart purchase. That is a genuinely different starting point than Garmin's Striker or ECHOMAP line and Humminbird's Helix line, both of which sell the transducer or the cartography, and sometimes both, as an upsell rather than including it in the box.
Published specifications across the Elite FS line
Lowrance sells the Elite FS across four screen sizes on the same transducer and chart bundle. The table below lines them up against the price gap.
The Elite FS 9 is the middle screen size in the line, at $1,099.00 with the same Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer as the smaller and larger units.
Published figure A published engineering, regulatory or manufacturer figure. It does not change because somebody disagrees with it.
| Model | Screen | Transducer | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowrance Elite FS 7 | 7 in | Active Imaging 3-in-1 | $949.00 |
| Lowrance Elite FS 9 | 9 in | Active Imaging 3-in-1 | $1,099.00 |
| Lowrance Elite FS 10 | 10 in | Active Imaging 3-in-1 | $1,999.00 |
| Lowrance Elite FS 12 | 12 in | Active Imaging 3-in-1 | $2,599.00 |
Prices are the manufacturer list prices published with each listing and move with retailer promotions.
The catch: ActiveTarget live sonar costs extra
Lowrance's own listing describes the Elite FS 9 as ActiveTarget ready, not ActiveTarget included. Adding real time live sonar means buying an ActiveTarget 2 or ActiveTarget 2 XL system separately, and that purchase commonly runs close to the price of the screen itself. The genuine advantage here is that the FS 9 needs no extra sonar black box to run ActiveTarget once it is bought, unlike some competing systems that require a separate module between the transducer and the display. The screen is ready. The live sonar hardware is not in the box, and buyers pricing this unit at $1,099.00 alone are pricing roughly half of what a live sonar equipped Elite FS actually costs.
Alternatives: budget down to the FS 7, or sideways to a bundled live sonar unit
Buyers who like everything about the Elite FS 9 except the price should look at the Elite FS 7, the same Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer and C-MAP Contour Plus charts on a 7 inch screen for $150 less. Buyers chasing screen area for a split view of chart, sonar and eventually ActiveTarget should step up to the Elite FS 10 or the Elite FS 12, both on the same transducer and chart bundle at a larger diagonal. Anyone who wants live sonar without pricing a separate ActiveTarget purchase at all should instead look at the Eagle Eye 9, which bundles a complete live sonar system with its screen for less than the Elite FS 9 costs alone, at the cost of giving up SideScan and DownScan on a second transducer.
Elite FS 9 against the size below and the bundled live sonar alternative
| Specification | Lowrance Elite FS 9 | Lowrance Elite FS 7 | Lowrance Eagle Eye 9 Live Sonar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,099.00 | $949.00 | $999.00 |
| Screen size | 9 in | 7 in | not published |
| Transducer included | Active Imaging 3-in-1 | Active Imaging 3-in-1 | not published |
| Cartography | C-MAP Contour Plus | C-MAP Contour Plus | not published |
Every figure above is the manufacturer own published specification. Where a maker does not publish a figure the cell reads "not published" rather than carrying an estimate, because on ratings and currents an estimate that reads as a specification is a safety problem rather than a gap.
Why the preloaded charts matter more than they sound
A blank Quickdraw style map, built only from water the boat has already crossed, is genuinely useful once a lake has been fished a season or two. C-MAP Contour Plus on the Elite FS 9 skips that waiting period entirely, showing ledges, drop-offs and ditches on the very first trip to a lake nobody in the boat has fished before. Lowrance preloading cartography this way is a real differentiator against Garmin and Humminbird, both of which sell their equivalent premium charts, LakeMaster, CoastMaster or Garmin Navionics+, as a separate purchase on most of their comparable screens. That difference alone can be worth more than the sonar specifications to anyone who fishes new water often.
Who should buy the Elite FS 9
This is the right screen for a bass boat or console owner who wants a full featured touchscreen with cartography and a capable transducer included, and who is planning to add ActiveTarget on a second purchase rather than at checkout. It is the wrong screen for anyone whose whole reason for buying is live sonar on day one and who has not already priced ActiveTarget into the total, or for a buyer with only a 7 inch cutout available in the console.
How we chose
We did not test this equipment in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets, published engineering and regulatory figures, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real thrust rating, a real published amp draw, a real capacity or a real conductor size rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its published capability actually belongs. We rejected the unbranded flood that dominates several of these search results, because a lithium pack whose management board is the only thing between a cell fault and a fire, a breaker protecting a battery cable, a life jacket and a bracket holding a two thousand dollar motor to the bow at highway speed are all parts whose failure has a consequence nobody can walk away from. Where a figure is convention rather than a published standard we label it that way, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we leave it out instead of estimating it.
Sources
- Lowrance published specifications for the Elite FS 7, 9, 10 and 12
- Lowrance published specifications for the Eagle Eye 9 Live Sonar
- Garmin and Humminbird published cartography policies for comparison
- Verified owner reviews of the Lowrance Elite FS 9 on major retail listings
Frequently asked questions
Does the Lowrance Elite FS 9 include ActiveTarget live sonar?
No. The $1,099.00 price covers the head unit and the Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer only. ActiveTarget 2 or ActiveTarget 2 XL is a separate purchase that connects to the Elite FS 9 without needing an additional sonar black box, which is genuinely simpler than some competing systems, but the hardware itself is not included at this price.
What charts come preloaded on the Elite FS 9?
C-MAP Contour Plus, showing detailed lake contours, ledges, drop-offs and ditches out of the box rather than requiring a separate chart card purchase. That is a genuine difference against Garmin and Humminbird screens at a similar price, which commonly sell their equivalent premium cartography, Garmin Navionics+ or LakeMaster, as an added cost rather than bundling it in.
What is the difference between the Elite FS 7 and the Elite FS 9?
Screen size and price. Both ship with the same Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer and the same C-MAP Contour Plus charts. The FS 7 runs a 7 inch screen for $949.00, and the FS 9 steps up to 9 inches for $1,099.00. Sonar and chart capability are otherwise identical between the two.
Does the Elite FS 9 need a separate transducer for SideScan?
No. The included Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer reads CHIRP sonar, SideScan and DownScan Imaging together, combined through Lowrance's FishReveal overlay. A separate transducer purchase is only needed to add ActiveTarget live sonar, not to use SideScan or DownScan, both of which work from the transducer already in the box.
Can the Elite FS 9 network with other Lowrance or compatible displays?
Lowrance's published listing describes wireless, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet connectivity built into the Elite FS 9, intended to connect compatible displays, sonar and boat control systems together. Specific compatibility with a particular trolling motor or a second screen should be confirmed against that other device's own published specifications before assuming a link works.
Is the Elite FS 9 worth it over the Eagle Eye 9?
It depends on whether live sonar is needed on day one. The Eagle Eye 9 bundles a complete live sonar system for less money but drops SideScan. The Elite FS 9 costs more once ActiveTarget is added, but keeps SideScan, DownScan and a screen ready to accept live sonar without buying a new head unit later.
Get the complete rigging shopping list
Every item in the beginner, intermediate and expert rigs for both a boat and a kayak, with running totals, in one printable list. No charge.
One list, no sequence of daily emails, and you can leave at any time.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published engineering and regulatory figures, manufacturer specifications and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Figures described as a rule of thumb are boating convention rather than published standards, and they are labelled that way wherever they appear. Marine electrical work is not house wiring. Use tinned, finely stranded marine cable, size it for voltage drop and for the ABYC E-11 ampacity table rather than one or the other, and put overcurrent protection within seven inches of the battery positive terminal, because everything between the post and the fuse is unprotected. A lithium battery needs a charger with a lithium profile. Never load a boat past its capacity plate, and remember that canoes and kayaks carry no federal capacity plate at all, so their stated capacity is the manufacturer own figure. Wear the life jacket, and treat early season water as the hazard it is: cold water immersion takes your breath and then your hands long before it takes your core.