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The current fish finder on our boat is the one that came on it in 1999. It finally broke. looking at the new ones, and I'm thinking about the Loweance hook2 9 inch. At almost a grand, it's got me wondering. What kind of life span can I expect to have from it? Will be used about 5 days a month March-November
Since they are new and haven't been around your question can't be answered. Modern electronics do last a lot longer than older ones.
Tough question because most update more often for newer enhancements or capabilities. I would guess there would be other problems arising with wiring, transducers, etc. before the FF actually fails. Probably safe to say they last beyond the manufacturer's support in most cases if taken care of.
maybe email support of one of the brands and ask what the acceptable lifespan is.
they should all have a typical number
A great question, hope to see plenty response.
Well just to add my 2cents... I bought a bird about two years ago and i have had power issues with it off and on since i bought it. I broke down a couple of days ago when it would not power on and looked inside and they use a pressure fit electrical connector-like the one's in your house, except a whole lot smaller,where they stick the wires into the back of a receptacle connector instead of stripping,bending and placing them around the screw heads. The power wires were just pushed into the minute sized connector which evidently didn't get the proper attention they deserved at that time or they vibrated loose. With this style of design, one can expect a shorter life from the newer gadgets..
We'll...the one thing that I have an issue with is the warranty. Without doing a lot of researching I think the standard warranty is one or two years. That's not a lot when compared to other products. Especially when you talk about the money some of them cost. I will say I have four older fish finders that still work . I sort of have a problem with a 300 to 2000 dollar investment without a 5 year or better warranty. I mean really in a limited warranty where you are just covering against defects in construction at your own discretion how much confidence do you have in your product when you only offer a year or two. . Thats a lot different then a " no matter what the problem we will cover it" warranty.
I believe most of the better ones will last until a "newer, fancier" one catches you attention and you must have the newest and best