Garmin Striker Vivid 9sv for kayak fishing in large, deep rivers – good choice for beginner?

Hi everyone,

I’m setting up my first fish finder on a pedal kayak (FeelFree Lure 11.5 V2) and looking for advice.

I fish large, deep lowland rivers with steady current (not whitewater), with complex structure like drop-offs, rock areas, ledges, and submerged trees. Depth and bottom composition change often, and I frequently fish unfamiliar areas.

My main goal is reading bottom structure and learning the water, not just spotting fish.

I mostly cast hard and soft lures, with occasional light trolling.
I’m considering the Garmin Striker Vivid 9sv with GT52HW-TM transducer.
Since I’m a complete beginner in fishing with fishfinder, I’d like to know:

• Is this a good unit for kayak fishing in these conditions?
• Is SideVu with GT52 good enough for structure scanning?
• Is lack of Navionics/maps a real disadvantage?
• Is 9” too big for kayak use?

Any advice or real-world experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!