EZM is quite right. Both Humminbird and Lowrance make good units, but what would be recommended likely depends on budget.
The ability to have GPS mapping on your sonar unit is quite helpful, as is onboard depth map creation. Most manufacturers now have this feature which allows you to map the depth of the lake as you drive, giving you an idea where the drop offs, ledges, weedlines, etc are. Some have additional mapping features like bottom hardness and vegetation.
Since you mention putting the unit in your inflatable I would suggest looking for a portable unit. They typically come with a carrying case and suction cup mount for your transducer, as well as a 12v 9 amp hour battery. The self contained aspect is quite nice in a small boat. An added bonus is that you can get an ice transducer for them and use them for ice fishing as well if you do that. In that case all of you mapping and waypoints from summer come out with you on the ice and you can really put that GPS to work.
I just picked up a Humminbird Helix 5 CHIRP GPS PT from Cabela's. It has all the features outlined above. A bonus for me is that I have big Helix units in my Princecraft, so I can use the Autochart info off those units and put it in this little guy effectively giving me the map I made of the lake depths and all my waypoints. It has an ice fishing mode as well, so I will be picking up an ice transducer for it and using it this hardwater season. I have a 12'd a 16' tiller that I use for smaller and more remote lakes and this unit is perfect for that. Both of these boats have outboards without electric start or charging, so a stand alone sonar unit is helpful as it comes with it's own battery in a tidy package.
If you have any specific questions about Humminbird stuff feel free to give me a PM and I do my best to help you out. I'm not overly familiar with the Lowrance or Garmin options but others on here are.
SS
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