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Location suggestions for mounting transducer inside hull
- Eggbert
- Scurvy Dog
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- Vessel Info: 1985 Carver Santa Cruz 2667
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Location suggestions for mounting transducer inside hull
I’d like to install my new transducer inside the hull, but am rather unsure where to locate it. I’m hoping someone with the same boat, or one with a similar hull shape has some advice.
My options are:
1/ Under forward floor panel, which is roughly 1/3 of the boat length back from the bow. The Lowrance transducer was mounted there, but does lose lock from time to time when cruising around 12 mph. So maybe there’s some bubbles from the chines as the bow rises.
2/ Under the rear floor panel which is where I’d like to try it.
3/ In the engine compartment, which will be awkward to install.
4/ Transom mount, which will require a cable extender and barnacles/mussels do seem to like to call it home.
I’m looking for some general advice. I can move it around a bit on/in a plastic bag full of water to see how it works to pinpoint the final best place to epoxy it down.
Any thoughts?
Ps: Some tidbits of other information
1/ The old Apelco unit failed due to display issues. One of the ribbon cables feeding the LCD has deteriorated over time and can’t be repaired. The nice feature was it displayed speed as the transducer had a paddlewheel, although it did foul from marine growth mid-season.
2/ My new Lowrance unit will display speed, but only from a NMEA device, in other words GPS. But’s that’s fine as I am finally installing a Chart Recorder which can do that, however as both will be located very close together, I can always read speed on the Chart Recorder without making the NMEA connection.
3/ The cable for my new Lowrance Depth-Sounder is a few feet too short to reach from the bridge to the transom and an extender cable is require. It adds considerably to the cost, is way longer than I need, and the mid-cable connection point has some risk of failure, (although not much).
4/ I did call Lowrance on using the transducer to shoot though the hull and they said the only problem was some signal attenuation, so that it might not work at it’s maximum specified depth (approx. 900 to 1000 ft), but that should be fine as I’m generally in water under 100 feet and certainly not over 150 feet.
- km1125
- Admiral
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Re: Location suggestions for mounting transducer inside hull
I put a "through-the-hull" one on my boat last year. I also have a thru-hull on the other side for an older sounder/fishfinder.
Make sure that where you put it is not behind or in line with any thru-hulls or other appendages on the bottom of the hull, like the water intakes for the engines or generator, struts or shafts (do you have outdrives or straight shafts?). You want a clean flow of water under the sounder.
I don't know on that particular model, but you don't have any core in the hull below the waterline, do you? If you do, then it wouldn't be good for a through-the-hull shot, but I don't think those have cores.
- Eggbert
- Scurvy Dog
- Posts: 34
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Re: Location suggestions for mounting transducer inside hull
I may try the engine compartment. I only have the space between the engine and the battery try to work with (although I could unscrew the battery tray and remove it, but then couldn't check to see if the transducer ever comes loose).
Slightly to the port side of that space I have the water pick-up for the engine (Mercruiser 260 sterndrive), so I could mount it on the starboard side a few inches ahead of the water pickup, but not yet under the battery tray.
The deadrise is less back there as well, although I thought of trying to glue the transducer at an angle counteracting the deadrise and making it level... if it matters much.
- bud37
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Re: Location suggestions for mounting transducer inside hull
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- CYO Supporter
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Re: Location suggestions for mounting transducer inside hull
Do you have the ducer already? For what it's worth, in a sterndrive application, a transom mounted unit has it's advantage over a shoot-thru-hull unit in that you'll likely get better definition, it'll be an easier install, you won't have to worry about it coming unglued, and you won't have to worry about the angle of the hull as you can get a straight vertical shot. You can get one with speed and temp and I don't see keeping it clean as being an issue, give it a wipe when you go swimming.
- Eggbert
- Scurvy Dog
- Posts: 34
- Joined: March 8th, 2018, 8:47 am
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- Location: Nova Scotia
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Re: Location suggestions for mounting transducer inside hull
Viper wrote:Source of the postDo you have the ducer already?
I do have the transducer; a transom mount that came with the unit. My original intent was to mount it on the transom, but there's additional cable I have to buy to extend its reach.... most of it to be coiled up, as the original cable is only short a few feet. After speaking to the factory Service fellow, he claims it will still work fine as I don't travel over deep waters.
As to glue it down level, I was thinking of making a little damn around it... out of plasticine, or clay, or even RTV, to hold the epoxy from running out while its curing. Leveling the transduce would therefore not be a problem.
I was checking under the boat today and found a curious thing. There are a total of 4 strakes along the hull, two outer, and two inner per side. The outer ones end at the transom, but the inner ones stop some 5 or 6 feet from the transom AND curl inwards for about 2 to 3 inches towards the center line. I'm not sure why, unless it is to direct some water flow under the stern to provide a little more lift.
At any rate, it seems mounting in the engine bay may not be good due to turbulence from these 90 degree inwards pointing strakes. I'll have to do some precise measuring to tell for sure.
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