Transducer Mounting

[DEFIANT]

I would prefer not to mount my transducer on the transom of the boat. I seem to recall reading that a transducer can be mounted in the bilge area as long as it is level, surrounded in epoxy and over an area of the hull that does not produce bubbles. Is this true?

If this can be done is there a loss of sensativity, is a special transducer needed?

Any advice or feedback is welcomed!

[Wilson]

I think you are confused.

A transom mount actually bolts on to the back of the boat.  A shoot through goes inside the boat (often times the bilge) and actually shoots throught the hull.  You need solid  glass, no core and no bubbles in the glass.  You then epoxy it down to the hull.  There is a substantial loss in power.

[gofish]

Yep, Wilson is right on it.. There is also the hull transducer which requires drilling a hole (some up to 2"+) in the bottom of the hull.

I prefer the transom mount, just mount in the correct area and always seal holes and srews for mounting and it will work great.

[Seadog]

I started mounting the transom mount transducers on a piece of mahogany epoxied to the transom.  Then drill the holes for the 'ducer mounting in the wood.

I think the less holes you drill in the transom the better!

[Wilson]

We got a shoot through.  We'll see how she works soon enough.

[Radioshop]

I always thought about building a modified sea chest into bilge of the boat for through hulls.  usually a sea chest is where through hull water fittings go,  but in my vision, it would be a glassed in compartment around the xducer, if the through hull leaks, it fills a relatively small area.  The top could be sealed on with 5200 and, secured with lots screws.  It would be even better if this sea chest's top edge were above the water line.  In theory, water would only rise to water line level.  Cables could come out of tubes that would be sealed.  In most cases when through hulls fail, they simply fill the entire bilge unchecked which increases weight, which causes the boat to sit lower in the water, which raises the water line and, given enough time that water line will go over the bow rail.  Using the sea chest idea the only thing that fills is a cubic foot area.  Obviously this idea caries the usual disclaimers and, it is only a concept.

[DEFIANT]

Radioshop, you are really thinking out of the box, or should I say in the chest!

I do appreciate all of the feedback!

I guess I'll epoxy a piece of wood to the transom and put the transducer back on the transom as suggested.

There were a lot of old screw holes filled with caulking on my old transom. Now that I am rebuilding it, I will make a point of keeping the number of holes drilled into it to a minimum.

Thanks again for the information!

[Reeltronics Rob]

Shoot thru hull transducers should be used only in solid cored hulls. In other words, wood core will not work. Too many air voids will give false readings.

Many shoot thru hull applications do not require a hole in the hull. They can be mounted with a thick, bubble-free, layer of silicone. It all depends on the type of transducer. I have many customers that are very happy with shoot-thru ducers. It is more important to know what your hull material is than anything else.

ANY air voids can premote false pings or bad readings. You can speak with the boat builder to find out what core meterial you have and thereby decide what type of transducer to use.

Also, for mounting a shoot thru ducer, you need not use epoxy, a suitable silicone will work fine. It is much better for this install than expoxy. If the ducer needs to be pulled up, a peice of kingfish wire can be used to 'saw' it off. Just wrap the wire on a couple screw driver handles or dowels. Pretty much the same thing as a cheese cutter.

Put a THICK coating of 3M 5200 on the bottom of the ducer and grind it in real hard. Be sure to avoid any air voids.