Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

[bashr52]

I just got a nice HDR 600 with deep/shallow water alarm. I'm tired of finding the shallow spots in the river with the engine

Anyway, it has a puck style in-hull transducer. I imagine a good spot to mount it would be on the transom, so even up on plane, it will still be in the water. I have no idea how to install it though, as being a used unit, theres no paperwork. It's going in a Boston Whaler, so its a double walled foam hull.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

 

[Capt'n Chris]

Re: Humminbird HDR 600 Transducer help

Re: Humminbird HDR 600 Transducer help

As you mentioned, the Whaler has a foam core and is a major operation to install a transducer to either as a "shoot thru" or as a 'through-hull". Is the puck designed for a transom mount and is there a mounting bracket with it? I think your unit comes standard with a XHS-6-16 transducer which has a transom bracket.

We manufacture the SternMate? mounting system which would eliminate the screw-holes in your transom, allow you to manage the adjustments of it and give you a nice clean way to mount it.

Captain Chris

 

[bashr52]

Re: Humminbird HDR 600 Transducer help

Re: Humminbird HDR 600 Transducer help

I'm not sure what it is, I havnt gotten it yet. On the humminbird site they show the mount with bracket on the transom. They said there is an option for an in-hull one though? I guess I may just have to wait till I get it and take a pic of it.

I asked which style it was and was just told it was the puck style in-hull.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Humminbird HDR 600 Transducer help

Re: Humminbird HDR 600 Transducer help

Here's a pic of the transducer-

My other question is this. My understanding is the stock generator on my motor (1960) would only do like 3 watts. All I use it for is to start the engine, and to run the depth finder. Would a 5 watt solar charger be sufficent to keep the battery topped, even with the depth finder working?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

That puck is clearly designed as a trolling motor mount. The two ears that stick up accept a large stainless steel hose clamp that goes around the motor, through the ears and the cable exits through the small slot to keep from being pinched. This unit can be installed as a through hull but only on boats in which that technique works. It appears you will need to fashion some sort of "L" shaped bracket to mount it on the back of the boat. Even then, it must be in the water at speed so if something as small as a twig hits the transducer it is likely to break off. Most transom mounts have a pivoting mount that allows the transducer to swing up when struck. As a word of warning, by the time you see shallow water on the screen, you are already in it. Sounders see what is directly below the boat, not what is ahead of it.

Your alternator probably has a 5 amp, not a 5 watt output. 5 watts at 12 volts would result in alternator output of .4 amps and is therefore not enough to light a moderate sized bulb. So to answer your question, no, a 5 watt solar panel will not do the job while everything is being used. It would "help" when the boat is not being used for a few days.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

Yes sorry it is a 3 amp output on the stock generator. Mine has the electric start option, but no charging system. Just looking for something to help. I may try to retro fit a charging system on to it. I'll have to take a pic of the actual unit when I get it in tomorrow, that was just a pic I found online labeled as the puck style.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

Well that is the transducer they sent me. It appears it was advertised wrong. I'm trying to get a hold of the seller, to see how it was mounted in the boat it was removed from. The outside of it is pretty nasty, so it looks like it was glued into place at one time. Is my only option to mount it on the rear of the boat? Any way to intall it into the foam hull and have it work through the bottom? I think I could install it on the rear of the boat with the bottom level with the bottom of the boat, since that is always under water, even up on plane.

[/IMG]

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

Level with the bottom of the boat won't work as there are too many bubbles and water disturbances. Transducers need to be mounted so they are fully "wetted" and in turbulent free water or else mounted as a shoot through hull style. As was mentioned, construction of your boat probably does not allow that.

 

[Capt'n Chris]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

You didn't mention that you were buying used stuff. if you had ordered new, you had a choice of that or transom mounted style. That looks like it has been sitting in some nasty bilge. No wonder they wanted to sell it.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

they pulled it out of a boat that was being scrapped. The nasty stuff on it is the silicon they used to stick it to the hull. It all came off with a little paint thinner. I tested it all and it works, now I just need to figure out how to mount it. On Humminbird's site they say they will exchange the transducers for eachother, though with the construction of my boat, I'm not sure even a true thru-hull transducer will do any better.

 

[John_S]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

On Humminbird's site they say they will exchange the transducers for eachother,

I think that applies to only new and unused product. Used or old and out of production units: I think you are out of luck on that. A call to HB tech support might provide info on what transducers can be used with this unit, but it is highly likely anything new wouldn't be worth it. It might provide info for the right transducer to be looking for on ebay, though.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

OK according to humminbird the unit I have is a thru-hull style, or can be transom mounted. Looks to me like I have 2 options. 1) Drill through the first layer of fiberglass and hollow out an area of foam to mount the transducer against the lower hull (last resort), or 2) Make a mount and mount it like they show in the manual for this unit-

 

[dmccaffrey]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

OK according to humminbird the unit I have is a thru-hull style, or can be transom mounted. Looks to me like I have 2 options. 1) Drill through the first layer of fiberglass and hollow out an area of foam to mount the transducer against the lower hull (last resort), or 2) Make a mount and mount it like they show in the manual for this unit-

Or you can just go the Humminbird online store and buy this:

http://store.humminbird.com/products/271654/MHX_XT

It'll cost you all of $10 plus shipping.

 

[John_S]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

I have never seen a HB round puck xducer used in a transom bracket. The pictures above are not the same transducer and the linked to mount will not fit. The tabs on the one in his photo are on the outside edge, vs the picture and mount linked are offset toward the inside. Now, I have seen the reversed. Where a transom xducer is used without mount for a shoot thru hull.

From the photo, I can't tell if there is a hole for mounting bolts vs just the slit for the hose clamp. If you provide the inside dimension, I can check some of my HB mounts, and let you know if one may be close enough to mod. Even if it fits, the round front edge is going to cause a significant rooster tail.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

There are holes as well as slots for mounting it. I may just end up imbedding it in the hull, and going from there.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

I took the plunge with a 2 inch hole saw. Removed top 'glass, cut the inner foam out with hole saw (centering bit removed) and then scraped it down to the bare outer hull, and vacuumed/dried it all out. Then a whole layer of sealer on the bottom, and to the sides of the transducer, and pushed it home. Replaced foam on top of transducer, sealed everything up with silicon, and then replaced the cut portion of glass abck on the outside with the wire poking up through. Turned out pretty good. Now to test it.....

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

It's been explained -- this puck is intended for trolling motor installation or it can be used as a shoot through hull "IF" the proper installation (coring the inner hull) is done. There is no transom mount for it unless you make one and even if you did fashion something, the shape is all wrong for providing reliable sonar readings at speed. You've also been warned that your boat has a hull design that this probably will not work on as a shoot through hull. Why not just get the proper transducer and transom bracket and know that you have a working system rather than fighting an installation that probably won't work.

 

[Capt'n Chris]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

"LC" comes to mind. I think he mentioned it was wet on there too.

 

[bashr52]

Re: Mounting this Humminbird "puck" transducer help *pic*

It's been explained -- this puck is intended for trolling motor installation or it can be used as a shoot through hull "IF" the proper installation (coring the inner hull) is done. There is no transom mount for it unless you make one and even if you did fashion something, the shape is all wrong for providing reliable sonar readings at speed. You've also been warned that your boat has a hull design that this probably will not work on as a shoot through hull. Why not just get the proper transducer and transom bracket and know that you have a working system rather than fighting an installation that probably won't work.

Did you read my last post? I did core the hull and mount it correctly.