Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

[Capt'n Chris]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

Hi all

I did some searching and couldn't find a direct answer to my question. I'm wondering if there's a way to install a transom mount tranducer without actually screwing into my hull. I'd just rather not, all things considered.

One idea I'm considering is mounting a hockey puck (sort of like the SternMate idea) to my transom using JB Weld or 3M 5200. Then screwing the transom mount to the hockey puck. I could also use a chunk of thick plastic or plexiglass or something.

Would 5200 or some other kind of marine epoxy hold it solid to the transom? The boat I want to mount this on is a direct drive ski boat, and the bottom is fairly flat at the transom.

Or do I just suck it up and drill?

Thank you very much! We are flattered that you would consider trying to fabricate a way to mount your transducer (sort of like the SternMate idea).

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

Ultrasound transducers WILL NOT work out of the water what so ever. Any reading you get from a dry transducer is completely random. As for the readings in a bucket, what you are seeing is the result of multiple bounces resulting from a relatively high power transmit pulse from the transducer. Maybe if you turned the sensitivity to minimum you would get a proper reading. Try placing a piece of rubber on the bottom of the pail instead of the metal or hard plastic pail bottom.

 

[SeanT]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

I dipped it into a reservoir the other day and it seems to be working, although I had never been into that particular lake before and so seeing anything over 70' was like - WTF!

Anyway, the great weather ends at the end of the week here, so I'll probably mount it early next week and have time for the gunk to cure.

 

[SeanT]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

Oh, but one more thing - I don't know then if it was a different type of transducer, but on my old Humminbird 525, I swear that if I turned it on in the driveway, out of water, it would accurately tell me the distance from it to the driveway.

 

[SeanT]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

Alright, so as promised I got pictures. The weather turned bad this week so I'm dry-docked for a bit. Finished the install over the weekend. First the pics:

I picked up a $4 cutting board from the kitchen section of Canadian Tire. Cutting it with the jigsaw was fun because it would melt back in place after the blade passed by. Anyway, I used 5200 to mate two pieces together to make the mounting block thick enough for the fish finder screws. Looking at these photos now, I think I should have used a hockey puck after all. The shape would have matched nicely my exhaust pipes.

Anyway, the 5200 took like a week to dry, and it was still flexible. Which is good I guess, but it made me realize there's no way I was going to get it to stick to the hull without screws.

So, you can see in the third pic that the cable comes through the hull by the exhaust grate - i just filed a little notch for the cable. Then it passes over a small section of hull into the buckle where the rub guard comes together - there's a perfect little gap in there I ran the cable through.

Then the cable runs along the bottom of the rub rail, held in place with Marine Goop. It makes the corner at the HID plate where I actually do screw into the hull (well above the water line) a cable guide, sealed with Marine Goop again.

So speaking of this Marine Goop stuff, it takes about an hour to dry, and a few days to cure. This is what I ended up using to stick my mount plate to the hull. Don't let the screws in the corner fool you - they are just there to help the plates stay together. I was worried that after a week, the 5200 still allowed the plastic pieces to slide. This might have just been because it was taking longer to cure in the middle, so just an extra precaution.

Anyway, the swim platform hides everything except for the cable running down the green section, which just touches the 'a'. I decided not to push my luck and just left it alone.

Taking it for a spin soon - I'll report back on whether it stays or not. I can tell you that I can grip the white block with my hand and shake the boat and trailer pretty good, so it's definitely holding.

 

[amanphoto]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

How has it been holding up? I want to epoxy my transducer to by boat as well. Any long term tests?

 

[SeanT]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

Great question. I've only had it in the water once since installing, and now I'm laid up for the season. I guess I'll have to let you know next spring!

 

[SeanT]

Re: Mounting transducer with no screws in the hull

Been in the water for a few weeks now. Still attached!