Thru-hull vs. transom mount vs. shoot thru transducers

[drewpster]

I want to install a transducer for depth and temp while I have my boat out of the water. I have had depth sounders before and was not impressed with their performance. First I owned a Hummingbird transom mount, that worked ok, but it lost its mind at cruising speed. I then purchased a Teleflex with a "shoot thru" hockey puck transducer. It lost its mind more often, even at anchor, so I chunked it.
I was thinking of trying one of those expensive thru-hull mounted transducers but I am going to be truly miffed if it only works as well as the others I have tried. Does anyone make a true high speed depth sounder that actually works?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Thru-hull vs. transom mount vs. shoot thru transducers

Sure - any Eagle or Lowrance locator reads very well at high speed. All of mine have been transom mounts and none have ever been a problem except when kicked up by debris. If you mount them where air bubbles can form they won't work properly.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Thru-hull vs. transom mount vs. shoot thru transducers

like the man said, proper installation is the key. Had a humminbird, only worked at standstill. My eagle 320 works at all speeds. plus water temp. you're not going 80 or 90mph or anything, are ya?

 

[JB]

Re: Thru-hull vs. transom mount vs. shoot thru transducers

All of my Lowrance/Eagle transom mount "skimmer" transducers have worked fine at any speed. That covers 5 out of 5 sonars. H'birds, transom or in-hull, are 0 for 2.

Also, I think in-hull mounts are too hard to tune and too hard to change when you inevitably want to upgrade.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Thru-hull vs. transom mount vs. shoot thru transducers

I have two Eagle elcheapo's.....$99. One's on the trolling motor, the other external transom. The transom mounted transducer gives bottom info to 52 mph (fast as I can go)......course there's a lot of interference from bubbles, but the bottom number is all I'm interested in at that speed and it's rock solid.

But as I type the glue is drying on an internal installation; moving the transducer. This way I don't have the rooster tail from it and it can't get damaged. The boat is alum and it is mounded about 2" forward of the transom just off the keel.

I know it will work just fine as I have mounted others here (internally) and on this one I was able to read 2.3' of depty sitting on the trailer in the garage. That tells me that I won't have a problem with sensitivity and being an alum hull temp should be pretty accurate.

Mark

 

[dingbat]

Re: Thru-hull vs. transom mount vs. shoot thru transducers

I've never had a transom mount work worth a darn at speed. I got tire of playing with them and went to an oil bath shoot thru on my last boat. I could mark fish at 35 kts, and the screen was so clean it looked like you where standing still.

I'm putting a new system on the new boat in the next month or two and I'm torn between using the oil bath again or going with a thru-hull. I'd rate both about even on performance but the thru hull is an easier install and thus the consideration.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Thru-hull vs. transom mount vs. shoot thru transducers

I am not running more than 25mph or so. I am a slow cruiser by nature I suppose. My section of the Tennessee river can be dangerous even in open water if you get out of marked channels. The boat drafts shallow but during winter months the river turns to ground in allot of places. I watched an idiot in a bowrider throw one of his passengers out of a boat running aground last summer. And that is when the water is highest. My son walked the last 30 feet or so through the water when we got to them. Some other boats in the area saw what happened as well and started to gather. In TN we are required to report all incidents and I was worried the driver was drunk so I radioed CG. They have a port close by. CG responded as well as the Sheriffs boat that runs the weekends. Within a few minutes the Sheriff boat came in and the CG guys soon followed. Thankfully nobody was hurt. We stuck around until the Sheriff told us it was ok to leave. Last I saw they were towing the boat to the bank. I hope nobody got in trouble over it. I like to have fun on the river too. But some people don’t know when to quit.