Transducer Rooster Tail

[cmchesse]

We installed a fish finder on my father's boat this weekend. Now he has a rooster tail. At WOT it is about 8 feet high. I will be installing one one on my boat this weekend. How do I avoid this on my boat?

 

[JB]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Don't mean to be a smart alec, cmc, but I think the best answer is to install it correctly. Most come with instructions.

 

[cmchesse]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Fair enough, I just read the instructions on mine and do not see where we went wrong. It does not hang below the boat. The only thing I can think of is the angle of the transducer. suggestions to fix this would be helpful. I am not sure if we mounted it to low or high. My boating experience is about 1 month.

 

[JB]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Well, a lot depends on what type of transducer it is.

If it is the flat bottom type it could simply be that the bottom is not parallel with the boats bottom. It needs to be in full contact with the water flowing by but not change that flow at all. That is an angle thing.

It also needs to be far enough away from the engine foot so it (again) doesn't change the water flow.

Without seeing it that is about the best I can offer.

Good luck.

 

[cmchesse]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Thanks for the info. That is a better explination than the manual gives. I will look into this.

 

[fishingdan]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

The installation instructions give very explicit mounting instuctions for the transducer. As noted above the units with the flat bottoms don't produce as much sprays as some others. Some transducers are shaped more like a bulllet. Even properly installed, they will throw up some spray. Regardless, it shouldn't be very big.

If you don't have the manual, the makers of these units publish the owner manuals on their websites.

The most important point of all is to make sure you really seal those mounting holes.

 

[cmchesse]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Some time ago I saw a thread about using a piece of a cutting board to mount the transducer on the transom. If I use an adhesive, can I stick that board on the hull without screws? My transome is pristine, no holes at all. I am hesitant to put any there. What would work the best?

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Is this by any chance one of the Humminbird SI units?

 

[cmchesse]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Hummingbird Piranahamax 220

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Can you post some pictures of the installation?

 

[cmchesse]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

This is a picture of the transducer my father installed. It creates a rooster tail that I do not want on my boat. If I understood the post, it is caused because his transducer goes below the hull?

 

[gss036]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

THe transduecer needs to be raised some. It may be a littlle too close to the strafe on the boat. I have just like on a Humminbird and it still throws a tail. I have seen pictures where people will make a stainless or (?) to fit around it to stop some of the spray.
I bought a piece of the mounting material from Cabelas, works great, but you will still need to put a couple of screws in the transom. I put a thin coat of siloclone on the back and then marked and pre-drilled starting holes and force silocone in these and then screwed it down.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Looking at your picture I think water is going over the top of the transducer on the starboard side. This water will be forced up. Also where you have it installed look like it is right behind the change in hull depth so may have a lot of turbulance and air so may not work well at high speeds.

I mounted both of my transducer with no new holes in the transon.
I glued on with silicon seal and put one on each side of the pitot tube.
I then made a bracket to attach to the screws to the pitot tube to help hold the transducer on. I have one small transducer and one large 8 degree transducer and this has worked since 1981 with no problem.
If you do this it is very important to put a tie wrap around the cable to the transducer as close to the transducer as possible. The reason for this is if the transducer should come loose the water will push it back at high speed and it will swing on the cable back then up and around into the back of the boat at high speed and could hit someone.

If I were to reinstall mine I would get a get a piece of starboard or white board or a aluminum block thick enough to screw the transducer to and big enough to have a good area for the silcone to secure. I think I would still use a drumile tool and cut away at an area to allow the plate to go over the Pitot tube and use a longer screw to act as a safety screw.

On my boat I tested the transducer with just silicone holding it on then added the bracket and screw after I got it where it works best.

 

[flavtfan]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

the ducer should only be about 1/8 inch below the deadrise.....so most of the transducer should be hidden behind the transom with only about 1/8th of an inch to 1/4 of an inch (as close as you can get to this) being exposed as the transom angles up. this worked on my garmin ducer but i got the 997c side imagining one the other day and that sucker is big...hopefully it will read about the same. i didn't have a rooster tail on my last one and was able to read going along about 40

 

[sharps45]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Check this thread http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=1804373#post1804373.
If nothing else works, try the splash guard or the shrink-wrap. good luck

 

[Bass Tracker TX17]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Doing a "eyeball" or "looks about right" Will give you problems.
I take a straight edge and run it along the bottom of the hull and measure from there. Your transducer looks like mine and i do have somewhat of a rooster tail or disturbance. Do i care?. No. I drive the boat looking forward.
A rooster tail 8' high is a bad install.
Try the straight edge and the install instructions and i think you'll be fine but, don't expect no disturbed water.

 

[gss036]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

I had observed the pictures on another post about a rooster tail killer and looked closely at mine. I closed up the hole between the transduecer and the mount and 90% of the rooster tail went away. I have 2 transduecers installed side by side and now the flat one actually throws a little more of a rooster tail than the Humminbird. At least they are not throwing a steady stream of spray against the motor like they did before. I think anything one can do to alter the flow of water through the openings and the hull will help.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

This is a picture of the transducer my father installed. It creates a rooster tail that I do not want on my boat. If I understood the post, it is caused because his transducer goes below the hull?
View attachment 15083

Ok lets see if we can get this right...Ya got yur skimmer's and then ya got yur plower's.......That pic is definatly..(spelling) a plower. But noting wrong with plowing a ducer....but one could allow it to skim by raising about 1/8" below the bottom of the boat....just a ideal...................and if that's not perfect...yur right nothing is perfect.

 

[RICOSUAVE7777]

Re: Transducer Rooster Tail

Check This Out