Fish Finder Transducers

Stemar

Stemar

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I'm looking at buying a fishfinder for Jissel.

My current sounder has its transducer mounted in a blob of No More Nails and works as well as a (at least) second hand NASA target sounder should. It seems that almost all fishfinders come with a transom mount transducer, which is less than ideal for a ragboat on a mud mooring. What's the likelyhood of me getting away with doing the same thing with a transom mount job?
 
I have done it. Mine is just stuck in with blu-tack and works down to about 20 metres below keel depth (I don't care if there is more than that).

As blu-tack is soft it is not ideal, and once you have found a good location you should stick it down permanently with something that sets hard.
 
It will work no problem unless your hull is a sandwich or metal. Silicone works to stick it down, but make sure you have no air bubbles in it. It's the air bubbles in the fishes swim bladders that return an echo. Remember it needs to point straight down.
 
Yeah just stick it down with sealant /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BTW what is the advantage in getting a depth sounder compared to a fishfinder? I wouldn't be without mine for seeing bottom profile and density when anchoring - I find it far more useful than a number. And it gives the battery voltage.
 
my Garmin 120 FF came with a transom mount - just took off the bracket and stuck the transducer into the hull , works fine.

a word of warning though not to do too good a job of sticking down the transducer (would suggest not using epoxy and deliberately making it a por join). I recently decided to remove an old and redundant transducer from the inside of the hull, just placed a chisel at the hull/transducer joint, gave a tap with a hammer and the transducer came off very well- only problem was that it brought with it a section of the hull about 7mm thick, seemed to be gelcoat or flowcoat but now the hull needs mending.
 
My Garmin 120FF came with a transom mount and not knowing it could be 'modified ' to work through the hull, I mounted it on the transom. Our berth dries out about 6 or 7 times a year and it doesn't seem to bother it in the least, so IMHO, mount it on the transom! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif See 'Malthouse' on this forum for a good deal, no connection, just a VERY satisfied customer
 
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Hull attenuation will render a fishfinder somewhat deaf.

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Then theres an awful lot more fish about than I thought - my transom-mount-glued-to-inside-hull sounder (Garmin) frequently locates things swiming around beneath the boat.

And I havent yet found out the max depth it will register.
 
I must say that has not been my experience. I have a fish finder with a transducer araldited to the inside of my hull, and it shows the bottom at more than twice the depth where my through-hull transducer sounder gives up.
 
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