garmin fishfinder transducer on a yacht ?

[bobgosling]

I would like a Garmin Fishfinder 120 on my fin keel yacht but I notice that it refers to "using a transom mounted transducer".

Obviously most yachts don't have a plumb stern these days so can these still be mounted somewhere ? Anyone have any experience fitting one of these ? The Garmin site isn't very helpful.

 

[bruce]

bond it to the inside, just like all the other people have, do a search of this site for many posts...

 

[Thresher]

I bought an FF120 with the intention of bonding the transducer to the inside but have been so disappointed by the loss of picture quality that I have now planning to dangle it outside on a stick. I filled the bilge with water and moved the transducer around to get a good signal, it worked and gave me the depth but the image was very grey. Has anyone else found the same?

 

[mikejames]

I found that the hull forward of the keel was too thick and ended up making a pool of epoxy under the engine, and setting the fisfindertransducer horizontally in that

 

[pessimist]

We have done this - didn't bother bonding to the hull, just run in a water (yes water, not oil) bath forward of the keel. No problems so far, other than the water evaporating.

 

[geoffatstanpit]

BluTack is best! It doesn't evaporate, doesn't need a bath and lets you change your mind!

Geoff

 

[pessimist]

That sounds a cunning plan. I'll try it.

 

[duncan]

must admit I struggled to comprehend your 'it's not bonded to the hull it's in a water bath' solution.
so how does it stay orientated?

fwiw I have 3 'skimmer' transducers all inside my hull but bonded with different materials - 1 silicone, 1 sikaflex and 1 2 part epoxy (plumbers mate). No difference in performance but the silicone has 'come loose' once and needed redoing.
bluetack was used in all cases to establish a good position then replaced with a more permenant fixing.

signal does suffer degradation on teh lower power units but apart from having to use manual sensitivity settings in deeper water the other 2 are fine.

 

[pessimist]

I used an old plastic pot with some waterproof gunge around the lip, positioned this ahead of the keel poured in water and dropped the transducer in. Needs topping up from time to time but otherwise seems to work fine. Was intended as a temporary measure just to find the right position but I've never quite got around to fixing it permanently..........

 

[duncan]

still can't picture it, and I really am trying!, doesn't the pot fall over? why put gunge around it's lip? surely you would use some on the base of the pot to hold the pot in place at least? what about air between pot adn hull?is the 'ducer a snug fit in the pot to prevent it changing it's angle to the horizontal?
however regardless of all this I am glad it's working for you!

 

[pessimist]

Sorry - I'm not explaining this well. The gunge is around the pot's lip and the pot inverted. The gunge holds the pot in place and keeps the water in. The transducer is a snug fit but since we are a sailing boat the transducer's angle to the horizontal changes when we heel.

Ok I admit it its all a bit Heath Robinson. I'll get around to doing the job properly one of these days......

 

[pragmatist]

Well we had nothing else to hand when we tried - so we used pastry as our temporary solution ! I shall find the pix of the current solution that pessimist is failing to convey in words - tomorrow tho' as the BBQ calls !

 

[duncan]

don't apologise for heath robinson (and don't ask to look at my wireing!) I really was/am trying to understand your set up

I now have an inverted pot into which the water and transducer are placed - wouldn't this be more a tube than a pot?

 

[Micky]

I have just purchased a Lowrance X105C DF from the states..got it today and fitting it in this weekend.

I am planning on using a piece of plastic guttering down pipe bonded to the inside of the hull.

The unit has come with the transom fixing kit, but would rather have it fitted inside the boat.

 

[pessimist]

[ QUOTE ]
I now have an inverted pot into which the water and transducer are placed - wouldn't this be more a tube than a pot?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh alright then, thick tube? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Thresher]

Micky, can you let us know how your installation went? did you lose much image quality by going through the hull?

Thanks

Brendan.

 

[Micky]

[ QUOTE ]
Micky, can you let us know how your installation went? did you lose much image quality by going through the hull?

Thanks
Brendan.


Went down and fitted it today.
Tried everything to get a good reading through the hull but a waste of time.
Ended up fitting to the Transom..perfect reading first time.

I think to get the best from a hull mounted fix, according to the book, you need to cut away one skin of GRP, scrape out any foam/ply sandwich then bond the transducer to the outer GRP skin. Finaly refill the area with resin.

I think this is a job to be done when out of the water.

 

[duncan]

double skins a no no

if you have a double skin, wood, foam or just about anything forget pug and play for a transducer.

either 1 transom or 2 through hull.

 

[Micky]

Re: double skins a no no

Your dead right Duncan..
Unless you have a boat with a single layer of GRP forget the shoot through the hull fixing and opt for the Transom fix...See my previous post.

Here is what my first test results were.
Set my Fish-Finder up yesterday and was amazed at the reading which suggested there were hundreds of fish all around my boat, Bleep, Bleep, Bleep, non stop.
Now i know thats not true, because other then a few Mullet the odd flounder and maybe an Eel or two, the bottom is barren.
SO, what was it showing me??? I dropped my net over, 5 minutes later pulled it up and it was half full of Jelly fish. I tipped these back into the water and the fish-Finder went mad, bleeping non stop until they had dispersed in the tide flow.

So how do i set the unit up to show me real fish. Any ideas?

 

[duncan]

Re: double skins a no no

you don't !

it shows you a picture of what it sees - you interpret that picture.

once upon a time I used to get really frustrated about either not catching the fish it showed or that there were't any.......now I know better and (generally) look for features / contours - here's an example of my favorite winter bank from my fishfinder (transducer stuck in hull with sikflex)