How easy is it to fit a stand alone chartplotter(probably a Garmin)

Thepipdoc

Thepipdoc

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How difficult/easy is it to fit a stand alone chart plotter?
The model of plotter I'm thinking of is the Garmin 750s.
One thing I'm not clear about is fitting the transducer, (which doesn't seem to be supplied with the plotter - it has to be bought separately). Would I "stick" the transducer to the inside of the hull without making holes in it?
I've downloaded the Garmin fitting instructions for this model and they seem clear enough apart from this query over the transducer
Has anyone fitted this particular model?
 
SJF said:
The description from Marine Super Store clearly says that it is included although a benefit of it not being included is you can choose the most suitable type for your boat/setup.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this - although there seems to be some discrepancies between MSS and the Garmin description as to whats included.
Garmin make no mention of the transducer being included with the system.


What's in the Box:

* GPSMAP 750/750s
* Top and bottom snap covers
* Bail mount with built-in cable management
* Knobs
* Flush mount gasket and hardware
* Threaded power/data cable (750)
* Threaded power/data/sonar cable (750s)
* Protective cover
* Documentation

I'm confused even more now!!
 
Fitting a Garmin plotter is easy. If it is a stand alone plotter, does that mean it isn't a fish finder / depth sounder, in which case it will not have a transducer. Fitting a transducer could be easy depending on your hull. If you have access to the outer skin the transducer can be bonded onto the inside of the hull using epoxy. The one in my last boat was bonded with sikaflex and it still worked. If you go for the resin option, some people recommend building a plasticine dam to hold the resin before adding the transducer. Make sure there are no air bubbles in it and aim to get the transducer lined up horizontally.
An alternative method is to cut a length of plastic tube or remove the bottom off a Tupperware box then bond to the hull. Fill the container with vegetable oil or antifreeze and immerse the transducer in that.

Consider where on the boat to put it, i.e. somewhere away from turbulent flow.
 
Taken from Garmin site here

Add Sonar with GPSMAP 750s

GPSMAP 750s comes standard with a 1kW-capable sonar transceiver. This powerful sonar can help you define fish targets and underwater structures as far down as 610 metres (2000 feet) when used with a 1kW transducer¹.
Click to expand...

The important distinction is the 'S' on the end for the sonar model.

Hope that helps to clear things up a bit more.
Simon
 
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I installed a plotter a bit over a year ago and have subsequenly relocated it. I have only a basic knowledge of elecrical wiring but it was straightforward. The hardest part was installing the GPS unit (antenna) which involved installing a cable gland in the deck and the running of a cable through a rather convoluted pathway. Connecting the plotter to the DSC VHF was also pretty straightforward.

One of the advantages of a clinker built wooden boat is that those ancient inventors of boat technology clearly foresaw the eventuality of electric wires in boats and made handy little shelves out of the lands in the planking with nice gaps behind the timbers to keep the wires in place. A cable tie round the cable and timber every second or third frame and it all looks quite neat and tidy with relatively little effort.
 
SJF said:
Taken from Garmin site here



The important distinction is the 'S' on the end for the sonar model.

Hope that helps to clear things up a bit more.
Simon
Click to expand...

I'm getting there!!
The way i read that is that the unit is capable of recieving sonar but the transducer isn't included in the kit. The transciever is.
Is this not correct?
 
i fitted the garmin in hull transducer 50/200hz model in a speed boat .it took all of an hour whilst tied to a buoy to get an accurate depth by initially hanging directly over side of boat aimed at bottom and that gives u a depth.you find a place in hull where u get same reading roughly and mark it.obviously has to be fitted on a single skin boat or attached to bilge area.about £80 0ff ebay and no drilling holes.a bit of silicon and some vegetable oil and your done.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Garmin-Transd...deo_TelevisionSetTopBoxes&hash=item3cb021b7ba is about 3"diameter and 2 to 3" high.
 
Hi there,

All of the Garmin "999" (451, 551, 750, etc) models have a version which is suffixed with an "s" for sonar capability. The "S" versions come with sonar (which is the transceiver in the unit allowing it to process a sonar signal) but not the Transducer, which is the "sensor" to put it in layman's terms. The transducer is always purchased seperately.

If you're looking for the in-hull TDX for these models - You'd be looking at garmin part number 010-10327-00, my local retailer sells this for around £90.00 inc.vat - that's a "shoot thru" type - in that you stick it inside the hull and the beams pass through - suitable for GRP construction, and as Baddox says it needs to be stuck into the hull with no air in-between, using the methods suggested in that post.

Always found the Garmin equipment to be very straightforward for fitting.

Good luck
 
Transducer
It depends how much you use your boat in very cold humid conditions but I can remember being told that you need an oil that doesn't go thick in cold weather and does not take up moisture.

Mine was fitted to the hull having a small amount of caster oil in the bottom of the tube.
No idea if that's wrong, but it seems to be a bit erratic sometimes ?????

Others have said on this Forum that 3:1 oil or even engine oil is ok.
 
I presume you are aware of the dual function of the 750s?

Function 1:- For navigation, ie GPS, purposes it has an inbuilt GPS receiver within the unit itself. No other wiring is required apart from a 12v supply to the unit. It can be fitted above decks or at the chart table and, assuming you don't have a steel or aluminium deck, should work perfectly well in both locations.

Function 2:- The "s" suffix, as mentioned by others means it is capable of interpreting the output from a separate fishfinding transducer, details of installation locations as in posts above. This is optional and in no way necessary for it to function as a chart plotter, which was I believe your original question.

In summary, if you only want a chart plotter with the Garmin the only wiring you need to do is to connect the positive and negative wires going to the supplied plug to a fused 12v supply and you're away!
 
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Scotty_Twister said:
Transducer
It depends how much you use your boat in very cold humid conditions but I can remember being told that you need an oil that doesn't go thick in cold weather and does not take up moisture.

Mine was fitted to the hull having a small amount of caster oil in the bottom of the tube.
No idea if that's wrong, but it seems to be a bit erratic sometimes ?????

Others have said on this Forum that 3:1 oil or even engine oil is ok.
Click to expand...

Oil in a tube can be something of a nuisance, glueing the transducer inside the hull avoids this drawback. It is necessary to avoid getting bubbles in the glue film, so this method is advocated with epoxy. Use Araldite, not the rapid version. Mix a suitable amount and slap it onto the hull where the transducer will sit. Warm it up with a hot air gun, which allows the bubbles to escape. Then push the transducer in firmly, keeping it square to the hull. Don't turn it, tilt it or move it again until the epoxy has cured.
 
Thanks very much for all the replies - they've all been very helpful........... apart from one thing.
Why the oil?
What does the oil do?

Perhaps this was missing from my previous boat which had the transducer stuck to the inside of the hull with what appeared to be an epoxy resin. It used to behave very erratically - one moment the Garmin fishfinder it was fitted to would show a 15ft depth, then seconds later the alarm would sound and the gps would show 3ft of water. It only really behaved itself when the water was in excess of 30ft.
Would this be due to it not having been fitted with oil of some sort?
 
Oil, or epoxy, or silicone, is used as a couplant between the transducer and the hull. Its purpose is to ensure no air between the two, so that the ultrasonic signal reflects off an underwater surface, rather than one inside the hull. If oil is used a tube is epoxied inside the hull, filled with oil and the transducer placed inside it. Trouble is that kit in the locker in which the tube is fixed tends to knock it off and the oil runs out.
 
If you have a DSC radio it would be wise to take the position output to the radio so the automatic SOS position will be transmitted if the worst happens. This is easy, you should have a suitable output cable included with your plotter.
Fitting the unit is fairly straightforward once you have found a suitable position where it can be viewed from the helm.
 
When I fitted my transponder, I used a lump of blutak to attach it in various places until I found a spot that gave reliable readings then did the permanent fitting using a tube of a Gosport pound shop's version of No More Nails. It's still going strong 5 years later.
 
vyv_cox said:
Oil in a tube can be something of a nuisance, glueing the transducer inside the hull avoids this drawback. It is necessary to avoid getting bubbles in the glue film, so this method is advocated with epoxy. Use Araldite, not the rapid version. Mix a suitable amount and slap it onto the hull where the transducer will sit. Warm it up with a hot air gun, which allows the bubbles to escape. Then push the transducer in firmly, keeping it square to the hull. Don't turn it, tilt it or move it again until the epoxy has cured.
Click to expand...


I think you've just enlarged my 'jobs to do' list Vyv. :)
 
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