Replacing the old Stowe depthsounder - what fits?

[MoodySabre]

My Stowe Navsounder depthsounder is unreliable and needs replacing. As the boat had coppercoat I'd like something that fits in the same hole. Is it worth buying a new Stowe transducer for £160ish or something else that will fit?

 

[rogerthebodger]

My Stowe Navsounder depthsounder is unreliable and needs replacing. As the boat had coppercoat I'd like something that fits in the same hole. Is it worth buying a new Stowe transducer for £160ish or something else that will fit?

This may help as most transducers are made by Airmar

http://www.airmartechnology.com/2009/cross-reference.php

 

[Pagetslady]

Why not leave the old one where it is and install a new one inside the hull works fine mine does anyway but mine is a fibreglass hull.
Mike

 

[roblpm]

I just looked at this......

Stowe is 45mm I think.

Airmar who supply everyone else is 51mm. So drill it out or leave it!

To be honest if the rest of your stowe instruments work then I would imagine like for like replacement is the best idea. I don't think the other transducers will work if you have stowe dataline. They are nmea 0183 or 2000.

 

[neilf39]

If you are keeping the Navsounder you will need another Stowe transducer as they work on different frequency to everyone else's. If you are replacing the Navsounder head with a new instrument then as already stated the Airmar ones are just a little bigger. I recently replaced all my Stowe stuff with Garmin which uses the Airmar transducer and just made the hole bigger with a dremel.

 

[pvb]

My Stowe Navsounder depthsounder is unreliable and needs replacing. As the boat had coppercoat I'd like something that fits in the same hole. Is it worth buying a new Stowe transducer for £160ish or something else that will fit?

When you say it's unreliable and needs replacing, and mention a new transducer, are you saying that the instrument head is OK but the transducer is unreliable? Transducers usually work or not, they're not often unreliable. If the head is OK, then you have to have a Stowe transducer, it's designed for an uncommon frequency, not to mention being smaller diameter than most. If the head isn't OK, a Stowe transducer won't work with anything else, so to fit another system you'll have to open up the hole a bit to fit a modern transducer, but it's only a few mm bigger (51mm vs 45mm).

 

[DavidBolger]

I replaced mine a couple of years ago - do you want my old one if I can find it?

 

[MoodySabre]

When you say it's unreliable and needs replacing, and mention a new transducer, are you saying that the instrument head is OK but the transducer is unreliable? Transducers usually work or not, they're not often unreliable. If the head is OK, then you have to have a Stowe transducer, it's designed for an uncommon frequency, not to mention being smaller diameter than most. If the head isn't OK, a Stowe transducer won't work with anything else, so to fit another system you'll have to open up the hole a bit to fit a modern transducer, but it's only a few mm bigger (51mm vs 45mm).

It often blinks (not getting a reading) and doesn't work at much depth - maybe 20m max.

I replaced mine a couple of years ago - do you want my old one if I can find it?

Well this begs the question as to why you replaced it - if it was working OK then do you have the transducer and the head? Money of course may be a factor.

 

[Pye_End]

After wrestling with the same issue for the same reasons a couple of years ago I bit the bullet and replaced with a nice modern nmea version (which also upgraded my log as it is the same transducer). Bit of drilling out, but straight forward. Other benefits worth considering are the ability to pump more information round the boat - eg giving a depth reading at the chart table as well as outside. Digits much bigger as well, much easier to see with ageing eyesight.

 

[pvb]

It often blinks (not getting a reading) and doesn't work at much depth - maybe 20m max.

This can sometimes be the result of silty water, common in our part of the world! I just had a look outside in my box of useful bits, and I have a Stowe depth transducer which I bought secondhand many years ago as part of a job lot when I was amassing spares for my old Dataline system (just in case!). No idea if it works, but I'd be happy to post it to you if you PM me with your address.

View attachment 57080

 

[pagoda]

This can sometimes be the result of silty water, common in our part of the world! I just had a look outside in my box of useful bits, and I have a Stowe depth transducer which I bought secondhand many years ago as part of a job lot when I was amassing spares for my old Dataline system (just in case!). No idea if it works, but I'd be happy to post it to you if you PM me with your address.

View attachment 57080

I found ACTISENSE do NMEA interfaces for a wide range of Transducer frequencies. I use my old Stowe transducer at 200Khz with the Actisense measurement device- data sent to the plotter and appropriately displayed. A little wiring is involved. Nothing too difficult .
I have also tested it with a Short Airmar 200KHz transducer- works fine.
I would tend to avoid the inside transducers-since they need both a solid part of the hull and a very good bond to work well. Some people find them OK.

 

[SailingAcademic]

This can sometimes be the result of silty water, common in our part of the world! I just had a look outside in my box of useful bits, and I have a Stowe depth transducer which I bought secondhand many years ago as part of a job lot when I was amassing spares for my old Dataline system (just in case!). No idea if it works, but I'd be happy to post it to you if you PM me with your address.

View attachment 57080

Hi PVB,
I now have the same problem with the Stowe depth transducer. I don’t you still have one?!
Thanks,
Mark

 

[[70521]]

Replaced all my Stowe kit last summer as it was falling apart and I wanted to integrate the new stuff with my chartplotter.

 

[SailingAcademic]

Hi Sandy,
Out of interest what did you replace with? Did you find a depth transducer that was the same size?
Thanks,
Mark

 

[Refueler]

I would tend to avoid the inside transducers-since they need both a solid part of the hull and a very good bond to work well.

What a silly statement ......

The transducer inside a hull is not difficult to fit at all .... the only part that needs bonding well - is the tube the transducer will sit inside with castor oil or even water.
To find the 'good spot' to fit is easy ... get a plastic bag and put in water .... place transducer in bag and then touch hull in various places with water bag pressed between head and hull .... when you get good reading - that's where to install ...

Certainly a lot easier than making 'through hull' ....

 

[pvb]

Hi PVB,
I now have the same problem with the Stowe depth transducer. I don’t you still have one?!
Thanks,
Mark

Sorry, no, sold it long ago.