upgrading depth finder?!?

[jaysparticus]

Hey again,

Had some great feedback on my previous post so thought i would tap your fountain of knowledge again!
basically i have a very old depth finder that does currently work.....it spins a light around and gives a vague reading of the bottom of the boat and an even more difficult one to see for river bed.
has anyone seen one of these depth finders before lol i think Noah may have used it originally!

i want to upgrade it to something a bit more modern but i don't want to take my boat out of the water to do this - is this feasible?

i was wondering if the existing transducer or whatever is on the bottom would be compatible with any thing newer?

unfortunately i dont have any pictures of the set up to hand but any advice will be greatly appreciated.

regards

Jay

 

[longjohnsilver]

Your depth sounder (Navico?) was very common about 20 odd years ago with probably many still around and going strong today. The chances of the transducer working with another system is very small. You can buy a fishfinder for £100 or less. These are relatively easy to fit, and the transducer can be fitted in the hull. To find out where it works best put it into a bag of water and move it around till you get the best reading and then fix it there, I've used silicone sealant for this with no problems.

For a little more money you'll get a colour sounder with a bit more power. They all work to a certain degree, just don't expect them to "see" the fish, they are basically depth sounders that will pick up shoals of fish.

 

[jaysparticus]

Thanks longjohnsilver. i am on the hunt for a thread where someone has dont this before preferably with pictures!

 

[gordmac]

Try here: http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/boat-owning-equipment-maintenance/

 

[apollo]

Hey again,

Had some great feedback on my previous post so thought i would tap your fountain of knowledge again!
basically i have a very old depth finder that does currently work.....it spins a light around and gives a vague reading of the bottom of the boat and an even more difficult one to see for river bed.
has anyone seen one of these depth finders before lol i think Noah may have used it originally!

i want to upgrade it to something a bit more modern but i don't want to take my boat out of the water to do this - is this feasible?

i was wondering if the existing transducer or whatever is on the bottom would be compatible with any thing newer?

unfortunately i dont have any pictures of the set up to hand but any advice will be greatly appreciated.

regards

Jay

I disagree with longjohnsilver, I would say that there is a very GOOD chance that the transducer will work with a more modern unit. So by all means buy one and try it!

I have owned 8boats and done this on pretty much every one and never had a failure.