What to do with old transducer for depth sounder?

[Lomax]

I'd stay away from the Leeds & Liverpool Canal if I were you. In West Yorkshire the pubs along the Canal have a trolley-chucking league instead of darts.

Note taken. Not sure if I could get in there though?

From what I've heard one of the worst things lurking in the murky waters of the canals are mattresses, specifically the steel sprung type. Just the right amount of buoyancy to float beneath the surface, carrying a terrifying "mile and a half" of steel wire, simultaneously thin enough to readily wrap around your prop, and thick enough to require considerable effort to remove.

*shudder*

 

[Lomax]

Incidentally, I read somewhere that the use of car tires as fenders is prohibited on most European waterways, precisely because the behave like mattresses if dropped into the water (floating just beneath the surface, loaded with miles of steel wire).

 

[Lomax]

After some detective work I'm pretty sure that the current transducer is the decidedly unremarkable Airmar P5. Problem is, this is a 41mm (1 11/16") dia unit, while all the interesting ones are 51mm (2"), 60mm or 75mm diameter. Changing it out would involve drilling a larger hole - but how do you do that when there already is one? This makes me think that removing the transducer and welding up the hole is the way to go.

 

[PaulRainbow]

After some detective work I'm pretty sure that the current transducer is the decidedly unremarkable Airmar P5. Problem is, this is a 41mm (1 11/16") dia unit, while all the interesting ones are 51mm (2"), 60mm or 75mm diameter. Changing it out would involve drilling a larger hole - but how do you do that when there already is one? This makes me think that removing the transducer and welding up the hole is the way to go.

With steel you could enlarge the hole with a die grinder or a dremel. If you want to use a hole saw, tack a piece of steel across the hole for the pilot bit and chop it off afterwards.

 

[Lomax]

This Lowrance StructureScan HD transducer looks pretty durable and can produce some pretty amazing images:



Body: Plastic, 270mm L x 51mm W x 25mm H
Shaft: Stainless, 24mm Dia x 75mm H

Edit: Scratch that - it turns out this is supposed to be mounted on a separate plastic fairing, making it too prominent to consider.