transducer mountin question

[charliep]

i like the sound of adhesive more and more. liquid nails sounds good. and 5200 has no issues with wood i believe. is there any sealant...i know spar is used a lot here...that i should avoid? pt wood is a no-no...i learned that here. anything else? thanks everyone...i already have the shack nasties and winter isn't officially here yet.

one more question? the transducer that is mounted now came with the boat. it throws such a rooster tail that it isn't even funny. is there a way of avoiding this?

 

[russ010]

one more question? the transducer that is mounted now came with the boat. it throws such a rooster tail that it isn't even funny. is there a way of avoiding this?

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I think if you're getting a rooster tail, you need to move your transducer further up the transom... the middle of the transducer should be pretty even with the bottom of the boat.

I talked to Capt'n Chris at Sternmate on Thursday after I posted because I was ordering another whole setup to put my transducer on (also because I'm about to add side imaging to the HDS 7)... anyways, he is VERY helpful and can tell you more about the placement of a transducer than you ever thought you would want to know.

Check out this link.... it will help with the placement of the transducer - https://www.sternmate.com/Installation.html. Click on the pictures to see how he lines up the transducer with the bottom of the boat.... I just fixed my current transducer this past Saturday, and man what a difference. I got rid of the rooster tail I was shooting because my ducer was too far in the water and at the wrong angle.

 

[Quackrstackr]

You could always have a piece of aluminum channel or tubing skip welded to your transom and mount your trandsducers to that. Problem solved without drilling through the transom.

That is the exact setup I had installed at the factory when I ordered my boat.

Like Russ said, you've got too much drag if you are getting a large roostertail. That could be because it is too low or because it is not a skimmer type that is really made for transom mounting. I have seen that also.

 

[charliep]

russ and quack,

thanks for the input. i think that you guys are right and the transducer is a little low. russ i think you are talking about using the paint stirrer to check the depth of the transducer and that is a great idea. i wish spring were closer because i want to get this little project going. the rooster tail has to be fixed...it really is ridiculous. it shoots nearly straight up and if there is any wind i get a shower!

 

[russ010]

same thing was happening to me with the rooster tail - not to mention how much water was actually coming in my boat.

Chris at Sternmate made some really good points on the phone when I talked to him... the biggest thing I learned from him was that it really didn't matter where on the transom (left or right) that you mounted it, but it was actually how far away from the rear of the transom that allowed you to get the best signals.

I watched my transom this weekend when going 20mph, and I saw what he was talking about. By moving the transducer further away from the transom (using a setback plate), it allowed a continuous flow of water under the transducer which resulted in the best signal I had ever seen on my finders.

 

[Troutman3000]

same thing was happening to me with the rooster tail - not to mention how much water was actually coming in my boat.

Chris at Sternmate made some really good points on the phone when I talked to him... the biggest thing I learned from him was that it really didn't matter where on the transom (left or right) that you mounted it, but it was actually how far away from the rear of the transom that allowed you to get the best signals.

I watched my transom this weekend when going 20mph, and I saw what he was talking about. By moving the transducer further away from the transom (using a setback plate), it allowed a continuous flow of water under the transducer which resulted in the best signal I had ever seen on my finders.

Where can you get a setback plate?

 

[Quackrstackr]

The rooster tail may be coming from your bracket too, depending on what type you have.

My buddy's War Eagle shoots a roostertail over 10 feet high because his bracket catches a stream and redirects it straight up like a water hose. I made him a temporary cap for the bottom of it that fixed the problem.

 

[charliep]

thanks guys...i will do the necessary tweaking in the spring. great point about the setback and continuous water flow over the transducer.

charlie

 

[russ010]

same thing was happening to me with the rooster tail - not to mention how much water was actually coming in my boat.

Chris at Sternmate made some really good points on the phone when I talked to him... the biggest thing I learned from him was that it really didn't matter where on the transom (left or right) that you mounted it, but it was actually how far away from the rear of the transom that allowed you to get the best signals.

I watched my transom this weekend when going 20mph, and I saw what he was talking about. By moving the transducer further away from the transom (using a setback plate), it allowed a continuous flow of water under the transducer which resulted in the best signal I had ever seen on my finders.

Where can you get a setback plate?

https://sternmate.com/ - I ordered another one for my boat... since I got all Lowrance now, I wanted to get a plate that will hold the LSS-1 and the regular transducer with limited amount of holes drilled (and with this one, it is put on with an adhesive, so no drilling required)

 

[Troutman3000]

Have you used these products before?

 

[russ010]

Have you used these products before?

Yea, I have one someone gave me that I used on my boat at my parents house...

I just got the new one in the mail yesterday, so I'll be installing it in the near future on my Xpress... I'll try my best to do a detailed pic and all that, and then put it on here. Just trying to find the time to do it is the hard part (it's 730pm almost, and I'm still at work....)

 

[Pumping4Jane]

The rooster tail may be coming from your bracket too, depending on what type you have.

My buddy's War Eagle shoots a roostertail over 10 feet high because his bracket catches a stream and redirects it straight up like a water hose. I made him a temporary cap for the bottom of it that fixed the problem.

Agreed. My Hummingbird 570 throws a spray up over and on the engine cowl. I have tried repositioning the transducer with little or no results. Like Quackr says, I will probably have to fabricate some kind of gap fill between the bracket mount and the transducer. You would think Hummingbird would have rectified this problem, if they haven't already.

 

[captnchris]

The rooster tail may be coming from your bracket too, depending on what type you have.

My buddy's War Eagle shoots a roostertail over 10 feet high because his bracket catches a stream and redirects it straight up like a water hose. I made him a temporary cap for the bottom of it that fixed the problem.

Agreed. My Hummingbird 570 throws a spray up over and on the engine cowl. I have tried repositioning the transducer with little or no results. Like Quackr says, I will probably have to fabricate some kind of gap fill between the bracket mount and the transducer. You would think Hummingbird would have rectified this problem, if they haven't already.

See a photo gallery full of transducer "fabrications, rig-a-rounds" and "roostertail containment" ideas all in one convenient location.
https://www.sternmate.com/ComeAboard.html