Fish Finder on an Outboard Jet

[redrum]

Any tips on mounting a transducer on an outboard jet rig? I've read that it can be tough to get it just right due to all of the turbulence. I'm more worried about ripping it off the boat on a rock.

 

[riverrat717]

I'v seen people mount them on a piece of wood, then clamp it to the transom. That way you can pull it up when running skinny.

 

[Stlfishin]

I have my Fishfinder/GPS console mounted but my transducer is on my trolling motor. On the river when I hit a deeper hole where I can't see bottom, I just turn my fish finder around, drop the TM and check it every once in a while. On the lake I use a Navionics map and run to the depths I want to fish and then do the same thing.
It works well for me, especially on the shallow clear rivers I fish, a fish finder is of little use on these rivers. I do use my GPS more to mark spots and make notes etc. on potential or actual productive areas I come across.
Most of us bought jets to fish shallow water in river & those out of the way places; fish finders despite their advertised technologies don't do well in the skinny water. Knowing seasonal movements/patterns, location preferences and learning to read the water (river) will not only save you from buying something you don't need but in time will put you on more fish.

 

[AllOutdoors]

My transducer, sidescan is mounted just above the bottom of my boat. Fishing deep water,I have no worries. My boat is a river pro and I continously push it's limits in shallow water. With the ducers mounted just above the bottom off the boat, I have yet to have a problem. I ran an outboard jet for years and ran an alumaducer inside the hull. It picked up OK in 15ft off water or less but was only shooting through 100g. Aluminum. I'm sure it would have had more trouble shooting through the 190g. On the river pro. Just mount an inch or so above the bottom if your boat. You may not get a reading on plane, but in my experience is if I'm on plane, I'm not worried about depth. It's to late for that.

 

[redrum]

Thanks for the help. I was think of just putting it on the trolling motor. I haven't even picked a unit t yet. I'll prso ably play around with a mount on the transom and see what I can do. If I can get it to work above the bottom of the boat then that would be great.

 

[dhoganjr]

I am getting ready to buy a new one and I'm mounting the transducer on the transom. Some guys mount them an inch or so above the bottom of the transom. You don't get good on plane readings but lessen the chance of breaking it off.

I had one several years ago and busted 3 of them with it level with the bottom.

If you mount it flush make sure you secure the cord somewhere on the transom. I had one that hit a stump while on plane, just grazed the hull. The transducer came flying in an arc over the transom and hit about a foot behind my seat. If it hadn't been strapped down to the top of the transom, it could have made a very bad day.

 

[bassin]

i was thinking of mounting one to my splash plate? has anyone tried this?

 

[stinkfoot]

Mount it on a bike kickstand. If you hit anything it will kick up. You can run a rubber doorstop in front to avoid breakage.

 

[handyandy]

X2 on a 1" or so above the bottom of the boat that's how mine is off to left of the outboard when looking at it from the back. Mine is a lowrance ducer I've bumped it on logs and crap plenty and it just folds the ducer up against the transom mine has been on the boat that way for about two years. I don't get good readings on plane but I don't care.

 

[mercrunner]

a solution for this might be to install an ALUMIDUCER transducer, these are made to shoot thru aluminum hulls, and yes they do work.

They are a little pricey, but knock a couple of regular transducers off and you have the price of one. The company makes several adapters for connecting to different depth finders, if you don't see what you need in their literature, give them a call.

Terry

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Usually rip my transducer off once a year. Got it done early this year back in January so hopefully can check it off the list.

I wish someone would make a mounting device you could control while underway from the helm. Something with an electric motor and switch or something mechanical with a lever and cable that you could raise and lower the transducer. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

[handyandy]

Well mine has managed to stay safe until this weekend I finally busted mine off drifted into a big rock on accident hit the ducer good. I may give the kick stand a try or make some kind of fold down mount. That way I can flip it up when I don't need it and want it out of the of harms way, and just flip it down when I do need it.

 

[riverrat717]

Usually rip my transducer off once a year. Got it done early this year back in January so hopefully can check it off the list.

I wish someone would make a mounting device you could control while underway from the helm. Something with an electric motor and switch or something mechanical with a lever and cable that you could raise and lower the transducer. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

Found these for ya
https://www.gatortraxboats.com/boat...ets-and-racks/sliding-transducer-bracket.html https://www.cabelas.com/product/Portable-Transducer-Bracket/699847.uts

 

[S&MFISH]

I have two. One on the trolling motor and one on the transom. The TM 'ducer has a shield on it.(lost that one once). The one on the transom is mounted about 3/16 in above hull. Lost it once at Port Hudson on a stand up while the wind was blowing me all over the trees. Never lost the transom 'ducer on the rivers, yet. It's mounted as I need it, if I lose it I just see it as the price of doing business. If it's lost, oh well, they make them everyday, I just buy another.
My boating perspective is.... If you can't afford to fix it ,don't use it ......and I use the heck out of mine.
You all know what BOAT stands for... "Bust Out Another Thousand".

 

[THUMPER144]

Years ago,(about1994) I was given a contraption that I thought I'd never use. I really didn't even know what it was until recently. Fortunately I put it in the garage and remembered it was there. An adjustable aluminum clamp (looks like a trolling rod holder)with an aluminum pole and mounting bracket that can be raised and lowered manually. Maybe not the fanciest piece of equipment but works well and is nearly infinitely adjustable. Bad part is that it would not work on a boat with a top rail larger than about 3". Perfect for jet johns and similar, but would probably not fit a larger boat very well. The great thing is, no holes necessary. At the end of the season you can take the transducer in the house for winter storage.
As far as needing a fish finder, I personally love having one, especially on unfamiliar waters.

 

[momule]

My transducer is transom mounted with a flipup Lowrance mount screwed to a transducer mounting bracket that is welded to the transom. When on plane the unit works only at 300khz and the screen is full of "noise" but the numeric readout works pretty well. When not on plane the unit works great. Like a previous poster said, when on plane I'm not really using the unit because by the time it shows me that the water is shallow it's too late anyway. At idling or trolling speeds I'm looking for fish structure and it works fine. Depth finders are a great tool but if you're using one to prevent hitting a shallow obstacle at speed you're going to hit it.

 

[archery68]

My transducer is transom mounted with a flipup Lowrance mount screwed to a transducer mounting bracket that is welded to the transom. When on plane the unit works only at 300khz and the screen is full of "noise" but the numeric readout works pretty well. When not on plane the unit works great. Like a previous poster said, when on plane I'm not really using the unit because by the time it shows me that the water is shallow it's too late anyway. At idling or trolling speeds I'm looking for fish structure and it works fine. Depth finders are a great tool but if you're using one to prevent hitting a shallow obstacle at speed you're going to hit it.

I have been keeping up with this topic cause I wanting to add one to my flat bottom jet but just don't want to drill holes in my new boat. I like the route u have chose. I agree that I don't need it to work on plane, I want it to be able to find structure, I'm wanting to get into crappie fishing and think this would help. Do you have any pictures of your transducer and mount? Thank you.


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[fishing66]

Transducers on river jet boats are a tricky problem. An exposed transducer gives the best readings but its life expectancy is short. An internally-mounted transducer doesn't give the best readings but it will be protected. What I did was buy a Humminbird TS3 Transducer Switch which allows you to hook two transducers to one sonar unit and simply flip a switch. One transducer is mounted externally on this, the Transducer Lift from Genoah:

The other transducer is mounted inside the hull. If you look carefully in the rear battery compartment of your boat, you should be able to find a flat surface near the rear of the boat to mount a transducer to. Sand the area down to bare aluminum, clean with acetone and attach the transducer using Alumaducer Acoustically Conductive Epoxy; it costs about $10.00 per pack and doesn't go far, so two packs may be in order. The guide told me that the Alumaducer does work but it has more to do with the epoxy they use rather than the transducer itself. Keep in mind, when you are running in ten inches of a water, a sonar unit is pretty much useless. It also causes problems when you get into, say, five feet of water over a rocky bottom because the signal return is so strong that you have to turn the sensitivity way down. There are a lot of mixed opinions on mounting transducers to trolling motors as while they work well in weedy lakes, they will get smaked by river rocks. Minn Kota makes some motors that have built-in universal transducers but dang, they ain't cheap.

 

[archery68]

Transducers on river jet boats are a tricky problem. An exposed transducer gives the best readings but its life expectancy is short. An internally-mounted transducer doesn't give the best readings but it will be protected. What I did was buy a Humminbird TS3 Transducer Switch which allows you to hook two transducers to one sonar unit and simply flip a switch. One transducer is mounted externally on this, the Transducer Lift from Genoah:

The other transducer is mounted inside the hull. If you look carefully in the rear battery compartment of your boat, you should be able to find a flat surface near the rear of the boat to mount a transducer to. Sand the area down to bare aluminum, clean with acetone and attach the transducer using Alumaducer Acoustically Conductive Epoxy; it costs about $10.00 per pack and doesn't go far, so two packs may be in order. The guide told me that the Alumaducer does work but it has more to do with the epoxy they use rather than the transducer itself. Keep in mind, when you are running in ten inches of a water, a sonar unit is pretty much useless. It also causes problems when you get into, say, five feet of water over a rocky bottom because the signal return is so strong that you have to turn the sensitivity way down. There are a lot of mixed opinions on mounting transducers to trolling motors as while they work well in weedy lakes, they will get smaked by river rocks. Minn Kota makes some motors that have built-in universal transducers but dang, they ain't cheap.

Thanks very much for the info.


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