Removable transducer Mount

[Bob Landry]

Does anyone make a mount that will allow the tranducer to be removed from the transon, but will have it at the correct setting when it is reattached?

First, I'm not interested in a suction cup type mount. I have both types of Humminbird mounts, one is a fixed mount and the other is the "flip up" mount that flips up when you hit something. My particular need is driven by the fact that my boat is stored in dry stack and I need to be able to remove the transducer or flip it up above the bottom of the hull and restore it to the pre-adjusted position to prevent the fork-lift guys from destroying it when they pick the boat up with their lift. I'm mounting it on a G3 1860 CC.

 

[Deadmeat]

I don't have access to it now but I know that Bass Pro makes a couple different types of removable transom mounts. I used one quite a few years ago and it worked great.

 

[Jay415]

Here's one idea. This isn't mine. But I stumbled across it a while back. Maybe you can get some ideas from this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR9q3RCXqBA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I would do something similar adding 2 square "C" bracket on the transom. Install the transducer on a length of solid square rod aluminum. Insert into "C" brackets, drill hole through bracket and square rod, then insert either cotter pins or bolt and wing nut to secure.

 

[Bob Landry]

Here's one idea. This isn't mine. But I stumbled across it a while back. Maybe you can get some ideas from this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR9q3RCXqBA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I would do something similar adding 2 square "C" bracket on the transom. Install the transducer on a length of solid square rod aluminum. Insert into "C" brackets, drill hole through bracket and square rod, then insert either cotter pins or bolt and wing nut to secure.

Thanks. I had looked at the video a little while back and wasn't really impressed with it. Functionally, it looked OK, but it wasn't very asthetically pleasing. I was sitting around last night and came up with an idea. The mount would consist of a block of aluminum with a T-slot milled in it that would attach to the transon. A flat piece of 1/4" stock cut to fit in the T-slot would have the transducer mount attached to it. That piece would slide down into the slot and be tightened with maybe a thumb screw and when I'm finished, I take out the piece with the transducer and lay it in the boat. The two aluminum pieces would not have to have anything to do with adjustment, they would only hold the transducer mount and the slots in the plastic piece would be used to get the necessary adjustments. I called a fishing buddy that works for an oil field company and has access to people with mills and bar stock, sent him my drawing, and he's going to have one made for me. I'll post photos when I get it. It would work for any make or model of transducer. Don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.

 

[Jay415]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Sometimes talking about it sparks ideas. That's what I love about forums!

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Bob,

Sounds like that would do the trick. I'd like to see the finished pictures. If mounting direct to fiberglass hull, be carefull not to overtighten. The alum will not conform to any roundness in hull like the plastic mount. A good layer of marinetex and snug screws should work.

Curious on the pop-out mounting you have. In the popped out position the transducer was still in danger of contact from storage/retriveal? I have one on my I/O. And it the poped out position, the transducer will not contact my bunks, which extend 1-2" past transom. A small bungee can keep it even higher.

 

[Bob Landry]

Curious on the pop-out mounting you have. In the popped out position the transducer was still in danger of contact from storage/retriveal? I have one on my I/O. And it the poped out position, the transducer will not contact my bunks, which extend 1-2" past transom. A small bungee can keep it even higher.

Pop-out or pop-up is a little misleading. The pop-up mount that I have is the one that is made to pop-up in the event you hit something running at high speed. Even than it's very hard to release and I have to use a screwdriver to manually release it. Even if I could release it manually, the plastic teeth on the pivot would wear downpretty quick with just a little use, so that's not a good option.

My situation is that I dry stack my boat at one of the local marinas. I pull it to a dock and tie off. the marina floats it on a trailer, pulls it to the top of the hill and then off loads it with a fork-lift to put it in the "pidgeon hole". Even if I could manually raise the transducer, I'm not always there when they pull it out of the water, and they would destroy the transducer with the fork lift the first time they lifted it. That's why I have to be able to easily remove it after every use.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

FWIW: The HB pop-up one I have, will not rotate in the teeth. It pop at swivels on the two ends. It does take a little force, if you tilt to one side and then the other, or as you said use a flat tip screwdriver. Dependind on boat, hanging over the transom might not be an option. But, it that is true, make sure your thumb screw is in reach. Putting it back down, it snaps in place. I'd say it offers some low speed protection. High speed will probably snap the transducer/mount off.

 

[Bob Landry]

I sent a drawing of my design to a buddy who did it up in CAD and sent me a PDF of the finished design. He's sending it to the machine shop where he works to have one made. I'll post a photo of it as soon as I have it. It may even have potential for a patent as it allows for the installation and adjustment of the transducer as specified by the manufacturer including the ability to "kick-up" if hit while at high speed while still allowing for the transducer to be completely removed from the transon as needed. It will be machined from aircraft grade aluminum and can be attached to transoms made of any material.There have to be other people out there beside me that have a need for this.

 

[MOE]

I really want a depth finder on my boat, but I leave my boat in the water. When the tide goes out, it sits on bottom. Also, I drag my boat up on sand bars, and sometimes I launch from the bank in shallow water and the back of my boat hits bottom. Please post the pics and if you don't mind let us know the cost.

 

[Bob Landry]

I really want a depth finder on my boat, but I leave my boat in the water. When the tide goes out, it sits on bottom. Also, I drag my boat up on sand bars, and sometimes I launch from the bank in shallow water and the back of my boat hits bottom. Please post the pics and if you don't mind let us know the cost.

I'll be happy to post it. It's basically a mount for a mount, and will not change the operating charateristics of the plastic mount in any way. It will also attach to aluminum or fiberglass easily. It will snug up to whatever surface it's mounted on and will have a bead of silicone around it. The factory transducer mount will still pop up(or break off) if hit by something at high speed.