transducer mount

[Ocean-Angler]

k
bought my Yak FF. I was trying to get advice here, but it didnt go to well, so I did it the old fashioned way, 10 - 15 hours of research online..
picked up a Lowrence X 135
4000 watts peak!! hell yea
Can I just mount this transducer right to the inside bottom of the kayak? or does it need to touch water?
the kayaks like a thin ass layer of Poly something..
thanks guys

and a good waterproff battery while im at it -
any ideas on a battery with say.. 15 amp hours?? 10-15lbs weight?

[Rob929]

There are two popular options;

Marine Goop, Or wet-install..

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=6508

As for the battery, Fry's sells a lot of different 12 volts, good prices. buy a waterproof battery box from oex, or make one from the $8 waterproof box/case that walmart sells in the camping section. 15 ah sounds like overkill. I have run my FF on 8 AA batteries for 1+ trips..

[Hunters Pa]

Probably don't need 15 amp hrs. Can't remember what I use offhand, but weight is the issue. I like having the battery in a dry bag inside the hull - every ounce that is kept low help with your center of gravity

My first ducer I gooped to the inside, same with the second. On the third time I mounted it I went for the best reading possible - link is here rather than repost all the pix

http://www.kayaksportfishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8407

NOT for teh faint of heart nor those that shy away from a workbench. Not implying anythin, just saying.....

There are also those that did wet mounts where it sits in a container of water inside the hull. I have not done that before so can't comment.

[Limits]

Probably don't need 15 amp hrs. Can't remember what I use offhand, but weight is the issue. I like having the battery in a dry bag inside the hull - every ounce that is kept low help with your center of gravity

My first ducer I gooped to the inside, same with the second. On the third time I mounted it I went for the best reading possible - link is here rather than repost all the pix

http://www.kayaksportfishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8407

NOT for teh faint of heart nor those that shy away from a workbench. Not implying anythin, just saying.....

There are also those that did wet mounts where it sits in a container of water inside the hull. I have not done that before so can't comment.

Awesome thread. I saw Jim's OG post and thought about doing it.

...I just lack the intestinal fortitude to even attempt something like that...:rolleyes:

[Stoneale]

There are two popular options;

Marine Goop, Or wet-install..

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=6508

As for the battery, Fry's sells a lot of different 12 volts, good prices. buy a waterproof battery box from oex, or make one from the $8 waterproof box/case that walmart sells in the camping section. 15 ah sounds like overkill. I have run my FF on 8 AA batteries for 1+ trips..

What do I need to buy to run my FF off of 8 AA batteries? I am going to be using a 6V batter for my live well.. and I really want to want carry around a 12V as well just for the FF.

[Rob929]

Go to radio shack or Fry's..

Get one of these battery holders:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062242

And one of these connectors:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062218

The snap connector will connect directly to the battery tray. You can hard wire it to your FF. I use rechargeable AA batteries. Simply pop them out of the tray to charge.

I also use somthing similar to this : (from walmart)
http://www.snapware.com//product_buy.asp?dept%5Fid=7001

The battery tray fits inside of it. It snaps closed with a rubber seal. I put that into a dry bag and roll it up. Never had any problems.

Don't forget dialectric grease for the connection between FF unit and cords to prevent corrosion.

This is a good setup, however I might switch over to this type of battery to get longer life between charges:

http://www.frys.com/product/2855784?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[Fiskadoro]

The wet mount in the hull like DS's is a good place to start. I tried beaming through the hull, but eventfully went a little further..

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/6436/26944185ra9.jpg

You can read about how I did it here: http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=4454

Not for everyone but far superior when it comes to performance.

As to batteries I run two... I'm running a 12v 10ah NIMH battery for electronics, it will power my Garmin 398 all day 12 hours plus with power to spare, and weighs less than a 7.5ah lead acid. It's supposed to take over a 1000 charges. Shows no signs of wearing out after two seasons.

For the bait tanks I'm using a standard lead acid 6v 10ah and it powers the tank all day no problem at a better (lower) flow rate then a 12v. It's definitely the way to go...

Jim