Permanent Wet Transducer Installation - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

nabeeko · 12-31-2009, 01:35 PM

Bob, you're Genius!

Just what I needed to replace the existing styro-well.
Now I have to find the bracket that came with the transducer.

How did you grind down the pvc to fit the curves?

bentrod1 · 12-31-2009, 01:49 PM

So you keep the transducer itself clean of goop, glue, silicone etc. and if you have to drain it you can do so with a hand held manual bilge pump. The transducer does not come in contact with the hull. Are these assumptions correct?

Great job Bob. This will work perfect for those of us that have portables. Just unscrew the cap and your golden. Clean work and nice pictures too.

Thank you!

dsafety · 12-31-2009, 02:17 PM

Nabeeko, I used a hand planer to shave the edges of the well but you could use just about anything. The contouring does not have to be exact because Goop is a very forgiving sealant.

Bentrod, all your assumptions are correct. One of the reasons I installed the transducer in the cap rather than to the well as our Aussie friend did was to allow for portability. For about $4 you could install a well in another kayak and you could move the FF around as needed.

I think that this is a good design but a better design could come from the kayak manufacturers themselves. Imagine a recessed area in the bottom of kayak with a hollow tube running through the hull to the deck, exiting some place that would be appropriate to mount a fish finder. Hobie could do it below the sail mast tube. The plastic in this area could be beefed up to allow mounting screws that would not puncture the hull. They could even design a cover plate that fit over this recessed area to make the bottom of the kayak smooth.

Now that would be cool.

Bob

P.S. I filled the well with water, tightened everything down and turned the kayak upside down so it could be strapped it to the roof if my truck getting ready for tomorrow's fishing trip. I checked for leaks after a couple of hours. Nada.

Now lets hope the thing will put me on some fish.

Bob

dmrides · 01-01-2010, 07:32 AM

Bob, that looks super cool. I just got a fish finder recently and have been thinking about many different ways to install the transducer, and this tops them all. Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait to hear how it works. Do you think it will still give accurate temperature readings?

Iceman · 01-01-2010, 07:41 AM

The bottom of the hull eventually equals the temp of the water outside. The hull reads the air temp when you launch but 10-15 minutes on the water and mine is getting comparable readings to transducer in the water. It is more gradual, but not like we are looking for temp breaks. This is a great set up, been tying to figure a way to seal my wet mount.

dsafety · 01-01-2010, 01:17 PM

Just got back from the maiden voyage with this setup. It worked perfectly. More later.

Bob

yakrider · 01-01-2010, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsafety

Just got back from the maiden voyage with this setup. It worked perfectly. More later.

Bob

could you hear the pinging of the tx?
mine is loud as sh*t...

12-31-2009, 01:49 PM	#2
bentrod1 Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Upland Posts: 60	Awesome! So you keep the transducer itself clean of goop, glue, silicone etc. and if you have to drain it you can do so with a hand held manual bilge pump. The transducer does not come in contact with the hull. Are these assumptions correct? Great job Bob. This will work perfect for those of us that have portables. Just unscrew the cap and your golden. Clean work and nice pictures too. Thank you!

01-01-2010, 07:41 AM	#5
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,948	The bottom of the hull eventually equals the temp of the water outside. The hull reads the air temp when you launch but 10-15 minutes on the water and mine is getting comparable readings to transducer in the water. It is more gradual, but not like we are looking for temp breaks. This is a great set up, been tying to figure a way to seal my wet mount. __________________

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12-31-2009, 01:35 PM	#1
nabeeko Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 68	Bob, you're Genius! Just what I needed to replace the existing styro-well. Now I have to find the bracket that came with the transducer. How did you grind down the pvc to fit the curves?

12-31-2009, 02:17 PM	#3
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	Nabeeko, I used a hand planer to shave the edges of the well but you could use just about anything. The contouring does not have to be exact because Goop is a very forgiving sealant. Bentrod, all your assumptions are correct. One of the reasons I installed the transducer in the cap rather than to the well as our Aussie friend did was to allow for portability. For about $4 you could install a well in another kayak and you could move the FF around as needed. I think that this is a good design but a better design could come from the kayak manufacturers themselves. Imagine a recessed area in the bottom of kayak with a hollow tube running through the hull to the deck, exiting some place that would be appropriate to mount a fish finder. Hobie could do it below the sail mast tube. The plastic in this area could be beefed up to allow mounting screws that would not puncture the hull. They could even design a cover plate that fit over this recessed area to make the bottom of the kayak smooth. Now that would be cool. Bob P.S. I filled the well with water, tightened everything down and turned the kayak upside down so it could be strapped it to the roof if my truck getting ready for tomorrow's fishing trip. I checked for leaks after a couple of hours. Nada. Now lets hope the thing will put me on some fish. Bob

01-01-2010, 07:32 AM	#4
dmrides Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Point Loma Posts: 584	Bob, that looks super cool. I just got a fish finder recently and have been thinking about many different ways to install the transducer, and this tops them all. Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait to hear how it works. Do you think it will still give accurate temperature readings?

01-01-2010, 01:17 PM	#6
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	Just got back from the maiden voyage with this setup. It worked perfectly. More later. Bob