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

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...

dsafety · 01-02-2010, 09:40 PM

As I mentioned before, this setup worked perfectly. I could not hear anything from the sonar. In fact, I have not heard that this is a problem with any sonars in this class. Yakrider, you must have really good hearing.

There were no leaks from the well and my images were excellent. The fish finder is a new one with higher resolution than my previous unit so I cannot tell you if the improved images are a result of the better FF or the transducer setup.

As expected, the temperature readings were a little misleading for a while. I had the kayak on the top of my truck overnight where the outside temperature got down to the low 40s. When I started to peddle out, the FF said the temperature was 44 degrees. I knew that was wrong as I passed a group of swimmers heading out from the Cove. It took about an hour for the water in the well to warm to the temperature of the ocean. If having accurate temperature readings is important to you, this type of installation my not be the best choice.

If portability and ease of installation are what you are looking for, this is definitely the way to go. Now that I know what to do, I could probably reproduce this installation in about ten minutes.

Bob

crabkracker · 01-02-2010, 09:53 PM

Great idea! My wet well install has worked perfectly for over a year, but this is much better! No more filling it with water or forgetting to... Thanks for sharing!

01-01-2010, 07:41 AM	#3
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. __________________

12-31-2009, 02:17 PM	#1
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	#2
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	#4
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

01-02-2010, 09:40 PM	#6
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	As I mentioned before, this setup worked perfectly. I could not hear anything from the sonar. In fact, I have not heard that this is a problem with any sonars in this class. Yakrider, you must have really good hearing. There were no leaks from the well and my images were excellent. The fish finder is a new one with higher resolution than my previous unit so I cannot tell you if the improved images are a result of the better FF or the transducer setup. As expected, the temperature readings were a little misleading for a while. I had the kayak on the top of my truck overnight where the outside temperature got down to the low 40s. When I started to peddle out, the FF said the temperature was 44 degrees. I knew that was wrong as I passed a group of swimmers heading out from the Cove. It took about an hour for the water in the well to warm to the temperature of the ocean. If having accurate temperature readings is important to you, this type of installation my not be the best choice. If portability and ease of installation are what you are looking for, this is definitely the way to go. Now that I know what to do, I could probably reproduce this installation in about ten minutes. Bob

01-02-2010, 09:53 PM	#7
crabkracker Junior Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: OC Posts: 23	Great idea! My wet well install has worked perfectly for over a year, but this is much better! No more filling it with water or forgetting to... Thanks for sharing!