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

WahooUSMA · 05-03-2010, 05:51 PM

I gave up on the wet transducer due to leakage and went back to the original goop method. This time, I installed the unit under my Revo seat area. Actually, the resolution is the same between the wet method and conventional. No difference. Just a lot less work.

dsafety · 05-03-2010, 07:28 PM

jorluivil, there has been a lot of discussion about mounting transducers in this forum. Search the archives and you will find just about everything there is on the subject.

As for the wet mount vs goop, many of us have found that the performance of a goop mount quickly degrades as the goop gets milky or forms bubbles. The wet mount just uses water as the transmission medium. It works great, as long as you can keep your wet well full of water.

Wahoo and others have found that it can be difficult to attach a wet well to the kayak and get the attachment to hold over a long period of time. I had mine come unglued after a particularly tough launch attempt.

Some people have recently had success with just attaching their transducer to the hull with straps in the lowest point in the kayak. They then purposely add enough water to make sure the transducer is sitting a a little pool of water. Apparently it does not take much. I do not have first hand experience with this method but it sounds interesting.

I do have some experience with the permanent wet well option and can tell you that if you can get a good seal between the well and the hull, the method works great. It is one of the more popular setups these days but plenty of people are doing just fine with other options.

Bob

dtownfan · 05-03-2010, 08:18 PM

i don't take mine out each time. 3 to 4 twists of the hose clamp and the cap slides on and off if needed.

another reason i went this way first is that i would not have to peel goop or epoxy off my ducer if the installation was poor. i would have had to use a ton of goop to make a tranny fit in the sharp "V" portion of my yak. the other areas off to the sides didn't look like good options to me either as they raise up quite high and are also agressively rounded. if you ever flip one over you will see what i am taking about real quick.

someday i will use a thru-hull set up but my 135 ride doesn't have the right hull shape for it. to many contours and no real flat"ish" areas. the 2010, 135 ride has a pontoon style hull.

some of us love to tinker and making things and trying out ideas is considered a good time (not a waste of time or a pain). i grew up on a farm and was taught how to use all kinds of tools at a young age. this kinda of work is fun, cheap, and well..............just plain interesting to me. i took some tips, asked a bunch of questions, and had a blast putting it together.

i have seen many methods.......many work great and to compare you would really have to try them to see. i love my 3m 5200 sealant wet mount for now.

dick fabulous · 05-03-2010, 08:37 PM

Most sonar manufacturers offer an accessory 'shoot thru puck' that is considerably more compact than using pipe and whatever else you may pimp your yak the crafty cheap way. You can win an Indy car race with a coffee table if you spend enough money modifying it.

rayak · 05-03-2010, 08:45 PM

Couldn't agree more dtown. I love a good tinker, and really enjoyed putting this together. (I couldn't find 3M, so used a marine grade silicone of some sort, forget the name but it said it had a high bond strength and was for marine applications)

I believe a lot of goop installations work very well, and there all good tips sapdawg but from the little I've read, I believe that some silicones actually form bubbles as they cure, so you it doesn't matter how much care you take to lay it all down. This may not be true for the silicones a lot of people use but I have read that Goop is one of those that will form bubbles during the curing process.

Freshwater maybe of a slightly different density to saltwater but there is no reason why you can't fill it with saltwater from your local fishing hole. So whether the goop interferes with the signal or not, I see this wet mount as having one less ingredient. Whether that helps much or not, who really knows, but it can't be a bad thing.

I also like the fact that it's removable. I ended up with a spare piece of acrylic after my install so should the boss let me get a second yak i'd be able to switch the unit between the two easily.

Lastly, I like the protection it offers the tranny from bumps. Not that there is any reason why you couldn't put a guard around a goop install.

I think largely but, goop installs are tried and true. They obviously work, so I'm not bagging them out, but just thought this install looked neat and wanted to have a crack.

Thanks all.

05-03-2010, 05:51 PM	#1
WahooUSMA Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Rancho Cucamonga Posts: 753	Gave up on the Wet Transducer I gave up on the wet transducer due to leakage and went back to the original goop method. This time, I installed the unit under my Revo seat area. Actually, the resolution is the same between the wet method and conventional. No difference. Just a lot less work. __________________ GO ARMY BEAT NAVY! Bad decisions make great stories!

05-03-2010, 08:37 PM	#4
dick fabulous Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 90	Futile ? Most sonar manufacturers offer an accessory 'shoot thru puck' that is considerably more compact than using pipe and whatever else you may pimp your yak the crafty cheap way. You can win an Indy car race with a coffee table if you spend enough money modifying it.

05-03-2010, 07:28 PM	#2
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	jorluivil, there has been a lot of discussion about mounting transducers in this forum. Search the archives and you will find just about everything there is on the subject. As for the wet mount vs goop, many of us have found that the performance of a goop mount quickly degrades as the goop gets milky or forms bubbles. The wet mount just uses water as the transmission medium. It works great, as long as you can keep your wet well full of water. Wahoo and others have found that it can be difficult to attach a wet well to the kayak and get the attachment to hold over a long period of time. I had mine come unglued after a particularly tough launch attempt. Some people have recently had success with just attaching their transducer to the hull with straps in the lowest point in the kayak. They then purposely add enough water to make sure the transducer is sitting a a little pool of water. Apparently it does not take much. I do not have first hand experience with this method but it sounds interesting. I do have some experience with the permanent wet well option and can tell you that if you can get a good seal between the well and the hull, the method works great. It is one of the more popular setups these days but plenty of people are doing just fine with other options. Bob

05-03-2010, 08:18 PM	#3
dtownfan Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 50	i don't take mine out each time. 3 to 4 twists of the hose clamp and the cap slides on and off if needed. another reason i went this way first is that i would not have to peel goop or epoxy off my ducer if the installation was poor. i would have had to use a ton of goop to make a tranny fit in the sharp "V" portion of my yak. the other areas off to the sides didn't look like good options to me either as they raise up quite high and are also agressively rounded. if you ever flip one over you will see what i am taking about real quick. someday i will use a thru-hull set up but my 135 ride doesn't have the right hull shape for it. to many contours and no real flat"ish" areas. the 2010, 135 ride has a pontoon style hull. some of us love to tinker and making things and trying out ideas is considered a good time (not a waste of time or a pain). i grew up on a farm and was taught how to use all kinds of tools at a young age. this kinda of work is fun, cheap, and well..............just plain interesting to me. i took some tips, asked a bunch of questions, and had a blast putting it together. i have seen many methods.......many work great and to compare you would really have to try them to see. i love my 3m 5200 sealant wet mount for now.

05-03-2010, 08:45 PM	#5
rayak Junior Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 5	Couldn't agree more dtown. I love a good tinker, and really enjoyed putting this together. (I couldn't find 3M, so used a marine grade silicone of some sort, forget the name but it said it had a high bond strength and was for marine applications) I believe a lot of goop installations work very well, and there all good tips sapdawg but from the little I've read, I believe that some silicones actually form bubbles as they cure, so you it doesn't matter how much care you take to lay it all down. This may not be true for the silicones a lot of people use but I have read that Goop is one of those that will form bubbles during the curing process. Freshwater maybe of a slightly different density to saltwater but there is no reason why you can't fill it with saltwater from your local fishing hole. So whether the goop interferes with the signal or not, I see this wet mount as having one less ingredient. Whether that helps much or not, who really knows, but it can't be a bad thing. I also like the fact that it's removable. I ended up with a spare piece of acrylic after my install so should the boss let me get a second yak i'd be able to switch the unit between the two easily. Lastly, I like the protection it offers the tranny from bumps. Not that there is any reason why you couldn't put a guard around a goop install. I think largely but, goop installs are tried and true. They obviously work, so I'm not bagging them out, but just thought this install looked neat and wanted to have a crack. Thanks all.