Mounting Sonar Transducer

[Fishy8411]

As I mentioned in previous threads I own a 13' Boston Whaler, which I dove from quite recently. The one thing that I missed was not having a depth finder, besides the anchor line. So with no knowledge and asking no advice (big mistake) I set out to get one. I purchased a depth finder off of ebay for $29.00. It is a Zercom Real Time Sonar model with a transducer about the size of a 35mm film can. I have just learned that if I want to permanently mount the transducer, I will have to go with a transom mount. The problem is that this tranducer does not seem to be designed for that kind of mount (no brackets), any ideas?

Thanks

Tom

 

[RBachman]

You can get a fish finder with depth and bottom contour capabilities from most any large discount store (K-Mart, Wal-Mart) to meet your needs for around $80. It'll come with a transom mount, cables and installation directions.

If you want, and your current transducer has mounting capabilities, you can make a bracket out of a piece of aluminum and attach it to the transome. But I'm not sure that it will hold up for the long haul. Also, mounting these things has to be done correctly if they're to work properly while underway.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

As I mentioned in previous threads I own a 13' Boston Whaler, which I dove from quite recently. The one thing that I missed was not having a depth finder, besides the anchor line. So with no knowledge and asking no advice (big mistake) I set out to get one. I purchased a depth finder off of ebay for $29.00. It is a Zercom Real Time Sonar model with a transducer about the size of a 35mm film can. I have just learned that if I want to permanently mount the transducer, I will have to go with a transom mount. The problem is that this tranducer does not seem to be designed for that kind of mount (no brackets), any ideas?

Thanks

Tom

I'm no expert, but for a $29.00 xducer, I think I'd just epoxy it, either to the boat or to the drive. It's not like you're going to take it off to get it repaired or move it to a new boat. If you don't have a flat surface in the proper orientation, you could try an epoxy putty. Put a ball of putty on the transom, press the xducer into it, and form the putty around it.

Not a very elegant solution, but it should work.

 

[simcoediver]

Get a 4inch L-bracket and a pipe clamp from any hardware store .Bend the L-bracket into the shape of a U. Attach one side to the transom with screws ,attach the transducer to the opposite side with the pipe clamp.

 

[Fishy8411]

Get a 4inch L-bracket and a pipe clamp from any hardware store .Bend the L-bracket into the shape of a U. Attach one side to the transom with screws ,attach the transducer to the opposite side with the pipe clamp.

I like the sound of this solution. Couple of questions though.

1. Do you happen to know if a pipe clamp will degrade the signal of the transducer?

2. Are these transducer thingies (tech. term) fairly tough? In other words, can I really crank down on the pipe clamp without worries?

Thanks again,

Tom

 

[Wildcard]

The signal comes out and goes in teh bottom, so no a clamp will not cause problems. No need to realy crank down on it. For what you paid, it may vey well break. Ya can also clamp it to a stick and just poke it overboard when your checking depth.

 

[Fishy8411]

The signal comes out and goes in teh bottom, so no a clamp will not cause problems. No need to realy crank down on it. For what you paid, it may vey well break. Ya can also clamp it to a stick and just poke it overboard when your checking depth.

Thanks for the answer. I don't know how a transducer is built. I was worried that it might generate a slight magnetic field, from a coil, and that the coil's performance might be adversely affected by reacting to the steel clamp.

As far as the stick idea goes, I am not very coordinated. Piloting a boat, thinking about diving or fishing, poking a stick over the side, chewing gum, holding my drink, looking out for sea monsters..... all at the same time? It is a recipe for disaster LOL.

Thanks

Tom

 

[simcoediver]

The pipe clamp will be fine if you just clamp it snug enough that you can't twist it by hand in the clamp,, also when you put screws into the wood transom dip the screws in silicone sealant before driving them in,helps prevent water from damaging the wood.Set it so that the bottom of the transducer is about 1/8th to 1/4 0f an inch below the bottom of the transom,the pipe clamp makes it easy to adjust until you get a perfect reading on your depth finder.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

You don't want to use silicone on the screws in the
transom. You want to use a marine grade sealant. I like
3M 101, though it's hard to find in less than a caulk gun
tube. Some folks like 3M 5200 or 4200, but those are
adhesives. Nice thing about 101 is that you can put the
boat in the water immediately.