Marine: Boating, Sailing, PWC, GPS and Navigation - Thru Hull Transducer vrs. Skimmer Transducer
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manrock54
07-18-05, 08:34 AM
OK, i have heard many opinions from "having to drill a hole in the hull" for a thru hull transducer to just sanding the surface smoothe and applying silicone and pressing hard when setting the transducer (to remove air bubbles). The hull is fiberglass and I would rather put the transducer inside than have to pull the boat out and put it on the transom. It is a 30' Trojan with twin engines. Is there anyone that has had experience with both and which kind do you like? I have the Eagle fishfinder/depth guage. Lowrance (who makes eagle) told me the thru hull would work fine but many people on the dock have had mixed comments. This boat is on a lake and not the ocean.
any suggestions?
any suggestions?
TamPC
07-21-05, 05:11 AM
OK,
Both thru hall or transom are work the same, but the transom mount need tobe way from your engine 1' 1/2 feet, I did try thru. hall like you said and noway I make it work> need the pro.shop for that if not it hard to remove the transduser......
Both thru hall or transom are work the same, but the transom mount need tobe way from your engine 1' 1/2 feet, I did try thru. hall like you said and noway I make it work> need the pro.shop for that if not it hard to remove the transduser......
captwally
07-22-05, 03:08 AM
Well, that previous reply made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Here is my humble but experienced opinion: Your 30ft Trojan has a well angled hull, and I'm guessing that the fiberglass is pretty solid in the preffered transducer mounting location. There are many things to consider. First, you ideally want the transducer to be pointing straight down to give you the most accurate picture of what's down there. If you glue it to the inside of the hull you have to make sure that there are no air pockets between it and the hull, and that is assuming that the place you mount it is free of air voids. By doing this you increase the amount of material between the transducer and the actual water it is supposed to be measuring, adding a probable error margin.
In some circumstances I have had good results gluing the transducer inside the hull, using a high quality epoxy that will eliminate the air void worry. But on occasion have had the depth finder simply not operate properly because of an air void or other obstruction in the hull material that no one could have known about.
If you are worried about drilling a large hole in your boat below the water line, don't be. I feel that it is the best option and the one most likely to give you accurate results with your fish/depth finder. With proper preparation, a well sealed fairing block, and the proper sealant, it will never leak. Now you have to think about location, because if you ever have your boat forked out of the water, you do not want to have it in a position that could be broken by the forklift. If that happens, it will be your responsibility to fix, not the marina's.
If you are solely interested in mounting the transducer inside the hull because you do not want to pay to have your boat hauled out, then I'm sorry, good luck. It is money well spent.
In some circumstances I have had good results gluing the transducer inside the hull, using a high quality epoxy that will eliminate the air void worry. But on occasion have had the depth finder simply not operate properly because of an air void or other obstruction in the hull material that no one could have known about.
If you are worried about drilling a large hole in your boat below the water line, don't be. I feel that it is the best option and the one most likely to give you accurate results with your fish/depth finder. With proper preparation, a well sealed fairing block, and the proper sealant, it will never leak. Now you have to think about location, because if you ever have your boat forked out of the water, you do not want to have it in a position that could be broken by the forklift. If that happens, it will be your responsibility to fix, not the marina's.
If you are solely interested in mounting the transducer inside the hull because you do not want to pay to have your boat hauled out, then I'm sorry, good luck. It is money well spent.