| Fish Finder: Introduction and Mounting the Transducer |
From "Shipshape Boating"
episode DSSB-111 |
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The boat that Shipshape Boating host John Greviskis will be working on this week is a 2003, 19-foot Boston Whaler Nantucket, which is perfect for fishing. And if you are an avid fisherman, you'll no doubt want to install a fish finder on your vessel. For this particular project, Greviskis is going to show you how to install a transom-mount transducer. Materials: Transom-mount transducer
Fish finder
Pencil
Drill and bits
Screws
Silicone
Screwdriver
Countersink bit
P-Clamps
Clamshells
Wire fish
Electrical tape
Masking tape
Fish finder template
Saber saw
Dust mask
Safety glasses
14/2 wire
Razor knife
Wire strippers
Wire cutters
Electrical connectors
Torch
Spade terminals
Inline fuse
Miscellaneous electrical connectors
10-amp fuse Note: A transom-mount style transducer means it gets fastened onto the outside of the transom of the boat. There are several types of fish-finder screens/monitors and transducers. It's best to determine how much room you have for a screen/monitor on your boat before choosing one of the several models available on the market. Screens come in both black and white and color. Mounting the Transducer - Pick out the style of fish finder that suits your needs. Note: This is step-by-step for a transom-mount transducer.
- Position the transducer and bracket so it will not interfere with water running to the propeller. (Never mount any accessories where they are in direct line with the propeller it will affect the readings.)
- Mount the face of the transducer so that it's about 3/8" beneath the hull bottom (figure A), and the reason that you should do this is to give face of the transducer the ability to ride in clean unobstructed water. You want your fish finder to be able to read the bottom while at rest, while slow trolling and when the craft is at high speed as well.
- Have the face of the transducer point straight down when the boat is on even keel. You never want to position the face of the transducer so that it follows the V of your boat.
- Position it so that it's horizontal to the surface of the water and again so that it's protruding from the bottom of the hull by about 3/8". Mark out for the mounting hardware using a pencil (figure B).
- Now drill pilot holes for some self-taping screws. Using a bit that has the same diameter as the shanks that are on the self-taping screws. Take the hole no longer that the actual length of the screw.
- Remove the pilot bit and replace it with a countersink bevel. Bevel the topside of the hole just slightly; otherwise the fiberglass may fracture when you drive in the screws.
- Fill each of these holes with marine-grade silicone sealant (figure C). Put a dab of sealant on the threads of each screw and run them in.
- Support the transducer cable with the aid of "P" clamps (figure D). Find a suitable route for the cable up the back of the transom and repeat the process of drilling out a pilot hole -- beveling back the topside of the hole, using a countersink and filling the hole up with marine-grade silicone sealant.
- Fish (no pun intended) the cable up through the rigging way on the boat so that it will be concealed -- somewhat. Run it inside the center console. Take an electrician's fish and first start it inside the console where one of the openings in the rigging way is located. Then take the end of the fish and the end of the transducer cable and tape the two together using electrical tape. Make the attachment point as skinny as possible so that it doesn't get caught up on anything as it's getting pulled back through the rigging way.
- Now remove the tape from the cable and fish and pull the original fish-line back through the rigging way (figure E). This way you'll always have a fish line at your disposal.
In the next segment, Greviskis will flush mount the display screen/monitor onto the center console.
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