I'm in the process of setting up my new ice fishing fish finder for use in my boat since it is newer and nicer than my current unit. The current fish finder uses a through the hull transducer that is glued to the fiberglass on the bottom of the boat. I have ordered a power cable and a through the hull transducer for the new fish finder. The instructions say that the transducer should be epoxy glued to the bottom of the hull after sanding the fiber glass down. That makes me nervous. What if I sand too much? Or if the epoxy gets a bubble in it. Or if it ends up not being in a good location? While fishing this week, I placed the skimmer transducer on the bottom of the boat hull, underneath about 2 inches of water. It worked better than the current fish finder. Without the water it did not read very well. Does anyone have any suggestions on permanently mounting the transducer? Would silicon sealant work? thanks for any help.
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I work for beer. Miller Light to be exact. If you must do it yourself don't use silicon, it's too viscous.
Scott
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Man, Brother Big Bucks! Those shoot thru hull tranducers are pricey compared to a skimmer. If I was doing it, I'd follow the manufacturer's installation insructions to the letter. No deviations! Prep the area you have decided to mount it to based on the installation instructions recommendations and adhere it as instructed. Don't second guess them. They've done it a few times.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Supposedly, fiberglass, without any air voids in it, works just fine for sonar signals. The worst case is if you screw it up, you'll end up mounting a skimmer instead. [/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I doubt you'll sand too much off the hull. Those hulls are thick! You just want a flat, clean surface, free of voids. That shouldn't required taking too much material. Also, when sanding, use wet/dry sandpaper and a little isopropyl achohol to keep the dust down and easy clean up. The alcohol evaporates quickly when finished. Studies have shown that fiberglass particles can be as dangerous as asbestos to your lungs so you want to reduce the dust as much as possible.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Go for it![/size][/font]
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Use some Plumbers or Marine 'GOOP'.They have it at Kmart. Lightly sand the area and then clean with a light solvent such as isopropyl alcohol and let dry. Use a very thin layer of GOOP. If you use too much, it will create bubbles while drying and give bad readings. Place some type of heavy weight on the puck while drying. GOOP is amazing stuff. Transducers stick to the hulls of plastic kayaks for years, so your glass boat should be no problem.
Good Fishing, Kayote
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Many bass style boats come with a pad for mounting a shoot-thru-the-hull transducer. If not, you'll need to find a flat, smooth spot that isnt' behind any strakes. And realize, you lose quality any time you shoot thru the hull. So if you want to maximize your sonar's capabilities, get a skimmer transducer. In fact, a lot of guys just use the thru-the-hull transducer when underway. But when fishing switch to the skimmer (most decent graphs support multiple transducers, allowing you to choose which one to use).
Good luck.