Through hull transducer

[Tackleman]

What is your experience with through hull transducers? I am thinking about using my Vexilar and am unsure where to mount my transducer. I already have two on the back of my boat for my LCD's. Thanks.

[REW]

If you have a glass boat, it will work just fine.

Just make sure that you have a single bottom in the area where you are going to mount it.

Before you mount it, make sure that you aren't going to get interference with your other transducers, unless you don't care or if you aren't going to be using the other units at the same time.

Many folks who run high performance bass boats, have only through hull transducers on their boats.
Then they typically have a transducer mounted on their trolling motor.

The other thing that you want to do, is to check out the bottom of your boat. Look at the bottom and try to visualize, how the water will be flowing over the hull. Make sure that you don't have any strakes, chines, or other turbulatnce causing items in front of the area where you are going to mount your transducer.

Of course you want to make sure that you don't mount it too far forware, unless, you aren't going to use it for high speed operation.

If you are going to use it only with fishing, and then only from the front of the boat -- you should be able to mount it in the bow area of your boat, with the understanding, that as soon as the boat gets on plane, the transducer won't work any more.

That does bring up an interesting point -- I actually prefer to have a transducer mounted on the boat -- particularly when you are working steep breaklines. However, I gave up on the transducer several years ago, because, I was tired of the cable hassle. If you don't have a pinpoint trolling motor, the idea of mounting the transducer in the bow - keel area -- would be a very good idea. Should get good resolution, and the cables could all be routed under the deck -- no hassle for the depth finder. One concern that I might have, is that the bow - keel area is one of the thickest part of your boat -- to take the head on stresss of big waves. Best test for operation before making it permenant. You can simply put a few gallons of water in the area that you are going to mount the transducer -- make sure that it works -- then dry out the hull and epoxy it in place.

Take care

REW

[CI_Guy]

A few years ago a freind wanted to use his portable Vexlar for both ice fishing and on the bow of his Warrior. He didn't want the tangle of wires on the trolling motor shaft or the transducer permanantly epoxied to the inside of the hull. He also worried about the contour of the hull not being parralel with the suface of the water. Being much more creative than me he cut a short piece of 3"pvc pipe to match the contour of the hull. Then he glued it to the hull in the bow of the boat. He fills the pipe half full of water then suspends the transducer in the water. He has a flat topped pvc cap for it that is flush with the deck and has a slot cut in it for the transducer wire to keep the water from all splashing out. It works great and takes the kid less time to set the Vexlar up for fishing than it took me to write this post. Pat K

[sonars]

A True through hull is when the face of the transducer is in direct contact with the water.A transducer that is going to shoot the hull itself is going to lose a significant percentage of its acoustic window depending on what type of material the sound wave has to penetrate. This could result in your unit not being able to "see" fish.