Thru hull or transom mount transducer on Ranger glass boat?

[catfishkiller]

Can I get a vote on who's pro/con with respect to mounting their depth finder transducer thru the hull (inside) or along the lower vertical wall of the transom step (outside) on a 617/619/620. How much loss (sensitivity) is incurred with the thru hull mounting. What is the best wire routing for external mounting. I just bought $600 worth of top end depth finder. I want to get the most out of its performance.

BD

[Jim Ordway]

I have had thru hull on my last two boats, current one being a 620. I like the thru hull because it never gets broken or our of kilter. The loss of sensitivity seems neligable.
Take care,

[sdive]

Personally I wouldn't do the thru the hull myself. I know that it is done alot, and with alittle fore thought Ranger could have done it for you at the factory and it would be correct. Personally I mounted mine to the back of the transom on both sides of the main motor. I used the white plastic transducer mounting boards, ( with lots of fitting with a belt sander the boards can be made to fit the back of the transom quite well) This way if you switch you don't end up with lots of needless holes in the back of your nice boat. As for the cables I went directly above the boards and made one single hole above water line to go through the transom. I then got some of those nifty plastic rigging covers for cables and siliconed the hole shut and covered it with the plastic cap. Make sure you drill the hole where you can get to it from the inside, and a word of caution. Ranger transoms are like drilling thru hardened steel! I have always found that Bullet Bits work the best for drilling fiberglass...Good luck!

[Getcha some]

The Lowrance thru hull ducers on my 620 read as well as my buddies transom mount ducers on the back of his 1800 pro v. (X-15's)

Last year we switched boats for an afternoon and neither of us could tell a difference at less than 5 mph while searching for fish.

The only difference we noticed is when the Ranger goes up on plane, there is alot less noise on the screen. The Lund transducer was a cluttered mess. We lowered it on the bracket and it sprayed water like a fire hose, but it did read better.

Go thru hull installation. The only risk you have is if the ducer goes bad, removal is a #####.

[slip_bobber]

The difference in the readings depend on the type of bottom you are fishing. In 20 ft of water with a firm bottom thru hull will work fine. In 30 ft of water and a soft bottom with fish tight to the bottom (Mille Lacs) you will miss the fish. I've installed many transom mount transducers on boats that came from the factory with thru hull transducers in them (Rangers). There is a big difference. There is a formed mounting block available with pictures at http://www.walleyemotion.com/products_services/Products/transducer_mounts.htm

[MadMax]

I looked at the Transducer mounts on the Walleye Motion Group page. Do the mounts come in different colors? How much are they? Who carries them? Thank You in advance.

[slip_bobber]

I emailed you some info.

[iamwalleye1]

I have both. I like the thru for high speeds and the transmount work great. If I remenber it was a little pricy $80.00 but it works great and I think they only come in the grey color.