In hull transducer

Mar 5, 2021
17
C&C 27 MKV Olympia, WA
Anybody have experience with Garmin GT8HW-IH transducer? I have a C&C 27 and my thru hull transducer is over 20 years old. I am thinking of just sticking in an in hull and the model mentioned. Don't have much room where it is going to go. Just want depth.
 

RitSim

.
Jan 29, 2018
447
Beneteau 411 Branford
I believe most transducers are actually Airmar. I did have a transducer inside the boat that worked well. The only two issues were related to the required water inside the ring to provide the coupling. 1. Remembering to empty or winterize the ring. 2 Remembering to refill in the spring.
 

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
22,319
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
YouTube/ Google/ Duck Duck and SBO have a lot of info available to identify and install transducers attached to the inside of your boat hull.

In most cases it is best to put the transducer in a bag of water. Locate it on the hull where you think it will be a good fit and test the ability of the transducer to give your MFD the correct depth. Essentially you are using the bag to locate a good point to locate the place on your hull that is solid. Air gaps, cores or poor manufacturing air bubbles can stop the transducer from transmitting the signal through the hull. When you get a good spot you will need to affix the transducer in that location.
 
Jan 11, 2014
12,377
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I believe most transducers are actually Airmar. I did have a transducer inside the boat that worked well. The only two issues were related to the required water inside the ring to provide the coupling. 1. Remembering to empty or winterize the ring. 2 Remembering to refill in the spring.
Save a little antifreeze when winterizing and use it instead of water. It is safe for the plastic, works well, and won't freeze. If for some reason it drains, the transducer won't work which is gentle reminder to put fluid back in the housing. The first time that happened to me, it took a while to figure it out.
 
Mar 5, 2021
17
C&C 27 MKV Olympia, WA
Really wanting to know if anybody has installed the GT8HW-IH transducer in their boat. I have a Garmin echomap 54DV chart plotter.
 
May 10, 2004
182
Catalina 30 Puget Sound
I had the same problem on my C30. Twenty years. Bought an Amazon $80 HAWKEYE TRAX. It attaches on the inside of the hull. Very easy to install and set up. No problem and perfect operation for 4 years. Requires 2 inch hole . I had to modify mine a bit as it was 4 inch.
 
Mar 5, 2021
17
C&C 27 MKV Olympia, WA
Yeah, I looked at the Hawkeye, looks pretty cool. The nice thing about the in hull transducer I am looking at, is that it will connect (with a 4 pin to eight pin cable) to the back of my already installed Garmin chart plotter. No new power requirements.
 
Jan 4, 2006
7,048
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
In-hull transducers have dispelled the old tale that they need to be installed in a liquid medium. They are simply installed in bubble free silicone sealant, toilet bowl beeswax rings, or anything else that will stick to both the hull and the face of the transducer.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
12,377
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
In-hull transducers have dispelled the old tale that they need to be installed in a liquid medium. They are simply installed in bubble free silicone sealant, toilet bowl beeswax rings, or anything else that will stick to both the hull and the face of the transducer.
There is an adapter so the transducer can be mounted level on a non level part of the hull, such as the bow. Because of the angle there is a void between the hull and the transducer. Liquid is needed between the hull and transducer. I suppose you could fill it up with beeswax, but that's a lot of wax. If there is a flat spot for the transducer, then you are correct, any adhesive that does not have bubbles in will work.
 

Johann

.
Jun 3, 2004
457
Leopard 39 Pensacola
I installed the Garmin GT15M-IH. Works great. I have also installed four other transducers that were designed as either transom mount or thru hull inside the hull in toilet wax, plumbers putty, and silicone. They all worked fine, but the silicone came loose after a couple years and I redid it in putty.
 
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Mar 5, 2021
17
C&C 27 MKV Olympia, WA
Just thought I would complete this post about in hull transducers. I went ahead and installed the Garmin GT8HW-IH transducer into my boat (sunk it into a pool of silicone) and connected it to my seven year old Garmin echomap 54DV chart plotter. Works great! Now I have a shallow water alarm and an offset for my keel. I like the idea that if something goes hinky with the transducer, I have easy access to it. Nice tech!
 
Jan 4, 2006
7,048
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
(sunk it into a pool of silicone) and connected it to my seven year old Garmin echomap 54DV chart plotter.
Better living through wild ideas.

I never understood where this bull:poop: idea came from re placing the sensor in oil, antifreeze, or other mystical liquids which evaporate or fall over. I strongly believe all depth sensors (in or thru) since they were first sold could be mounted in-hull in a solid material such as silicone, toilet wax, etc, etc. and work perfectly. Eliminate another hole in the hull.

How do these idiotic ideas about liquid mounting develop in the first place ?
 
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Jan 11, 2014
12,377
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
How do these idiotic ideas about liquid mounting develop in the first place ?
From Airmar. The best place to locate the transducer is in forward of the keel and on or very near the centerline. This puts it in clear water and the sounding is less affected by heeling. Many boats do not have a horizontal surface on which to mount the transducer, this places the transducer on an angle as much as 22° (a common deadrise angle). When mounted at an angle the transducer is not measuring the depth of the water directly below the hull, it is measuring the distance to the bottom at a 22° angle. And as we all know the hypothenuse of a triangle is longer than any of its legs. This is problematic when the boat is not heeling, it is really bad when the boat is heeling such the transducer is pointing almost parallel to the water's surface.

Airmar has a solution.


My Sabre 30 had this issue. The sensor has an air gap between the sensor and the hull necessitating the addition of some kind of fluid, antifreeze, water, oil etc.
 
Jan 4, 2006
7,048
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
Many boats do not have a horizontal surface on which to mount the transducer,
Then a moment of silence for those poor unfortunate souls, because if they wanted to mount a through hull transducer aiming straight down, they've really got their work cut out for them. The only way to get around that problem is to start fabricating wedge shaped blocks out of ? ? ? and just praying these flimsy Rube Goldberg contraptions are going to stay firmly glued in position and not decide to move one day with the expected results :
1695355458394.png


RULES #1 to #10. A depth transducer must always be located in as horizontal a portion of the hull as possible. Anything else is phhhhhhhhtttttttttttooey !
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,336
-na -NA Anywhere USA
@Kermit years ago about immersing depth transducer in Plummer’s putty made a believer out of me. Simply find a flat spot, sand off gel coat, clean area, apply enough putty down, insert transducer in putty making sure there is no air between transducer and hull and let dry overnight.

I questioned this at first but it worked
 
Jan 4, 2006
7,048
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
clean area, apply enough putty down, insert transducer in
Did the little green feller say how thick the putty was when the transducer was pressed into the putty ? In other words, could the putty be thick enough to allow the transducer to be installed straight down (vertically) when the hull was not horizontal ?

I'm still trying to understand WHY ? ? ? ? ? the transducers had to be installed in some form of slop, according to the instructions.
 

Johann

.
Jun 3, 2004
457
Leopard 39 Pensacola
Then a moment of silence for those poor unfortunate souls, because if they wanted to mount a through hull transducer aiming straight down, they've really got their work cut out for them. The only way to get around that problem is to start fabricating wedge shaped blocks out of ? ? ?
The Garmin In hull I installed came with 4 housings of different angles to get the transducer close to level. You could make your own angle out of PVC pipe I suppose. I stuck the housing in place with Bed-It Butyl tape and filled it with water. Works great.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,669
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
@Kermit years ago about immersing depth transducer in Plummer’s putty made a believer out of me. Simply find a flat spot, sand off gel coat, clean area, apply enough putty down, insert transducer in putty making sure there is no air between transducer and hull and let dry overnight.

I questioned this at first but it worked
It sounds like MHauser got his working. But in response to the Uncle Crazy, plumbers putty worked great. We found an area that was pure fiberglass and no core. Embedded the transducer in the putty and we immediately got results. It had a fish finder but the solid barrier made it find very few fish.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,669
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Did the little green feller say how thick the putty was when the transducer was pressed into the putty ? In other words, could the putty be thick enough to allow the transducer to be installed straight down (vertically) when the hull was not horizontal ?

I'm still trying to understand WHY ? ? ? ? ? the transducers had to be installed in some form of slop, according to the instructions.
Thick. Real thick.