I need to put a depth finder on my boat as I'm planning to trailer her to unknown waters next summer and want to avoid grounding. What are my options? Is there a good system available that doesn't involve drilling through the hull? What are the costs?
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Many choices...
Check out BoatUS, West marine, Sailnet catalogs or web sites for equipment ranging from simple depth only to multi-display devices that include speed, GPS and even charting. Transducers can be mounted on the transom, through hull, or for depth only, can be glued to the inside of the hull. The sonar signals can pass through solid FRP without too much degradation. On my H260, I use a simple Humminbird depth only instrument. The transducer is epoxied to the interior of the hull so there is no through hull. It is located in the bilge under the aft berth, aft of the bilge pump. Fair winds... Tom
Check out BoatUS, West marine, Sailnet catalogs or web sites for equipment ranging from simple depth only to multi-display devices that include speed, GPS and even charting. Transducers can be mounted on the transom, through hull, or for depth only, can be glued to the inside of the hull. The sonar signals can pass through solid FRP without too much degradation. On my H260, I use a simple Humminbird depth only instrument. The transducer is epoxied to the interior of the hull so there is no through hull. It is located in the bilge under the aft berth, aft of the bilge pump. Fair winds... Tom
Hand Version
And you may want to consider the hand held version that drops into the water on a string . . . . see West Marine or Boat USD . . .
And you may want to consider the hand held version that drops into the water on a string . . . . see West Marine or Boat USD . . .
Uniden
On a prior boat, I installed the lowest priced Uniden model w/thru hull transducer ($99 on sale then). Worked fine.
On a prior boat, I installed the lowest priced Uniden model w/thru hull transducer ($99 on sale then). Worked fine.
Tom Humminbird follow up
Tom, Where did you mount the display? Was it tricky running the wires? Where did you buy your unit?
Tom, Where did you mount the display? Was it tricky running the wires? Where did you buy your unit?
I used a Humminbird Fishfinder...
I recommend the fish finders, as they tell you a little more than just how deep the water is. With a little practice, you can tell what the bottom make-up is (rock, clay, grass, etc), and you can follow bottom contours by watching the display on the fish finder. For mounting, I used a swing-out pedestal mount in the companionway for both my GPS and Fish finder. This keeps it out of the way when at the dock or anchor, is easily visible when under way, and out of the weather (and sight of thieves) when the boat's locked up. Wiring was not too difficult- The power distribution panel for my boat is right under the companionway, and the transducer wire runs under the port berth to the V-berth, where I have the 'ducer epoxied to the inside of the hull (forward of the keel). The depth sounder (Humminbird DX250) was around $140 on sale, and this included the transducer and a temperature sensor. The swing-out mount was another $45 at West Marine. Good luck, and let us know what you decide! --Jon Bastien H25 'Adagio'
I recommend the fish finders, as they tell you a little more than just how deep the water is. With a little practice, you can tell what the bottom make-up is (rock, clay, grass, etc), and you can follow bottom contours by watching the display on the fish finder. For mounting, I used a swing-out pedestal mount in the companionway for both my GPS and Fish finder. This keeps it out of the way when at the dock or anchor, is easily visible when under way, and out of the weather (and sight of thieves) when the boat's locked up. Wiring was not too difficult- The power distribution panel for my boat is right under the companionway, and the transducer wire runs under the port berth to the V-berth, where I have the 'ducer epoxied to the inside of the hull (forward of the keel). The depth sounder (Humminbird DX250) was around $140 on sale, and this included the transducer and a temperature sensor. The swing-out mount was another $45 at West Marine. Good luck, and let us know what you decide! --Jon Bastien H25 'Adagio'
Ken, I have a thru hull depth on my 95 H26 and
the only place you can mount a thru hull as next to, or very near the bilge pump which is directly under the forward edge of the cockpit. So....you will know the water depth at exactly the same time as you run aground. There is no place forward of this area to mount a thru-hull so there is no forward looking depth. With charts we have had no problems but we never rely solely on the depth meter for our safety. Ray S/V Speedy
the only place you can mount a thru hull as next to, or very near the bilge pump which is directly under the forward edge of the cockpit. So....you will know the water depth at exactly the same time as you run aground. There is no place forward of this area to mount a thru-hull so there is no forward looking depth. With charts we have had no problems but we never rely solely on the depth meter for our safety. Ray S/V Speedy
Garmin 160 fishfinder... installed the outside
transducer inside hull under vberth ... set up just as they recommend ... made a little dam using plumbers putty just a inch or so bigger than the tranducer. poured in a couple of oz of epoxy ... pushed the transducer in ... and next morning ... depth right on the button. Only problem was that I had to mount the display on the stainless pipe around the wheel pedestal ...the connector wire from the display was too short to run in the pipe ... and they wanted $50 for an extension. The whole package [transducer and display was $150!] and they wanted $50 for a 20 ft. cord!!! Cut the connector plugs off with a little wire on each end of the plug ... found that the color of the wires from the transducer to the plug and the unit to the plug were not the same ... had to match wire for wire [basically the hardest part] and just crimped the wires together. Actually three wires from the display side of the connection went to one wire on the transducer side of the connection! Sure it violates the warranty ... but if something goes wrong with a transducer embeded in epoxy there's no way you're going to get it out anyway. Down here having a bottom line is real helpful to get a feel for how fast the bottom is coming up. Fish finder with a decent display width is great. You can go back and forth across a channel to get a feeling where the deepest part is.
transducer inside hull under vberth ... set up just as they recommend ... made a little dam using plumbers putty just a inch or so bigger than the tranducer. poured in a couple of oz of epoxy ... pushed the transducer in ... and next morning ... depth right on the button. Only problem was that I had to mount the display on the stainless pipe around the wheel pedestal ...the connector wire from the display was too short to run in the pipe ... and they wanted $50 for an extension. The whole package [transducer and display was $150!] and they wanted $50 for a 20 ft. cord!!! Cut the connector plugs off with a little wire on each end of the plug ... found that the color of the wires from the transducer to the plug and the unit to the plug were not the same ... had to match wire for wire [basically the hardest part] and just crimped the wires together. Actually three wires from the display side of the connection went to one wire on the transducer side of the connection! Sure it violates the warranty ... but if something goes wrong with a transducer embeded in epoxy there's no way you're going to get it out anyway. Down here having a bottom line is real helpful to get a feel for how fast the bottom is coming up. Fish finder with a decent display width is great. You can go back and forth across a channel to get a feeling where the deepest part is.
Check Archives
Look up the word transducer in the archives. You will find my special recipe for mounting a through hull transducer that will not require any cutting. There are some serious tricks to it, so if you have any question, you can e-mail me at communicatins@austin.rr.com. As for what type of depth finder, I think everyone on this thread is right. Fishfinders are really where it's at. Now, what kind of fishfinder? Well, I went with a Lowrance X65. Why? It has a single transducer that has two sending units in it, which allows it to have two sonar readings. One sonar reading is a simple number, indicating depth, the other one paints the lake floor and gives you an idea of its composition and trend. So, if one goes out, you have a solid backup. The unit is fantastic and gives great images - a strong advantage when trying to anchor. The downside to this unit is price - it is about 229 bucks, whereas a cheaper unit, like a Hummingbird, is only 120 bucks. Having seen them both, however, I can honestly say that the extra 100 bucks is well worth the money in screen size alone, let alone added features like all the alarms, keel offset, battery voltage monitor, etc. Good Luck, and let us know what you decide. Rob
Look up the word transducer in the archives. You will find my special recipe for mounting a through hull transducer that will not require any cutting. There are some serious tricks to it, so if you have any question, you can e-mail me at communicatins@austin.rr.com. As for what type of depth finder, I think everyone on this thread is right. Fishfinders are really where it's at. Now, what kind of fishfinder? Well, I went with a Lowrance X65. Why? It has a single transducer that has two sending units in it, which allows it to have two sonar readings. One sonar reading is a simple number, indicating depth, the other one paints the lake floor and gives you an idea of its composition and trend. So, if one goes out, you have a solid backup. The unit is fantastic and gives great images - a strong advantage when trying to anchor. The downside to this unit is price - it is about 229 bucks, whereas a cheaper unit, like a Hummingbird, is only 120 bucks. Having seen them both, however, I can honestly say that the extra 100 bucks is well worth the money in screen size alone, let alone added features like all the alarms, keel offset, battery voltage monitor, etc. Good Luck, and let us know what you decide. Rob
Not to be picky, Rob...
...but the Humminbird DX-250 has most of the features that you mention (single 'ducer w/dual sonar freq's, voltage monitor, keel offset, fish/obstruction alarms, etc). I think these features are pretty much standard across the board for mid-level fish finders. Also, I tried to look up your recipe for mounting the transducer, but couldn't find it in the archives. Do you remember the title of the post? --Jon Bastien H25 'Adagio'
...but the Humminbird DX-250 has most of the features that you mention (single 'ducer w/dual sonar freq's, voltage monitor, keel offset, fish/obstruction alarms, etc). I think these features are pretty much standard across the board for mid-level fish finders. Also, I tried to look up your recipe for mounting the transducer, but couldn't find it in the archives. Do you remember the title of the post? --Jon Bastien H25 'Adagio'
Response...
This was installed on a H260, Check out the link referenced below... Unit was purchased from BoatUS. Wiring wasn't too difficult. Ran power down through bilge under aft berth and back up to panel. Fair winds, Tom
This was installed on a H260, Check out the link referenced below... Unit was purchased from BoatUS. Wiring wasn't too difficult. Ran power down through bilge under aft berth and back up to panel. Fair winds, Tom
Vic: Speed trans. needed for fish finder??
Hi, Isn't it necessary to have a speed transducer to get bottom contours from a fish finder? To get speed, doesn't the transducer have to be in contact with the water, rather than glued to the interior of hull? I would be interested to know if it is possible to use a fish finder with a "glued on" transducer shooting through the hull. Fair winds, Tom
Hi, Isn't it necessary to have a speed transducer to get bottom contours from a fish finder? To get speed, doesn't the transducer have to be in contact with the water, rather than glued to the interior of hull? I would be interested to know if it is possible to use a fish finder with a "glued on" transducer shooting through the hull. Fair winds, Tom
Bottom contours, speed trxducer
Tom, You don't need a speed transducer to follow the bottom contours- Just a good idea of the shape of the bottom, which the depth guage and 'line' readout on the display will provide (it shows whether the bottom is getting deeper, shallower, levelling off, etc). You are right about the speed transducer needing to be in the water, though- That's the only way the paddle wheel on it will spin. As for mounting the transducer inside the hull, it's been covered at length in the archives- but I'll recap it here. The sounding transducer can be mounted inside the hull with epoxy (or in a pinch, a plastic baggie full of water will do the trick), as long as the area you're trying to shoot through is solid fiberglass (no ballast tank, no plywood core in the fiberglass, etc). Use a slow-cure epoxy, as that will allow time for any bubbles in the epoxy to work themselves out before it sets. I've heard some other techniques for getting around drilling holes in the boat, too- One friend at our local sailing club epoxied a piece of PVC pipe into the bilge, filled it with mineral oil, and dropped the transducer in. He claims no problems for the last 5 years. Another person who posts on this site used peanut butter as his mounting compound... If your fishfinder comes with a temperature sensor, you can epoxy that to the keel on the inside of the hull- It should give a fairly accurate water temperature reading, within a degree or two. Good luck, --Jon Bastien H25 'Adagio'
Tom, You don't need a speed transducer to follow the bottom contours- Just a good idea of the shape of the bottom, which the depth guage and 'line' readout on the display will provide (it shows whether the bottom is getting deeper, shallower, levelling off, etc). You are right about the speed transducer needing to be in the water, though- That's the only way the paddle wheel on it will spin. As for mounting the transducer inside the hull, it's been covered at length in the archives- but I'll recap it here. The sounding transducer can be mounted inside the hull with epoxy (or in a pinch, a plastic baggie full of water will do the trick), as long as the area you're trying to shoot through is solid fiberglass (no ballast tank, no plywood core in the fiberglass, etc). Use a slow-cure epoxy, as that will allow time for any bubbles in the epoxy to work themselves out before it sets. I've heard some other techniques for getting around drilling holes in the boat, too- One friend at our local sailing club epoxied a piece of PVC pipe into the bilge, filled it with mineral oil, and dropped the transducer in. He claims no problems for the last 5 years. Another person who posts on this site used peanut butter as his mounting compound... If your fishfinder comes with a temperature sensor, you can epoxy that to the keel on the inside of the hull- It should give a fairly accurate water temperature reading, within a degree or two. Good luck, --Jon Bastien H25 'Adagio'
Had a glued in puck for years.
Ken: When we purchased our H'31 in 1987 we had the transducer glued into the hull under the v-berth. It has worked well for all of these years until just recently. We are in the process of upgrading our instruments and will probably be gluing the new one in too. When you purchase a depth sounder, just check with the mfg to see if there pucks can be used this way.
Ken: When we purchased our H'31 in 1987 we had the transducer glued into the hull under the v-berth. It has worked well for all of these years until just recently. We are in the process of upgrading our instruments and will probably be gluing the new one in too. When you purchase a depth sounder, just check with the mfg to see if there pucks can be used this way.
Ducer Mounting for Jim, Ken
Jim, you asked for this post. It you can find it by searching for Ducer (not sure if transducer would work). Here is a reprint. The only thing I would change is to make the bead about a half inch, rather than 1/4. Ducer Mounting Submitted by Rob Rich on 01/15 at 11:37AM regarding Catalina 30 Walter - Best thing to do is to take the ducer, connect it to your display and power the system. Dip the ducer in water and then depress it against the hull at the approximate mounting location. Press it hard against the hull, too. Make sure the mounting location is also moist. Move the ducer around until you get a good picture on your depthfinder/fishfinder. In doing this, you will find a good area on the hull that is free of airbubbles in the layup. Once you have a solid location, mark it and then make a dam (quarter-inch bead or larger) of RTV/Silicone ontop of your marking. Allow this to dry. Then mix the epoxy, smear some smoothly across the face of the transducer, and pour the rest slowly into the RTV dam. It should be like filling a mini-swimming pool with epoxy. Be sure not to get any airbubbles in the epoxy (read
our slowly). The, just press the ducer into the epoxy, twisting slowly, and hold pressure on it for about 10 minutes. You'd be surprised how easy it is, and how well it works! If you need further or more specific info - feel free to e-mail me. Best of luck - Rob
Jim, you asked for this post. It you can find it by searching for Ducer (not sure if transducer would work). Here is a reprint. The only thing I would change is to make the bead about a half inch, rather than 1/4. Ducer Mounting Submitted by Rob Rich on 01/15 at 11:37AM regarding Catalina 30 Walter - Best thing to do is to take the ducer, connect it to your display and power the system. Dip the ducer in water and then depress it against the hull at the approximate mounting location. Press it hard against the hull, too. Make sure the mounting location is also moist. Move the ducer around until you get a good picture on your depthfinder/fishfinder. In doing this, you will find a good area on the hull that is free of airbubbles in the layup. Once you have a solid location, mark it and then make a dam (quarter-inch bead or larger) of RTV/Silicone ontop of your marking. Allow this to dry. Then mix the epoxy, smear some smoothly across the face of the transducer, and pour the rest slowly into the RTV dam. It should be like filling a mini-swimming pool with epoxy. Be sure not to get any airbubbles in the epoxy (read
our slowly). The, just press the ducer into the epoxy, twisting slowly, and hold pressure on it for about 10 minutes. You'd be surprised how easy it is, and how well it works! If you need further or more specific info - feel free to e-mail me. Best of luck - RobSilicone works too!
Less mess, more fun. As long as you keep the air bubbles out of it. Had one siliconed in on my trailer sailor for years. Lot's easier to replace if it goes bad. You can also relocate if you need to.
Less mess, more fun. As long as you keep the air bubbles out of it. Had one siliconed in on my trailer sailor for years. Lot's easier to replace if it goes bad. You can also relocate if you need to.
TOILET BOWL WAX!
Hey, Where's the guy who always recommends toilet bowl wax? I kid you not - a sailor on this site says toilet bowl wax works very well in this application... haven't tried it myself, but others have backed him up! Rob
Hey, Where's the guy who always recommends toilet bowl wax? I kid you not - a sailor on this site says toilet bowl wax works very well in this application... haven't tried it myself, but others have backed him up! Rob
Bubble gum
I've had my Humminbird Fish Finder transducer stuck to its temporary-test location inside the hull with chewing gum thru two seasons now. Will use something more permanent when/if it ever fails to give a good reading.
I've had my Humminbird Fish Finder transducer stuck to its temporary-test location inside the hull with chewing gum thru two seasons now. Will use something more permanent when/if it ever fails to give a good reading.
2nd Year w/ Peanut Butter
mounted under the aft bunk, behind the bilge pump (H19). Alarm set on 12' to allow time to brace before running aground. Hey at least I know how deep it was when I hit!!
mounted under the aft bunk, behind the bilge pump (H19). Alarm set on 12' to allow time to brace before running aground. Hey at least I know how deep it was when I hit!!
to Tom : right next to the Garmin 160...
is a Garmin 162 GPS and that's all that we use for speed . The regular speedometers always seem to catch something or grow a barnicle or something else. Even the cheapest fishfinder seems to be more useful than a depthmeter ... BUT I have a feeling that the case can be made for a depth meter ... if the current drain is half of that of a fish finder. Here in the Gulf we basically shut the fishfinder off once we are out of Gordon Pass as any depth over 10 feet is "good enough" and there are miles of "good enough"
is a Garmin 162 GPS and that's all that we use for speed . The regular speedometers always seem to catch something or grow a barnicle or something else. Even the cheapest fishfinder seems to be more useful than a depthmeter ... BUT I have a feeling that the case can be made for a depth meter ... if the current drain is half of that of a fish finder. Here in the Gulf we basically shut the fishfinder off once we are out of Gordon Pass as any depth over 10 feet is "good enough" and there are miles of "good enough"
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