Dear friends, I want to install a depth finder on my catalina 22 and i was wondering if anyone can suggest the ideal location for me to epoxy the transducer? Also, if anyone knows of a good inexpensive model I would love to hear it. thanks a bunch, Bernie
depth finders
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FishFinder / Navman
Hi Bernie, Are you still sailing, or are you done for the year? I'm trying to get a few more days in. Regarding inexpensive depthfinder, I think a cheap fishfinder is your best bet. I plan on installing a Navman 4150 over the winter. It will cost about $200, and in addition to depth you also get boatspeed, distance, battery voltage, water temp, and alarms for all. WestMarine has a cheap Humminbird model for less than $100, or one with speed, temp, etc for less than $200. Sorry, I can't you with the transducer location. Good luck, Barry
Hi Bernie, Are you still sailing, or are you done for the year? I'm trying to get a few more days in. Regarding inexpensive depthfinder, I think a cheap fishfinder is your best bet. I plan on installing a Navman 4150 over the winter. It will cost about $200, and in addition to depth you also get boatspeed, distance, battery voltage, water temp, and alarms for all. WestMarine has a cheap Humminbird model for less than $100, or one with speed, temp, etc for less than $200. Sorry, I can't you with the transducer location. Good luck, Barry
transducer
Forward of the keel is the place most have installed the transducer, but most have stopped using epoxy and use in its place the wax from a toliet bowl wax ring. As for the depthfinder brand, there are several out there under a boat buck, that choice is going to be up to you they all work.
Forward of the keel is the place most have installed the transducer, but most have stopped using epoxy and use in its place the wax from a toliet bowl wax ring. As for the depthfinder brand, there are several out there under a boat buck, that choice is going to be up to you they all work.
Handheld?
I tried to mount a depthsounder in my C22 but could never get a good transducer location. I have a fixed keel and the fairing of it just seemed to louse up the transducer readings. I eventually went to a hand held unit from Norcross (reconditioned $75) that looks like a flashlight. You stick the end of it in the water and click the switch. The readings are very accurate for both depth and temperature. Best of all it puts no drain on the boat battery and does thousands of readings on one 9 volt battery. For our lake that is all we need.
I tried to mount a depthsounder in my C22 but could never get a good transducer location. I have a fixed keel and the fairing of it just seemed to louse up the transducer readings. I eventually went to a hand held unit from Norcross (reconditioned $75) that looks like a flashlight. You stick the end of it in the water and click the switch. The readings are very accurate for both depth and temperature. Best of all it puts no drain on the boat battery and does thousands of readings on one 9 volt battery. For our lake that is all we need.
handheld
Please provide the brand of handheld depth guage that you mention in your coorespondence. Would like to check one out. Please respond to Ship300sails@yahoo.com Thanks so much.
Please provide the brand of handheld depth guage that you mention in your coorespondence. Would like to check one out. Please respond to Ship300sails@yahoo.com Thanks so much.
depth finder
Bernie, A couple of years ago I installed a Humminbird 100 in my 22. It has performed flawlessly. Available @ KMart and Walmart, I beleive that model is now discontinued, but there is another model priced at about $100 that took it's place. I epoxied my tranducer in the portipotti area after cutting away the first layer fiberglass, I mounted it right to the outer hull. There are many theories about mounting (toilet rings, submerging in a cylinder epoxied to the hull filled with mineral oil and others). Personally, the 2 part epoxy method works great for me. Simple and easy to do. Good luck!!
Bernie, A couple of years ago I installed a Humminbird 100 in my 22. It has performed flawlessly. Available @ KMart and Walmart, I beleive that model is now discontinued, but there is another model priced at about $100 that took it's place. I epoxied my tranducer in the portipotti area after cutting away the first layer fiberglass, I mounted it right to the outer hull. There are many theories about mounting (toilet rings, submerging in a cylinder epoxied to the hull filled with mineral oil and others). Personally, the 2 part epoxy method works great for me. Simple and easy to do. Good luck!!
Humminbird
Bernie: I have a Humminbird Depth sounder on my C-22. I got it from Defender.com, because the tranducer that they sold was made especially for mounting inside the hull. The salesmen at West marine, said that the one that they sold wasn't. You sure don't want to drill a hole in the hull just for the depth sounder transducer. I asked a bunch of people on this forum about mounting it, and thought I would try the "toilet bowl wax method", just until I checked the location. This method worked great, and I'm sure that I will never epoxy it in place. I put my transducer against the bottom of the bilge on the forward side of the bulkhead just forward of the head area. (I have a 1980 C-22). I don't remember what this area looks like on a 1986 or newer C-22. I put the gage portion of the depth sounder in the port coaming compartment, on a little plastic panel. I think that I posted a photo of it previously, so you might want to check the archives, but it may have been posted with an autopilot response, because I have the connectors for the autopilot on the same little panel. Relative to the handheld depth sounder, the best feeling that I have gotten from using the depth sounder is when I have used it at night, either trying to put the boat into a dark creek, or moving it because we had to because of noisy neighbors or pending bad weather. It lights up at night. I don't know that you will get the same satisfaction from a handheld at night. Also, you want the depth sounder as far front as possible, so what are you going to do, have someone hang off the deck in the front of the boat at night? These are just my thoughts, and I sure don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I'm actually in China at the moment, and thinking about my boat is helping me get through the afternoon. The Humminbird depth sounder has an audible alarm on it that is plenty loud. We actually put a piece of tape over the little speaker, to quiet it down a little, and it is still loud. It's on the back of the little panel in the coaming compartment. What I plan to do is make a little circuit that will silence the alarm for a short time, probably about 30 seconds, but that's just the kind of thing that I like to tinker with over the winter. This summer, there must have been a lot of sea grass that would set off the depth sounder's alarm at places where the alarm shouldn't really go off. So my son shut it off once to silence the alarm, and we ran aground, right after another boat did that he was chasing. The depth setting of the alarm is easily reprogrammable, and the alarm is easily silenced by pushing a button on the gage, but I just thought that I would mention this info. too for you. For the inexpensive cost of the depth sounder, I think you will enjoy having it. And I'm cheap. I think it would be good practice in case you are ever considering having a boat with a fixed keel, where the depth sounder isn't as much of a toy, as it is on a C-22, with a swing keel. Aldo
Bernie: I have a Humminbird Depth sounder on my C-22. I got it from Defender.com, because the tranducer that they sold was made especially for mounting inside the hull. The salesmen at West marine, said that the one that they sold wasn't. You sure don't want to drill a hole in the hull just for the depth sounder transducer. I asked a bunch of people on this forum about mounting it, and thought I would try the "toilet bowl wax method", just until I checked the location. This method worked great, and I'm sure that I will never epoxy it in place. I put my transducer against the bottom of the bilge on the forward side of the bulkhead just forward of the head area. (I have a 1980 C-22). I don't remember what this area looks like on a 1986 or newer C-22. I put the gage portion of the depth sounder in the port coaming compartment, on a little plastic panel. I think that I posted a photo of it previously, so you might want to check the archives, but it may have been posted with an autopilot response, because I have the connectors for the autopilot on the same little panel. Relative to the handheld depth sounder, the best feeling that I have gotten from using the depth sounder is when I have used it at night, either trying to put the boat into a dark creek, or moving it because we had to because of noisy neighbors or pending bad weather. It lights up at night. I don't know that you will get the same satisfaction from a handheld at night. Also, you want the depth sounder as far front as possible, so what are you going to do, have someone hang off the deck in the front of the boat at night? These are just my thoughts, and I sure don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I'm actually in China at the moment, and thinking about my boat is helping me get through the afternoon. The Humminbird depth sounder has an audible alarm on it that is plenty loud. We actually put a piece of tape over the little speaker, to quiet it down a little, and it is still loud. It's on the back of the little panel in the coaming compartment. What I plan to do is make a little circuit that will silence the alarm for a short time, probably about 30 seconds, but that's just the kind of thing that I like to tinker with over the winter. This summer, there must have been a lot of sea grass that would set off the depth sounder's alarm at places where the alarm shouldn't really go off. So my son shut it off once to silence the alarm, and we ran aground, right after another boat did that he was chasing. The depth setting of the alarm is easily reprogrammable, and the alarm is easily silenced by pushing a button on the gage, but I just thought that I would mention this info. too for you. For the inexpensive cost of the depth sounder, I think you will enjoy having it. And I'm cheap. I think it would be good practice in case you are ever considering having a boat with a fixed keel, where the depth sounder isn't as much of a toy, as it is on a C-22, with a swing keel. Aldo
hummingbird depth finder
dear aldo, thanks for all the good points on the depth finder, i will be ordering it soon. how did you hook it up? was there room on the panel for it or did you have to add one? thanks again, bernie
dear aldo, thanks for all the good points on the depth finder, i will be ordering it soon. how did you hook it up? was there room on the panel for it or did you have to add one? thanks again, bernie
Here's the Photo
Bernie: I'm back in the USA. I looked through the Archives, and found the reply that I wrote that has the photo attached that shows the panel that I made for the Humminbird Depth Sounder. I pasted the link below. This panel also has the connectors for the Autopilot and the GPS. It also has fuses for them, and a switch for the panel. One of my design objectives was to not drill a hole in the boat. (We have had our C-22 since it was new in 1980, and technology changes, so I'm very careful about drilling holes into my boat, especially big ones). There are actually additional holes in behind the trim ring, but they are only little ones for the screws, and as I said, they are behind the trim ring. You DO want to connect the Depth Sounder through the electrical panel of your C-22. I have mine connected on the Accessory circuit. You at least want it to be connected onto the Master switch of your panel. The way that I have it connected, I have to have the Main, Accessory, and the switch on the autopilot panel ON to make the depth sounder work. This way, I can turn off the subpanel at night, and leave the accessory switch turned on. When I leave my boat, my Leaving Checklist has checking the Master electrical switch on it, so as long as it's off, the Depth Sounder won't drain the boat's batery. Years ago, I replaced all the plastic switches on the Catalina electrical panel, with metal ones. Aldo
Bernie: I'm back in the USA. I looked through the Archives, and found the reply that I wrote that has the photo attached that shows the panel that I made for the Humminbird Depth Sounder. I pasted the link below. This panel also has the connectors for the Autopilot and the GPS. It also has fuses for them, and a switch for the panel. One of my design objectives was to not drill a hole in the boat. (We have had our C-22 since it was new in 1980, and technology changes, so I'm very careful about drilling holes into my boat, especially big ones). There are actually additional holes in behind the trim ring, but they are only little ones for the screws, and as I said, they are behind the trim ring. You DO want to connect the Depth Sounder through the electrical panel of your C-22. I have mine connected on the Accessory circuit. You at least want it to be connected onto the Master switch of your panel. The way that I have it connected, I have to have the Main, Accessory, and the switch on the autopilot panel ON to make the depth sounder work. This way, I can turn off the subpanel at night, and leave the accessory switch turned on. When I leave my boat, my Leaving Checklist has checking the Master electrical switch on it, so as long as it's off, the Depth Sounder won't drain the boat's batery. Years ago, I replaced all the plastic switches on the Catalina electrical panel, with metal ones. Aldo
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