Hi all, I just bought an '87 Catalina 22 that I'll use here on the west coast of Florida. It's a great little boat that I'm sure will get lots of use. I was thumbing through the marine catalogs looking at depth sounders - something basic for $125-$150. There are several. Then I thought, "Hey, what about a fish finder?" They're about the same money but they provide a bit more data on what's down there instead of just a digital readout of the depth. Some show the water temp and you can see the trend in depth over the last few seconds.... Anyone have any thoughts on this issue? Is a fish finder kind of hokey? I'd appreciate some feedback. Thanks, Chris I. Clearwater, FL
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J
John
fishfinder
I have both and they both work good but not at the same time fish finder can help you anchor.
I have both and they both work good but not at the same time fish finder can help you anchor.
R
Roger
there's a catch...
...with getting an inexpensive fish-finder -- they all seem to come with a transom-mounted transducer, which isn't the best idea for avoiding upcoming shallow waters in your Catalina. In my experience, with an inexpensive fish-finder (about $100), you would have to buy a thru-hull transducer separately ($100-150) to go with it. The least expensive thru-hull option I've seen is a Uniden digital depth gauge with thru-hull transducer, for about $110.
...with getting an inexpensive fish-finder -- they all seem to come with a transom-mounted transducer, which isn't the best idea for avoiding upcoming shallow waters in your Catalina. In my experience, with an inexpensive fish-finder (about $100), you would have to buy a thru-hull transducer separately ($100-150) to go with it. The least expensive thru-hull option I've seen is a Uniden digital depth gauge with thru-hull transducer, for about $110.
Epoxy your Transducer to the Hull
All of the cheap FishFinders seem to come with a transom mounted transducer. That is a potentially bad place for a transducer on a sailboat, as it may not be able to tell you that you have run aground. An alternative method for mounting transducers is to affix them inside the hull. This requires that the hull is solid laminate (not cored), and has few voids. This way, you can mount the transducer up near the bow, inside the hull, and never need to bore a hole through the hull, nor purchase an official (and expensive) through hull transducer. Steve Alchemist #909
All of the cheap FishFinders seem to come with a transom mounted transducer. That is a potentially bad place for a transducer on a sailboat, as it may not be able to tell you that you have run aground. An alternative method for mounting transducers is to affix them inside the hull. This requires that the hull is solid laminate (not cored), and has few voids. This way, you can mount the transducer up near the bow, inside the hull, and never need to bore a hole through the hull, nor purchase an official (and expensive) through hull transducer. Steve Alchemist #909
R
Roger
In-hull transducer on a Catalina?
Steve, I wondered about the "in-hull" option, but figured it wouldn't work on a Catalina (mine's a '78 30-ft), because the hull has a wood core (I think).
Steve, I wondered about the "in-hull" option, but figured it wouldn't work on a Catalina (mine's a '78 30-ft), because the hull has a wood core (I think).
Catalinas have a solid laminate Hull
Catalinas have solid fiberglass hulls. The decks may be cored (depending on the year and model, with either plywood or baltec), but all of the hulls are solid laminate. If you can borrow one, you should be able to check it out by placing the transducer against the hull of your boat (assuming that it is in teh water) with something to act as a coupling medium between the transducer and the hull (such as mineral oil). If you can get any depth reading at all, it'll work when you epoxy the transducer down to the hull. Steve
Catalinas have solid fiberglass hulls. The decks may be cored (depending on the year and model, with either plywood or baltec), but all of the hulls are solid laminate. If you can borrow one, you should be able to check it out by placing the transducer against the hull of your boat (assuming that it is in teh water) with something to act as a coupling medium between the transducer and the hull (such as mineral oil). If you can get any depth reading at all, it'll work when you epoxy the transducer down to the hull. Steve
T
Tom
Fish Finder with "Puck" type Transducer
When looking for a depth finder look for one that has a trolling motor transducer. Its called by many as a "Puck". I have installed many of these as shoot through transducers. Also you can use toilet bowl wax to secure the puck to the hull instead of epoxy if you want, that way you can try different locations in order to get a good reading. I used toilet bowl wax to put mine in and its been there now for about a year (in this boat) and I have not had any problems. I expect the others I installed in my other boats are still there as well. I have even used the stern mount transducers as shoot through with the wax and no problems. The fish finders provide entertainment for your crew, especially the color ones. You can see some neat stuff down there, like JAWS.
When looking for a depth finder look for one that has a trolling motor transducer. Its called by many as a "Puck". I have installed many of these as shoot through transducers. Also you can use toilet bowl wax to secure the puck to the hull instead of epoxy if you want, that way you can try different locations in order to get a good reading. I used toilet bowl wax to put mine in and its been there now for about a year (in this boat) and I have not had any problems. I expect the others I installed in my other boats are still there as well. I have even used the stern mount transducers as shoot through with the wax and no problems. The fish finders provide entertainment for your crew, especially the color ones. You can see some neat stuff down there, like JAWS.
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