I own a H260 with a centerboard and water ballast system. I would like to get a depthfinder for the boat. I was wondering if anyone has installed one in a H260 with water ballast. What brand do you have and how you installed it. Any and all recommendations would be appreciated.
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Humminbird Fishfinder 100...
...cheap ($100) and effective. Glued the shoot-thru transducer to the hull under the cockpit berth, just aft of the ballast tank, near the bilge pump. This is the placement (and transducer type) Hunter recommends; the only other alternative would be forward of the ballast tank, but the bow wave makes for too much turbulence up there to get accurate readings. Mounted the display on the head bulkhead, on a pivoting ball mount. I swing it out for viewing when underway, and lay it flat against the bulkhead when not in use.
...cheap ($100) and effective. Glued the shoot-thru transducer to the hull under the cockpit berth, just aft of the ballast tank, near the bilge pump. This is the placement (and transducer type) Hunter recommends; the only other alternative would be forward of the ballast tank, but the bow wave makes for too much turbulence up there to get accurate readings. Mounted the display on the head bulkhead, on a pivoting ball mount. I swing it out for viewing when underway, and lay it flat against the bulkhead when not in use.
Pirahna 4
I've mounted a Pirahna 4 fishfinder on the top of the pedestal in between the four cup holders. I ran the power and transducer cable down the pedestal and thru a drilled hole into the aft battery compartment. The transom transducer was mounted between the bilge pump and the water ballest tank. It was "mounted" in a silicone oil bath made from PVC pipe glued onto the hull with 5200. The transducer is held in place (flat up against the hull) with a round stiff 1 inch foam that fits snuggly on the top of the PVC.
I've mounted a Pirahna 4 fishfinder on the top of the pedestal in between the four cup holders. I ran the power and transducer cable down the pedestal and thru a drilled hole into the aft battery compartment. The transom transducer was mounted between the bilge pump and the water ballest tank. It was "mounted" in a silicone oil bath made from PVC pipe glued onto the hull with 5200. The transducer is held in place (flat up against the hull) with a round stiff 1 inch foam that fits snuggly on the top of the PVC.
Mine is ...
For my H-26 I just installed a Standard Horizon 150 and used an in-hull transducer (got it on sale at a Boat US store). The biggest problem is finding a location far enough forward where the water ballast shell won't interfere with the reading the transducer is trying to get. I ended up mounting a 4-inch diameter piece of PVC about where the table post is and aiming it outward into the hull away from the water ballast wall. I've filled the epoxied post with mineral oil, placed the transducer inside and it seems to be getting a good reading. The other challenge was running the transducer line back to the bulkhead where the depthsounder is mounted. It's work and a litle aggravation but certainly not overly difficult.
For my H-26 I just installed a Standard Horizon 150 and used an in-hull transducer (got it on sale at a Boat US store). The biggest problem is finding a location far enough forward where the water ballast shell won't interfere with the reading the transducer is trying to get. I ended up mounting a 4-inch diameter piece of PVC about where the table post is and aiming it outward into the hull away from the water ballast wall. I've filled the epoxied post with mineral oil, placed the transducer inside and it seems to be getting a good reading. The other challenge was running the transducer line back to the bulkhead where the depthsounder is mounted. It's work and a litle aggravation but certainly not overly difficult.
aft-fwd transducer does it make a difference?
Lets see, say you are going 2kts, at 6020 ft in a nautal mile, that's 12,040 ft in one hour......or 200.7 ft in a min. .........3.34 ft in a sec..... figure 15 feet between fwd placement and aft placement that gives you an extra 4.5 seconds to react, take me that long to get up off my seat, that's at 2kts,,,, I guess that if the bottom was rising that fast it would be worth it, but under NORMAL conditions (if they exist) wouldn't you know the bottom was comming up?... now lets speak of the accuracy of the depth meter???? due to temature and salt content My boat has a swing keel and rudder a Hunter 260, I think I will put my transducer aft of the sump pump under the aft berth as recommender by Hunter (I called) a retired Navy Sub sailor
Lets see, say you are going 2kts, at 6020 ft in a nautal mile, that's 12,040 ft in one hour......or 200.7 ft in a min. .........3.34 ft in a sec..... figure 15 feet between fwd placement and aft placement that gives you an extra 4.5 seconds to react, take me that long to get up off my seat, that's at 2kts,,,, I guess that if the bottom was rising that fast it would be worth it, but under NORMAL conditions (if they exist) wouldn't you know the bottom was comming up?... now lets speak of the accuracy of the depth meter???? due to temature and salt content My boat has a swing keel and rudder a Hunter 260, I think I will put my transducer aft of the sump pump under the aft berth as recommender by Hunter (I called) a retired Navy Sub sailor
I Just Use My Rudder
When the rudder kicks up I turn around. I saved the money for necessities like beer.
When the rudder kicks up I turn around. I saved the money for necessities like beer.
centerboard will hit first!
Before the rudder kicks up, the centerboard will hit bottom! Fixing, or replacing, your centerboard will use up ALL your beer money...
Before the rudder kicks up, the centerboard will hit bottom! Fixing, or replacing, your centerboard will use up ALL your beer money...
Not a Problem
Unless you are going backwards the centerboard pivots up and over all by it's self. It is all very soft on the bottom here, sticky but soft. So there is still plent of money for beer and for shrimp it is real cheap this year about $2.00 a pound good for us but not the shrimpers. Sail On
Unless you are going backwards the centerboard pivots up and over all by it's self. It is all very soft on the bottom here, sticky but soft. So there is still plent of money for beer and for shrimp it is real cheap this year about $2.00 a pound good for us but not the shrimpers. Sail On
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