Fishfinder replacement for old depth sounder

[thj]

I have a SR instruments depth sounder that I want to replace with a new fishfinder. The transducer I have is a in hull puck that can be removed from inside the boat, it has a plastic sealing ring and I have the dummy plug to quickly put in.Has anyone replaced a transducer such as this with one that works with the new fishfinders, if so, what brand and type. When I go on the websites, they all talk about transom mount or thru hull (this looks to me like I have to take the boat out of the water) very little said about "in hull", which is what I take it I have.I really like the Eagle series but am not sure they have the right transducer.Also, has anyone been successful in mixing transducer and fishfinder brands? Are there generic transducers?THJ

 

[Dave Busby]

FishEasy 2 works great!

I looked at ALL of the fishfinders, and finally chose the FishEasy 2, because of the easy to see screen and able to make the depth reaing #large. I used the skimmer transducer that comes in the box, and used blue (auto) RTV to adhere it to the inside of the hull just about a foot ahead of the keel. I have a Hunter 25.5 with a fin keel. It works GREAT! I did a lot of testing with it first, using a toilet wax ring to temporarly stick it to the hull. The RTV can be cut away with a razor if you want to move it at a later date. I used a 2" piece of 4" PVC pipe to mount the transducer while doing my testing, and then to finaly RTV it. You have to make sure that the transducer is level to the water, not the hull, before you mount it permantely, and the PVC keeps it level and steady while the RTV cures (24 hrs). I am very pleased with the results. I made a swing-arm mount to mount the fishfinder to the inside of the companionway bulkhead. I can now swing it out to view when sailing or motoring, then swing it back out of the way when not needed. I can send you photos if you want. Good luck.

 

[Brad]

Fishfinder pictures

Dave,I'd be interested in seeing some of those picture, both of the transducer and particulary the swing-arm mount. I'm looking into using a fish finder as a depth sounder, and a swing-away mount would be great. Thanks!Bradb_arrington@nospam.yahoo.com (take out the nospam, of course)

 

[Mark Price]

Did the same thing

I mounted a PVC pipe adapter ahead of the keel with epoxy and set the transom puck in the PVC pipe filled it with mineral oil and screwed the adapter plug down. No water to replace and if the transducer goes bad, easy to replace. Mounted the unit on a swing mount from WM. Also mounted my GPS on the swing mount. The GPS is a magellian 320, mounted the unit with a bracket that takes the optional power cord so I do not have to keep feeding the 320 batteries. Love the setup and the fishfinder gives you a feel for the bottom contour, just a glance and I know if the water is getting shallow of deep.Mark PriceS/V Wendy Lee

 

[thj]

pls send pictures

Dave,pls send pictures, especially the puck mount.Thanks,Tom "Caribbean Dreamin"

 

[Marc Honey]

Fish Finder

Raytheon 356 with bronze thru hull was a great fit on my 28.5. Gives you depth, speed, log, water temp, and alot of entertainment watching the screen. Mine has been flawless for several years. Mounted mine up on old swivel base for original "pod" on pedestal. Only hard part was getting the wires up the pedestal