MacGregor type of transducer depth finder

[Irazuzta@aol.com]

Can I use a "pot thru the hull" trnasducer (Hummingbird) ina 26 X MacGgregor?
I the answer ifs yes...Where would you position it to avoid the ballast?
Jose
MarIra@aol.com

 

[mdmitch]

Howdy,

I will first point out that my boat is a 1988 Mac 26d and different from your 26x. But I think that my experience with using a fish finder as a depth sounder in relation to water ballast will be valuable none the less. I bought the fish finder originally for that purpose, to find fish (mounted on our dingy fishing boat). We found fish alright but since using the finder we caught no fish. I'm not sure but maybe the sonar signal spooked them or maybe we are just rotten fishermen. In any case we needed a depth sounder on the sailboat more than figuring out the fishing problem so I installed the fish finder system on my Mac 26d with some advice from some posters on this forum. I have a very simple finder system with a transom mount transducer. I ended up mounting the transducer to shoot through the hull. I mounted it aft of the water ballast tank in the Laz. on the centerline of the boat. I considered using epoxy but considered it to permanent if the results were not acceptable. A friend told me to use toilet seal wax to stick the transducer to the inner surface of the hull. It works great. I sail in Puget Sound where the tides are 10-12 feet. Knowing the depth is really important to me. When compared to the depth marking on my GPS Chart plotter. I get very believable depth readings from my sounder system mounted like this. I mounted the transducer in the Laz. because of transducer wire length. I considered mounting the transducer under the V-Birth ahead of the ballast tank but the wire was not long enough. Transducer mounting is key to success in this project. The location must have no air bubbles between the transducer surface and the water. Even though our boats are different I think you can find a place in your boat that this will work for you.

Hope this helps,

Mike

P.S. As Robspan says there is a real possibility of dislodging the transducer in the bottom of the Laz. Therefore I built a simple floor out of Cedar to cover and protect the transducer. Not that this is necessarily relevant to an acceptable location in a 26X.

 

[Robspan]

I mounted my fishfinder transducer on the exterior, the way it's done on speedboats. It took two screws sealed with 5200. I didn't want it in the laz because of the probability of a close encounter with the anchor or a gas tank. It's worked perfectly for over three years.

 

[Sumner]

Our boat (26S) came with one located with the wax at the head of the v-berth. It is shooting somewhat at an angle, so that effects depth, but we now pretty much know the depth that we like to anchor at and when the centerboard is going to hit something even if it might not be the real depth.

Our's is pretty old and starting to act up on the speed sometimes and and also the depth occassionally so we plan on getting a new one ....

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...070102&cm_ite=0065672020560a&_requestid=92641

..an Eagle Cuda 350. I'm pretty impressed with the reviews and like that it is also gps chartplotter that we think will work for waypoint to waypoint guidance when needed. We can put in the waypoints from the computer/chartplotter that will be in the cabin with NOAA charts on it. It will also pass our GPS location on to the VHF with DSC and to the computer/chartplotter for a real time location on it. Quite a bit for $200.

Instead of mounting it up where the other fishfinder is at the head of the cockpit I'll mount it where it is easier for Ruth to see near her. Then when anchoring it will be easier for her to read depths and yell them forward to me.

I plan on mounting the transducer forward again even if I have to buy an extension cable as some of the water we have been in changes depth rapidly and I'd like the depth as near to the bow as possible.

Good luck with yours and document how and where you mounted it,

Sum

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