O'Day 222 Through Hull Transducer

[daleyellin]

I am a new O'Day 222 owner, having acquired a 1985 model two weeks ago. While in my mind, it is in great shape, like all things I want to "personalize it a bit.

That said, here's one of my first projects. I retained a Garmin chartplotter and separate depth sounder/fishfinder from a Sea Ray I had before the 222 purchase. The configuration in the Sea Ray used an Airmar through hull transducer, and I'd like to use it in the 222 installation.

Is anyone familiar with this type installation? Comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, while I think I know the answer, is the 222 hull "layed up" construction or "core sandwich"? And, any idea of the thickness near the keel line?

I've followed various topics in the forum for the past 6 months as I've looked for the right boat and have learned a great deal. It's nice to now be a part of the group.

Thanks for your assistance,

Dale Yellin

 

[Pat]

I heart O'Day's website (google) should have one of the original brochures for the 222 which would detail the construction of the hull and deck.....To my knowledge, the 222 had a solid fiberglass hull and a cored deck. type in o'day sailboats on google and it will take you to that website...Good luck, Pat

 

[Joe11688]

The only guy I know who could answer your question is Rudy Nickerson of D&R Marine. He worked at the Fall River O'Day factory years back and bought out all the parts and boat molds after they folded up. http://www.drmarine.com/

I do a lot of fishing but I don't have a fish finder on board and I'm still using my old
Garmin 12 1997 model GPS. Outside of that, I have done a lot of mods to my 1986 O'Day 222 and I encourage you to check them out. Just click on to this link and go to my albums. http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/member.php?u=78449

Good Luck!
Joe

 

[daleyellin]

Thanks guys. I found a copy of the brochure and it confirms that the hull is a "hand layed" construction. I also sent an email to D R Marine to see if they know the hull thickness.

Joe, I looked at the link to the mods you've made. Absolutely remarkable. I'll be asking for specifics on several of your improvements.

Thanks, again,

Dale

 

[OdayDave]

Hi Dale -

I always prefer to avoid drilling holes in the hull. With the 222, I got a fishfinder and decided to try to mount the transducer to the inside of the hull. I got a 3" PVC endcap to a sewer pipe with a threaded screwtop and used waterproof epoxy to attach it to the hull near the centerline. I then put some water in it and put the puck in that water. I cut out a hole in the square at the top of the screwtop and fed the wire and connector through that and I fed a rubber battery terminal cover into that hole (with a slit at the top to feed the wire through to keep the water from sloshing around). It worked fine so when I sold that boat and bought my 25, I decided to do the same thing. Before I put the water in, I tried just putting a solid base of silicone on the puck to attach it to the hull and the transducer worked just as well. So I would recommend just taking the transducer puck and using some clear silicone to attach it to the inside of the hull and see if that works. That way, the puck is not a permanent attachment should you swap out the transducer at some point and it avoids holes in the hull below the waterline.

By the way, I've got a few of my 222 projects listed on my album: http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/album.php?u=78987

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[Joe11688]

Hi Dale,
Rudy gets 1000s of emails and he never gets to them. You're better off calling him.
I started doing these mods shortly after I took delivery of the boat new back in 1986 and there has been no end to them. Feel free to email me at sailtrinkka1986@verizon.net and I'll be happy to assist you in any way I can.

 

[anchorclanker]

If you glue or epoxy the transducer to the inside of the hull, you want to try not to have any air bubbles between the hull and transducer as they will screw up the image. The last one I did that way I just used clear silicone and it worked fine.

 

[daleyellin]

Dave -- Thanks for the idea. I have a new mounting kit on the way for the Airmar P79. I mounts the same way as the PVC version you made. Also, a few months ago, I had another chart-plotter/fishfinder that I wanted to test. I used the silicon sealant idea and "glued" it to the inside of the hull. I shimmed with additional sealant to level it so that it would shoot straight down. Everything worked fine.

Dale

 

[OdayDave]

Dale - That Airmar P79 looks like a nice system and should work just fine on the 222. You're going to love that boat. I sailed mine on Lake Michigan, small inland lakes in Wisconsin as well as Seneca Lake in NY, Kentucky Lake and Table Rock Lake in MO. It handles well even in decent sized waves and it's pretty easy to setup. Once I got my systems in place, I could do everything by myself and it didn't take a huge truck to pull it. The 25 is a lot more of an ordeal to setup (at least 2 and to be safe, 3, to put the mast up). That's why it typically goes in in the spring and gets pulled out in the fall. While I'm happy with the upgrade, I enjoyed the 11 years with the 222.

Post some pictures when you get it setup.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25