Marine Electronics Forum - Installing a shoot-thru-hull transducer

Hey guys, I'm new to this site, I just signed up. I'm not real knowledgeable on the side of boating. I just bought my first boat this past August. My girlfriend bought a fish finder from garmin for my birthday and I want to install it before next weekend. I"m supposed to be taking her step dad fishing next weekend, so I want to have it ready to go. I realize this subject may have already been covered, I tried doing a search but it is not currently working, I keep getting a server error. I want to install the transom mount transducer as a shoot-thru-hull transducer. I have a Sea Chaser 175 RG series boat, with an 18 degree deadrise. My problem is I really don't have much room to work with, i have the bilge area and the fuel tank is right in front of that, i have about a square foot to work with. I thought about putting the ducer in a pvc pipe and sealing that to the fiberglass in the bilge, filling it with non-toxic antifreeze and covering it with a lid, but after looking at it, I don't have the room for not even if i cut it to fit the angle of the deadrise. The transducer is thin enough to fit in the canal that flows down the middle of the bilge to the drain plug, and I have enough space to glue it there with some silicone, I've heard by several people who have done this that it will work just fine. This would be about 6 to 8 inches from the drain plug itself. Would this be ok or would blocking this canal to the plug be a problem? I'm hoping that it would be fine and work ok and maybe the water can just go around it if need be. Being that I've never worked on a boat (I'm not completely clueless, I fixed cobra and huey helicopters in the Marine Corps for the last 6 years) I'm scared to drill holes in the transom to install it on the transom, not to mention I'd have a hell of a time finding a spot with the water discharges and pump intakes and all. Basically I just need to know if it's ok to install it in the middle of the canal in the bilge that flows to the plug. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me. ;?

Rick

grim, I am not certain that I understand the layout of your hull but your location sounds like a good one to me. The important things are that the transducer be pointed straight down (not up on the slanted part of the hull) and that the hull be solid beneath the transducer. Putting it in with silicone will allow you to move it if you want to, so your plan is very low risk. Also consider that the hull will degrade the transducer signal so if you have a low power unit it may not have the punch to give a good picture through the hull.

If your fear is drilling holes in the boat I wouldn't let that stop you then. You've come to the right place for advice on installing it on the transom. The forum is loaded with people that can give you help and guidance and you're not going to sink your boat. You could probably spend an hour and have your transducer mounted in the time it will take you to engineer a solution let alone get it up and running for next week.
Team Ruby

thanks for the replies. i figured that location would be good to at least give it a quick shot and take it out on the water to check how well it works if at all, if it doesn't then i guess i'll do the transom install. like you said, the silicone allows me to move it. the construction of the hull is an 18 degree deadrise, it's a shallow v, the part i was talking about is right at the bottom of that v, it has a flat area of about 2 to 3 inches wide. since the plug will be in and there shouldn't be water in there anyway it should be a decent location for an easy try. i love this site, i've been reading posts on all subjects for the last 4 hours! very informative.