"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...

The transducer has to "see" water and the only way that can happen is
if it's in contact with the water.

Not true.

There are plenty of intallations where the transducer is mounted inside a
fiberglass hull and shoots through the hull. The last three boats I have
owned were set up that way. It definately cuts down the range it can reach,
but it doesn't need to be wet.

I am not sure how well it would work shooting through an aluminum hull.
It's easy to try, however. Just take a small tube of RTV and squeeze it out
into a puddle on the inside of the hull. (it would be best to clean the
hull first so it will get a good stick). Rock the transducer down into the
puddle, being carefull to avoid trapping any air. Just "moosh" it down into
the puddle.

Now see if it works. If it works okay, let the RTV cure and your all set.
If it doesn't work, pull it up before right away.



However, do you need a depth finder? If you can beach a 60 foot boat,
there can't be much draft to the vessel making the whole point of a
depth finder mute.


I sure don't follow your reasoning. There are times that I might beach a
houseboat, but I would do it very carefully. The outdrives will still
require a few feet of depth for operation, just like any boat. I wouldn't
want to hit my props on a houseboat any more than I would any boat.

Rod