You might laugh at this, but it works, and it works REALLY well. I had a
very costly Nexus depth sounder unit, which all works well EXCEPT for the
"box" that delivers the signal from the transducer to the MFD
(multi-function display) in the cockpit, as one of the connectors RUSTED
off! You would think that a marine-savvy company like Nexus would make their
terminal connectors out of gold, especially for the cost.

Anyhow, when installing my new Lowrance X-51 fishfinder (yep, I think the
display showing bottom trends and the $150 it costs is a MUCH better
solution to a $400 digital-only display!) transducer, I used some CLAY, yes,
the very same clay you played with as a child (the greasy stuff, not Playdoh
or anything like that) to hold it position on the hull to find the best
mounting point (was going to epoxy a pvc tube with the transducer submerged
in mineral oil). I thought to myself, why epoxy this when it seems to be
getting a great signal and I'll give it a test. After several months of
sailing in known bays and such noting the flawless performance and accuracy
of this clay-mounted transducer, I completely forgot that I had never
"permanently" mounted the transducer. 4 years later, and with absolutely NO
problems with sensitivity nor any other kind of malfunction, it is still
held in place with that very same piece of clay.

I guess the sailing mags and the epoxy companies won't care for this
solution as it goes against their recommendations, but I have yet to run
aground due to an innacurate reading from my clay-mounted transducer in 4
years. BTW, anyone that trusts ANY depth sounder this completely is a fool.
Point is, it works this way.


"Wethead" wrote in message
...

I am inexperienced, so cut me some slack.

I have this 28' sailboat that has an older depth sounder, the kind with a
red light that moves in a circular pattern around graduated markings.
Sorry, I don't remember the brand, and the boat is 2000 miles away right
now. The sounder is unreliable and difficult to read. It uses a
through-hull tansducer that is heavily glassed into the hull. I would like
to replace the unit with something more modern and easier to read. The
question is, is it at all possible to use the existing transducer, or do I
have to buy and install a new one? Is a transducer a transducer, or are
they brand or unit or type specific? Manufacturer's seem to give no
information on this. I'd rather use the existing transducer, of course.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Wethead