I plan on installing a depth sounder with a in hull puck transducer. Has
anyone installed one of these and if so can it be tested out of water?
I'm going to install it on my boat in my driveway and want to test the
position before I epoxy it down.

Thanks

The only way to do it is on water. This is what you need to do:

Get a sand bag or something similar to weigh down the transducer where you
think you want it, and flood the bilge so it covers the transducer. Now
motor around and look at the readings. If they seem spotty, or inacurrate,
then move the puck to a different spot. Keep doing this until you're happy
with the readings, and mark the spot. Now you can work in your driveway. :-)

Remember to use SLOW setting epoxy (4hrs or more) when you glue the puck in
place, and use a lot of it. The slow set allows most air to escape while
curing. Air is bad when between the transducer and water.

Good luck.

--Mike

"LarryT" wrote in message
.. .
I plan on installing a depth sounder with a in hull puck transducer. Has
anyone installed one of these and if so can it be tested out of water? I'm
going to install it on my boat in my driveway and want to test the position
before I epoxy it down.

Thanks

LarryT wrote:
I plan on installing a depth sounder with a in hull puck transducer. Has
anyone installed one of these and if so can it be tested out of water?
I'm going to install it on my boat in my driveway and want to test the
position before I epoxy it down.

I've done a few of these and can tell you, the effort isn't worth the
results.

However, you need to be aware of a few things.

Depending on the hull style, a through hull mount might not work
properly. For instance, if you have a sharp deadrise (deep vee), it
will be hard to find a place to mount the puck at a 90 degree angle to
the water - meaning that it shoots straight down instead of at an angle.

Second is finding a spot on the hull to mount it. You need to avoid
spaces between stringers, stringers and areas where there might be
excess eposy or glass. Make sure the only space between the water and
the transducer is hull.

Now, as to testing - yes, you can test out of the water. As Mike said,
use a heavy weight like a sand bag or similar kind of device and move
the puck around to find a solid return from your driveway without much
noise.

Use a slow set epoxy and mix it really well - slowly as you don't want
to introduce air to the epoxy.

Now, for the question of the day.

Is there a reason you don't want to hang it off the stern?

"LarryT" wrote in message
.. .
I plan on installing a depth sounder with a in hull puck transducer. Has
anyone installed one of these and if so can it be tested out of water? I'm
going to install it on my boat in my driveway and want to test the position
before I epoxy it down.

Thanks

Just in case you aren't aware, it will not work at all thru metal hull.

D.Duck wrote:
"LarryT" wrote in message
.. .
I plan on installing a depth sounder with a in hull puck transducer. Has
anyone installed one of these and if so can it be tested out of water? I'm
going to install it on my boat in my driveway and want to test the position
before I epoxy it down.

Thanks

Just in case you aren't aware, it will not work at all thru metal hull.



Thanks for all the replies. It's a fiberglass hull. I actually went to
the factory when they were building it and they showed me where they
double lap the glass.

I don't want one to hang off the stern because it would just look
cleaner being hidden. Just looks that's all. If I can't get the puck to
work I would probably buy one.

The sounder is just a depth sounder not a fish finder/sounder. I like
the idea of the bag of water.

I'm going to call the dealer and see what their experiences with this
boat are. Maybe they can point me to a spot that has worked for them in
the past.

Thanks again.

On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 20:00:27 -0500, LarryT wrote:

D.Duck wrote:
"LarryT" wrote in message
.. .
I plan on installing a depth sounder with a in hull puck transducer. Has
anyone installed one of these and if so can it be tested out of water? I'm
going to install it on my boat in my driveway and want to test the position
before I epoxy it down.

Thanks

Just in case you aren't aware, it will not work at all thru metal hull.



Thanks for all the replies. It's a fiberglass hull. I actually went to
the factory when they were building it and they showed me where they
double lap the glass.

I don't want one to hang off the stern because it would just look
cleaner being hidden. Just looks that's all. If I can't get the puck to
work I would probably buy one.

The sounder is just a depth sounder not a fish finder/sounder. I like
the idea of the bag of water.

I'm going to call the dealer and see what their experiences with this
boat are. Maybe they can point me to a spot that has worked for them in
the past.

Thanks again.

Larry, mine is off the stern. Once the boat is in its natural habitat,
i.e., water, the stern mount is not noticeable at all.
--
*****Have a Spectacular Day!*****

John H

Charlie Morgan wrote:
On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 21:49:33 GMT, "Mike" wrote:

The only way to do it is on water. This is what you need to do:

Get a sand bag or something similar to weigh down the transducer where you
think you want it, and flood the bilge so it covers the transducer. Now
motor around and look at the readings. If they seem spotty, or inacurrate,
then move the puck to a different spot. Keep doing this until you're happy
with the readings, and mark the spot. Now you can work in your driveway. :-)

Remember to use SLOW setting epoxy (4hrs or more) when you glue the puck in
place, and use a lot of it. The slow set allows most air to escape while
curing. Air is bad when between the transducer and water.

Good luck.

--Mike

"LarryT" wrote in message
.. .
I plan on installing a depth sounder with a in hull puck transducer. Has
anyone installed one of these and if so can it be tested out of water? I'm
going to install it on my boat in my driveway and want to test the position
before I epoxy it down.

Thanks

I have done this install many times. I put the transducer into a gallon size
ziploc baggie filled with water to try it in various locations.

When I find a good spot, I figure out a way to mechanically mount the transducer
using a bracket so it will be perpendicular to the water. I then make a large
puddle of clear silicone, being carefull not to have any bubbles, and gently
push the transducer into the puddle. I then screw it to whatever I had figured
out for a bracket and let the whole thing sit for 24 hours undisturbed.

I have had no failures doing it this way. It does "slightly" reduce the
sensitivity of fish finders as far as size of fish, but not enough to worry
about if you are using it as a depth sounder. You will still get a nice display
of the bottom, and accurate depth readings.

CWM


Charlie the Ziploc bag worked like a charm. We took the boat out
yesterday and hooked up the depth finder. I placed the transducer off
the back of the boat and took a reading. I then place the transducer in
the bilge and checked the reading. The reading inside was 3 inches
different than the reading I got when just placed it in the water. I
then drove the boat while watching the readings and it seems to be fine.
The depth finder comes with epoxy to mount so when it stops raining this
week I'll epoxy it down.
Thanks for the tip!

Larry T.

LarryT wrote:

Charlie the Ziploc bag worked like a charm. We took the boat out
yesterday and hooked up the depth finder. I placed the transducer off
the back of the boat and took a reading. I then place the transducer in
the bilge and checked the reading. The reading inside was 3 inches
different than the reading I got when just placed it in the water.

Just out of curiosity, how did you determine the two readings were 3"
different?