# transducer mountin question



## charliep (Dec 9, 2010)

Hi Everyone,

I would like to add a transducer to my aluminum hull (Princecraft Starfish 15) and would like to avoid drilling any additional holes. I was thinking about mounting it on a transducer mounting plate like this https://www.basspro.com/Transducer-Mounting-Plate/product/9153/-569874 I was thinking abot attaching it using 5200. Has anybody tried this in the past? Is there a better adhesive to use? Is this just a bad idea from the start?

Thanks,

Charlie


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## heman (Dec 9, 2010)

charliep said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I would like to add a transducer to my aluminum hull (Princecraft Starfish 15) and would like to avoid drilling any additional holes. I was thinking about mounting it on a transducer mounting plate like this https://www.basspro.com/Transducer-Mounting-Plate/product/9153/-569874 I was thinking abot attaching it using 5200. Has anybody tried this in the past? Is there a better adhesive to use? Is this just a bad idea from the start?
> 
> ...



The reviewer on there said they used the 5200 adhesive and it worked great.. good luck with this.

some alternatives..

this ones kinda expensive.
https://www.sternmate.com/

this one is kinda cool except its made for the trolling motor
https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_1212_250003004_250000000_250003000?hvarAID=shopping_googlebase

i do like this one here as a nice option.
https://www.transducertechniques.com/Ssi-Abm.cfm


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## charliep (Dec 9, 2010)

heman,

thanks for the response. i did read that review on bps but was hoping to find someone who actually tried it. it seems like the easiest of all possible solutions.

charlie


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## heman (Dec 9, 2010)

np.. i just dont like that plastic thing cause it seems you'll have a bunch of holes eventually, no?

but i wouldnt mind having the two small holes and just seal them.. seems reasonable...


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## cali27 (Dec 10, 2010)

2 holes drilled in your boat and sealed with 3m below the water line sealant will be super water tight. I know its nerve racking to drill holes in a boat but honestly I think the best way to go. IMO


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## captnchris (Dec 10, 2010)

Here is a tip I have used for many years when it comes to my boats or anything else for that matter. It allows me to become better informed with decisions I may be facing at the time: 

All of the greatest advice from others is usually free and well-intentioned. But if all of that great advice winds up creating problems, repairs or an unplanned financial outlay to correct them, who ends up with the liability? This also applies to great advice about drilling holes in a boat hull....particularly MY boat hull. There is a greater chance that the one giving the advice got his advice from someone else. When a leak is sprung or you believe you've mounted a transducer in the wrong place because you can;t get a signal, or by simply changing equipment next year with a different hole pattern...the cycle continues. We've all seen boat transoms that look like Swiss cheese and I can bet that was not the original intention of the boat owner. So, does drilling holes in your boat hull really make much sense?


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## thad. (Dec 10, 2010)

captnchris said:


> We've all seen boat transoms that look like Swiss cheese and I can bet that was not the original intention of the boat owner. So, does drilling holes in your boat hull really make much sense?



Isn't that what duct tape is for?
:mrgreen:


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## captnchris (Dec 10, 2010)

thad. said:


> captnchris said:
> 
> 
> > We've all seen boat transoms that look like Swiss cheese and I can bet that was not the original intention of the boat owner. So, does drilling holes in your boat hull really make much sense?
> ...


Of course...but, only for awhile, by few, and not for long!


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## BaitCaster (Dec 10, 2010)

captnchris said:


> Here is a tip I have used for many years when it comes to my boats or anything else for that matter. It allows me to become better informed with decisions I may be facing at the time:
> 
> All of the greatest advice from others is usually free and well-intentioned. But if all of that great advice winds up creating problems, repairs or an unplanned financial outlay to correct them, who ends up with the liability? This also applies to great advice about drilling holes in a boat hull....particularly MY boat hull. There is a greater chance that the one giving the advice got his advice form someone else. When a leak is spring or you believe you've mounted a transducer in the wrong place because you can;t get a signal, or by simply changing equipment next year with a different hole pattern...the cycle continues. We've all seen boat transoms that look like Swiss cheese and I can bet that was not the original intention of the boat owner. So, does drilling holes in your boat hull really make much sense?



Well, one of the things this forum is all about is giving and receiveing advice.


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## thad. (Dec 10, 2010)

BaitCaster said:


> Well, one of the things this forum is all about is giving and receiveing advice.



Sometimes free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it, and sometimes it is priceless.


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## russ010 (Dec 10, 2010)

If you want to drill one set of holes and be done with it, for any type of transducer from any manufacturer, I would get the Sternmount. If you don't ever plan on going over 30mph, you can get just the housing (or what they call "Sternmount Set Back Plate" for $40.

I went ahead and drilled the holes in my boat. But on the inside, I used Alumapoxy between the nut/washer and the actual inside of the transom (as well as on the outside between the housing and the transom). Alumapoxy comes in a tube, and you cut off chunks with a knife, knead it up and put it where you want it. If you ever need to take it off, you still can. I also used this on the holes where my livewell pump draws in water. In the 2 years that I've done all that drilling and epoxy, I haven't had any leaks whatsoever.

You don't have to use Alumapoxy... I went to Home Depot and got one of the tubes that was made for underwater and aluminum... works like a top. I also keep a tube in my boat for any unexpected repairs while on the water. I had to use it one time to put my transducer back on my trolling motor bracket when I ran up on an underwater tree.


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## Jr Branham (Dec 10, 2010)

You can get a plastic food cutting board for cheap from Harbor Freight. It is the same material as the BPS item. Cut a small square, drill two holes in the same spot as your original holes, then drill the holes for your new transducer and counter sink the screws on the back side. You will only have the two original holes in your hull. Good Luck


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## captnchris (Dec 10, 2010)

Jr Branham said:


> You can get a plastic food *cutting board for cheap* from Harbor Freight. It is the same material as the BPS item. Cut a small square, drill two holes in the same spot as your original holes, then drill the holes for your new transducer and counter sink the screws on the back side. You will *only have the two original holes* in your hull. Good Luck



Unfortunately, "for cheap" plastic cutting boards are not UV stabilized and turn to powder in short order when exposed to the sun and other harsh marine elements. If I am not mistaken, 2 screws are necessary to mount a cutting board and the same 2 screws would also mount you transducer.


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## charliep (Dec 10, 2010)

wow... i hadn't had a chance to check this today and there are a lot of possibilities. i do have a transducer on now, but the new new transducer's holes would not align...man that would be a simple and innovative concept in case there is a humminbird or garm rep here :idea: i did actually toy with the idea of mounting a small plate (bps model or other...scrap of starboard?) in the 2 holes already in the transom. then i would just re-seal those screws and mount the new transducer on the plate. admittedly i am over complicating tis, but man i hate holes in boats. hey...i hate snakes too and there are no poisonous snakes in MA...maybe the fear is irrational but it is there.

i appreciate the ideas and the conversations. please keep them coming.

charlie


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## tccanoe (Dec 10, 2010)

I don't like putting holes in my hull either. The way I mounted my transducer was to take a block of 3/4 inch ply and gorilla glued (water proof) it even to the keel. I preped the hull with rubbing alcohol. Stainless screws to the hardware. I used a ratchet strap from transom to trailer with a big piece of something between strap and wood for pressure. It has held for three years and the cost is nearly nothing.


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## richg99 (Dec 11, 2010)

From your second post, I deduce that you already have a couple of holes in your transom from another t'ducer. I will assume that you can reach those holes from the inside. 

If that is correct...why not take a LARGE, LONG piece of UHMWPE or Corion or whatever plastic that you deem proper...coat it with 3M5200 ...stick the piece onto your boat...and fasten it with two stainless steel screws from the *INSIDE*...right through the present existing holes....? I'd back the screws up with large SS washers, too. 

The reason that I suggest a large and long piece of plastic is to give you the option of moving the T'ducer if your first location doesn't work out properly. Partial holes into the plastic will hurt nothing. Many holes into your transom will. You've already got holes...use them.

Incidentally, often you can get free Corion cutoffs from a cabinet/sink shop. They cut the holes for under-mounted sinks from large sheets. A single cutoff would do the job well for you. It cuts like wood on any saw. 

On a previous boat, I used 3M5200 to affix a piece of Corion-like material to a fiberglass hull. It is still there today, many years later, holding the t'ducer on well.

regards, Rich


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## charliep (Dec 11, 2010)

rich...that is a great idea. originally i was going to remove the transducer and replace the screws adding some 5200.


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## Jr Branham (Dec 11, 2010)

Capt,
Mine never turned to powder. The plastic I'm talking about has a slick teflon-ish feel to it, very slick feeling.It feels like Del-rin. Without ever seeing the BPS mount, I would think they are similar materials.
I guess I'm not good at putting my thoughts into text. You would use the original holes in his transom to mount the plastic, but, before you did, you drill two holes to fit your transducer mount to the plastic, the new holes are drilled, but, the screws will need to be counter sunk so it will fit flush against the transom. Almost similar to the idea that Rich is talking about... Clear as mud now-huh?


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## captnchris (Dec 11, 2010)

That "teflon" slick greasy feel is just that....oil. The materials to which you refer are polyurethane thermoplastics. Plastics are made from petroleum byproducts and are inherently "oily feeling". Your poly products have more of that "feel" than others. Short of the complex science behind adhering certain types of plastics (ie amorphous or crystalline), plastics are inherently difficult to adhere unless you know the molecular structure of both plastic and adhesive and their compatibility.


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## FishingBuds (Dec 11, 2010)

tccanoe said:


> I don't like putting holes in my hull either. The way I mounted my transducer was to take a block of 3/4 inch ply and gorilla glued (water proof) it even to the keel. I preped the hull with rubbing alcohol. Stainless screws to the hardware. I used a ratchet strap from transom to trailer with a big piece of something between strap and wood for pressure. It has held for three years and the cost is nearly nothing.



Same here, but I used liquid nail to attach the wood block, I also used thompson water sealer on this wood block as a sealant and it all has held up since. I will always do it this way for now on-use adhesives to mount a transducer on any part of the boat body. 

when you have it ripped off the transducer on accident the adhesive saves your boat body, mine did the job it was suppose to do when the water was low and i ran over a log, it pulled off at the adhesive, and this was the only time in almost three years it came off.

and your right, it cost near to nothing!


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## charliep (Dec 11, 2010)

i like the sound of adhesive more and more. liquid nails sounds good. and 5200 has no issues with wood i believe. is there any sealant...i know spar is used a lot here...that i should avoid? pt wood is a no-no...i learned that here. anything else? thanks everyone...i already have the shack nasties and winter isn't officially here yet.

one more question? the transducer that is mounted now came with the boat. it throws such a rooster tail that it isn't even funny. is there a way of avoiding this?


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## russ010 (Dec 13, 2010)

charliep said:


> one more question? the transducer that is mounted now came with the boat. it throws such a rooster tail that it isn't even funny. is there a way of avoiding this?


\

I think if you're getting a rooster tail, you need to move your transducer further up the transom... the middle of the transducer should be pretty even with the bottom of the boat.

I talked to Capt'n Chris at Sternmate on Thursday after I posted because I was ordering another whole setup to put my transducer on (also because I'm about to add side imaging to the HDS 7)... anyways, he is VERY helpful and can tell you more about the placement of a transducer than you ever thought you would want to know.

Check out this link.... it will help with the placement of the transducer - https://www.sternmate.com/Installation.html. Click on the pictures to see how he lines up the transducer with the bottom of the boat.... I just fixed my current transducer this past Saturday, and man what a difference. I got rid of the rooster tail I was shooting because my ducer was too far in the water and at the wrong angle.


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## Quackrstackr (Dec 13, 2010)

You could always have a piece of aluminum channel or tubing skip welded to your transom and mount your trandsducers to that. Problem solved without drilling through the transom.

That is the exact setup I had installed at the factory when I ordered my boat.

Like Russ said, you've got too much drag if you are getting a large roostertail. That could be because it is too low or because it is not a skimmer type that is really made for transom mounting. I have seen that also.


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## charliep (Dec 13, 2010)

russ and quack,

thanks for the input. i think that you guys are right and the transducer is a little low. russ i think you are talking about using the paint stirrer to check the depth of the transducer and that is a great idea. i wish spring were closer because i want to get this little project going. the rooster tail has to be fixed...it really is ridiculous. it shoots nearly straight up and if there is any wind i get a shower!


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## russ010 (Dec 14, 2010)

same thing was happening to me with the rooster tail - not to mention how much water was actually coming in my boat.

Chris at Sternmate made some really good points on the phone when I talked to him... the biggest thing I learned from him was that it really didn't matter where on the transom (left or right) that you mounted it, but it was actually how far away from the rear of the transom that allowed you to get the best signals. 

I watched my transom this weekend when going 20mph, and I saw what he was talking about. By moving the transducer further away from the transom (using a setback plate), it allowed a continuous flow of water under the transducer which resulted in the best signal I had ever seen on my finders.


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## Troutman3000 (Dec 14, 2010)

russ010 said:


> same thing was happening to me with the rooster tail - not to mention how much water was actually coming in my boat.
> 
> Chris at Sternmate made some really good points on the phone when I talked to him... the biggest thing I learned from him was that it really didn't matter where on the transom (left or right) that you mounted it, but it was actually how far away from the rear of the transom that allowed you to get the best signals.
> 
> I watched my transom this weekend when going 20mph, and I saw what he was talking about. By moving the transducer further away from the transom (using a setback plate), it allowed a continuous flow of water under the transducer which resulted in the best signal I had ever seen on my finders.




Where can you get a setback plate?


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## Quackrstackr (Dec 14, 2010)

The rooster tail may be coming from your bracket too, depending on what type you have.

My buddy's War Eagle shoots a roostertail over 10 feet high because his bracket catches a stream and redirects it straight up like a water hose. I made him a temporary cap for the bottom of it that fixed the problem.


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## charliep (Dec 14, 2010)

thanks guys...i will do the necessary tweaking in the spring. great point about the setback and continuous water flow over the transducer. 

charlie


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## russ010 (Dec 14, 2010)

Troutman3000 said:


> russ010 said:
> 
> 
> > same thing was happening to me with the rooster tail - not to mention how much water was actually coming in my boat.
> ...



https://sternmate.com/ - I ordered another one for my boat... since I got all Lowrance now, I wanted to get a plate that will hold the LSS-1 and the regular transducer with limited amount of holes drilled (and with this one, it is put on with an adhesive, so no drilling required)


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## Troutman3000 (Dec 14, 2010)

Have you used these products before?


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## russ010 (Dec 14, 2010)

Troutman3000 said:


> Have you used these products before?



Yea, I have one someone gave me that I used on my boat at my parents house... 

I just got the new one in the mail yesterday, so I'll be installing it in the near future on my Xpress... I'll try my best to do a detailed pic and all that, and then put it on here. Just trying to find the time to do it is the hard part (it's 730pm almost, and I'm still at work....)


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## Pumping4Jane (Dec 16, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> The rooster tail may be coming from your bracket too, depending on what type you have.
> 
> My buddy's War Eagle shoots a roostertail over 10 feet high because his bracket catches a stream and redirects it straight up like a water hose. I made him a temporary cap for the bottom of it that fixed the problem.




Agreed. My Hummingbird 570 throws a spray up over and on the engine cowl. I have tried repositioning the transducer with little or no results. Like Quackr says, I will probably have to fabricate some kind of gap fill between the bracket mount and the transducer. You would think Hummingbird would have rectified this problem, if they haven't already.


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## captnchris (Dec 16, 2010)

Pumping4Jane said:


> Quackrstackr said:
> 
> 
> > The rooster tail may be coming from your bracket too, depending on what type you have.
> ...


See a photo gallery full of transducer _"fabrications, rig-a-rounds" and "roostertail containment"_ ideas all in one convenient location.
https://www.sternmate.com/ComeAboard.html


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