Picture of kayak and rigging equipment/notes...comments?

My biggest issue I think is the fact that I want to use 2 transducers...one is quadrabeam (90 deg downwards) and other is wideside (left, right, plus a narrow beam down). I will probably use quadrabeam ONLY when ocean fishing and when I'm up at my place on Clearlake use a combination of the two. Wideside sounds too good when I'm paddling along piers/docks/reeds.

I have decided to go with Scotty mount system and a rhyno-like bar at front to hold my transducers...at least if this doesn't work I didn't do anything permanent to kayak for transducer mounting.

Another option for holding transducers seems to be a Scotty/RAM rod holder on side of yak...with a PVC extension pointing down towards water.

Comments?

Picture updated.....see recent diagram at bottom of page.

I don't get it - you are afraid of mounting a transducer inside with a gob of silicone that's easy to scrape off, yet you want to put something like 4  ea 1 1/4" holes for the flush mounts in your boat ?Not to mention the 4 bolt holes or rivets for each?

Another issue with the flush mounts is as shipped they are not watertight.  The rubber "dust cap" they come with is a joke and will blow off the first time you car top on the freeway.  To waterproof mine I had to ream a pvc pipe cap and epoxy it into place.  Rear access once mounted is essential for this step.  Same to properly bolt it into place with a backing plate or washers.

Starting at the rear, instead of punching a hole, just put your light pole, when needed, in a rear rod holder. In my tank well I either have my live well or crate. Both have a bunch of rod tubes (think pvc pipe and zip ties)  as behind you is the only practical place to stow a spare rod other than inside. You need the space in front of you clear if you want to catch/fight big fish, especially if you are trying to land them quickly to catch and release.  Also see above comment about rear access for mounting. Small round hatches leak, especially when flexed, which will happen if you put anything in your well.

Moving forward I would strongly reconsider the proposed flush mounts in the center floor. To use the forward hatch it's important to be able to "scootch" forward with your legs astride the yak. The flush mounts are not wholly flush - the bolts/rivets will snag your wetsuit, foulies or worse, your balls ':smt091' as you slide forward.

That's 15 less holes in your boat!

Since I'm on a roll here are a couple of other thoughts FWIW:

Keep it simple!  I love gadgets, but saltwater and sand are the most harsh environment ever invented.  The more complicated your setup, the bigger the chance of having a ruined day screwing around trying to get something to work.  

Your hesitancy to drill holes in your yak is good.  Keeping a neat and clean deck helps me catch more fish. All I ever use fish finders for is the bottom depth and contour. In fresh water if you are close enough to see the fish on your wideband I'd bet you have spooked it already.  In still water I have rarely hooked a fish that close to me.  I have GPS only for emergency waypoints home in the case of fog.  Pelagic fish ain't gonna be in the same spot twice so I don't mess with it, instead I keep my concentration on the hook in the water.  The great thing about putting your transducer inside is there's one less cable for a thrashing fish to use as leverage to come unstuck as you bring it aboard.  Or a hook to snag and cause a hairy backlash as the stripers are boiling around you. Also in gnarly surf you will need to get the whole contraption inside through  a hatch before landing as it would otherwise be something else to get hung up on as you enter/exit. I like to minimize the amount of time I have my hatches open to stow rods etc. This is also why I rarely use a drift chute.  It's just something else for the fish to get wrapped around in it's death spiral.

I really think the Scotty triple bar is a piece of crap.  I own one and I have tried to use it but I should really sell it to an enemy.  First it's too heavy.  Second it's too wide.  If a real fish hits the deck tends to buckle at the single attachment point before you can get the rod out of the holder - not severely, but some day....  I have a backing plate with big washers behind it but 1/8 inch of tupperware just isn't as strong as fiberglass.  Third it's too low.  Because of this when a real fish hits it's tough to get the rod out of the holder as the butt tends to hit the deck, you or whatever else you might have nearby as you pivot back and up.  I do use a single Scotty holder with the height extender and that solves the pivoting rod butt problem.  Can't fit the triple with the extender as as it lengthens the lever arm causing even more hull flex, and raises the center of gravity too much for stable ocean operation (COG is higher in a SOT kayak than you might think but that's a funny capsize at sea story best shared over strong drink).

BTW I mounted my fishfinder pretty much the same as SCAWFish in the Matrix 17 thread on this board. It's really clean and works well.

Chris.

1. I thought the whole point of kayaks was that they don't spook fish?

2. Are the flush mounts really that unreliable? After all, the two circular flush mounts are deep inside my 2 cupholders...I would doubt they would snag on anything. The forward-most one is too far away to snag anything. I can buy the rubber plug which is another option for these mounts, I guess they come with plastic cap?

After sitting in my kayak again...I agree I don't need to install 2 circular flush mounts in cupholders...overkill. I will go with single flush mount just above 2nd cupholder and just behind forward hatch.

I don't have surface area to mount Matrix directly to yak on this forward-most spot...square/flat area is too small, so I am stuck with either scotty flush mount in this spot along with RAM post and RAM arm...or dropping RAM arm and post and using Scotty fishfinder mount/plate directly to scotty flush mount. Not very high up though...maybe this is a plus.

3. I do have worry that plastic is too flexible to mount anything of significant weight on flush or surface mounts...regardless of backing plate/etc. I wouldn't think lightpole would be a problem here though. Rod holders maybe...scotty triple with tons of junk...maybe.

Many others have put in these mounts...are they all having problems?

4. I am only using the light pole for nighttime freshwater catfishing, so a couple of velcro loops around milk crate for "mounting" the pole would be fine...just seemed like flushmount was more clean/custom. I still may go with flushmount here...it's too damn clean.

5. This is bad to hear about the scotty triple...I didn't plan on using one in my setup above, but I might've purchased one down the road.

6. So how would you suggest I mount a wide-side transducer? It needs to go left and right in addition to down...do you think this is even possible to do in-hull?...more gooping??

7. I do realize that I need to secure everything when entering/exiting surf...setup needs to be bulletproof.

8. I examined Matrix 17 thread...however he has big enough mounting location and I don't. But see below picture...I can get around this with 2-level plastic/wood block possibly.

Are you saying my Hummingbird mount is too heavy and sonar must be mounted directly on yak for support? It seems many on these forums use this (admittedly heavy) RAM bar PLUS the scotty triple and are doing ok.

9. Can the marine goop be easily removed in case of mounting screwup? Just apply hair dryer??

A picture is worth 1000 words -- I'll snap one of my install tomorrow which should help.  The 15 has room on the slanted console between the footwells-- I recall the 13 being of similar design.

I didn't use goop, for difficulty of removal reasons. Instead I used silicon glue.  I don't recall the exact shape of the wide mount but if it's potted in silicon, without bubbles, it will read fine from inside a yak hull.

Are the flush/surface mounts really that problematic to install? Or are you just saying A) don't put them on unless ABSOLUTELY necessary and B) don't hang a buch of heavy/tall shit off of them?

Quadbeam/downwards transducer is slender puck that I see as being easy to goop to bottom of hull. Wideside transducer is like an inch tall! I don't see it being easy to goop to bottom of hull as left/right beams would be hindered and hull edge is too far away from edge of transducer...way too much goop would be required.

So...I'm thinking I can have two usage scenarios: ocean and freshwater.

When in ocean I'll have in-hatch/hull quadbeam transducer along with battery.

When doing freshwater I'll just hang the extra wide-side off of side of kayak somehow and have transducer switch outside as well...no biggie as on lakes you don't eat shit as in ocean scenario.

I also have option of mounting sonar in 2nd cupholder...with no hole drilling. I can get a round wood cylinder that matches cupholder diameter exactly (maybe 1-2" thick) and mount RAM arm on this disc and slide it into cupholder. I could glue wood cylinder to bottom or just tether sonar w/arm to something in yak. I could even put Scotty surface mount on this cylinder and have a mount w/easy removal of entire unit.

Sound workable? At least now I have solid ocean setup where rigging is more mission-critical.

Just a couple of points of feedback.

1.  The round scotty flushmount bases are sealed.  They are about 3.75" in diameter.  The rectangular ones aren't sealed on the bottom but you can do that yourself easy enough.

2.  I'd avoid mounting stuff between your legs (i.e. cupholder locations).  It just gets in the way.

3.  I'd use either the scotty fishfinder mount or mount the base directly to your deck instead of the Ram stuff.  The scotty mount is cheaper and simpler  You don't really need all of that articulation just for a fishfinder mount.  

4.  If you marine goop your transducer, you will still be able to remove it if you want.  It's very difficult to get a really good bond to polyethylene, so almost any adhesive you choose will be removeable.  I goop my sonars and they've worked well for me.  You can just pry them off again if you want to remove them, then shave the goop off of the transducer for remounting.

Wow man you have a lot of lights. I don't think you need running lights up front. They are not required by law, you only need one white light, and that can even be a headlamp. You will want a headlamp anyways for a working light.

Kayaks get banged around a lot, left in the sun and rolled in the surf. Every time I go out I try to take one less thing with me. I am currently scheming to lose my crate. Trust us, less is more in this case  

I had to go digging but I found the light requirements:

http://www.boat-ed.com/ca/course/p4-9_navlights.htm

So the only thing you are required to have is a flash light.   I am not saying you should not be safe but a few bright white lights are safer than 2 little R/G light IMHO.

So the only thing you are required to have is a flash light

Unless you are anchored or moored then you need a 360 visible for 2 miles

I think I've hit a home run...

Totally accomodates ocean/lake scenarios with 2 transducers. Only holes are for rear post light, in bottom of 2nd cupholder for PVC tube holding sonar and just forward of this for 12v receptacle.

I will be setting up everything per above next week and will photo the crap out of everything.

Image is coming out crappy...see original link here. http://www.vxappliance.com/personal/fishing/pictures/kayak_layout.JPG

Ok guys...I'm not flaking out...should be finished with mods in prob another 2 weeks TOPS.

It's taken a while to get everything I need...and alot of googling and checking norcal forums. Plus I was missing things like a chop saw for 3" pvc and a few other tools...you MUST have the right tool or you're going to be doing a hack job.

I just need to receive my pool noodles, dielectric grease and a couple of other minor items and I'm ready to start all mod'g.

I've already cut 3" pvc pipe for my rodholder in first cupholder, it's capped and has scotty round flush mount goop'd on top. Also cut PVC for sonar mount in 2nd cupholder...it's a <5"L of 3"D pvc with an end cap. On end cap will be plexigas rectangle screwed in and sonar mount/base will be on top of plexiglas. So I have started a few things...

Keep posted...I will have many pix on my website and am eager to show final product...plus take a damn trip!!!

Hey, how ya'll are?
 Very interested in your mounting as I have the prowler 13 also.
 Not sure if I want it or not.
 I live in Brookings Or. I want to drop crab traps on my way out to catch rock fish. I think all I really need is something to show me the bottom surface. I.E. rocks or sand and depth
 Any advice or comments are welcome.