Fish finder on new outback

I ended up getting a humminbird 176i. With gps based on recommendations on this forum (thanks!)

I used a ram mount in the mast hole. Im still scared to drill on my boat. The ff mount I got thru ebay was supposed to fit humminbirds but its gonna need some fudging and trimming. I ran the wires across the top of the rubber hatch seal and used a duct seal water bath setup for the transducer. Works so far, tested once.

I took it out to find out what I could get out of 8 AA batteries and whether my water bath would hold etc. duct seal worked great but the battery alarm (9.5v) went off after only about an hour. So I knew I had to buy an SLA battery. Worth a test.

I bought an 8ah SLA battery from Batteries Plus today for around 38 bucks.  I put Velcro across the whole bottom of the battery and then in the hull of my boat under the first hatch. I also added a Velcro to stick down the AA battery pack and use as a backup.

So to make a long story short, im glad I didnt go with the $210 hobie fish finder kit.

I'll be installing one on my new Outback so I'd love to see picts if you have them.

Thanks!

mast hole ram mount
Humminbird Piranhamax 176i

8ah 12v battery, velcroed down $38
plus I velcroed the 8 aa battery pack in as an emergency backup (gps)

duct seal water bath
works great, but there were concerns
used this way on the water approximately 3 trips

I went to a local boat shop that my friend works at to buy the marine goop.  My intention was to cut out a holder for the transducer and kind of do a diy version of hobie's install kit.  When I explained the duct seal method and what I was making to my friend he laughed.  He said none of that fancy stuff is even needed.  He told me that they just use epoxy and glue the transducer directly to the hull in ANY available spot.  I asked about heat generated, temp reading accuracy, plastic vs. fiberglass issues, etc.  He said there is NO problem using a 2 part marine epoxy and just simply gluing the transducer directly to the inside of the hull.  Air bubbles are still a concern, so make sure you put a nice coating of glue on the transducer, stick it down, put a weight on it and leave it alone.  It sets up in 15 min and I gave it 24 hours just to be sure. 

I have now been using it glued down in this way for around 2 weeks (I fish 6 days a week) and it has been reliable and accurate. 

Works great. K.I.S.S.

since I started to use this harbor freight solar trickle charge, my battery is always at 12.57v even after using the FF for an 8 hour fishing trip.  Actually sorry, one day it was cloudy and the battery went down to 12.3v after using the FF for around 6 hours...

I keep my battery in a dry bag and just clip the dry bag around the mast tube in my outback, I can't remember what size battery I bought but so far with my elite 4 I've went 20 hrs and the battery was still at 75% charge according to my smart charger.  I've got my transducer behind the mast tube closer to the drive well so it can pick up my down rigger better.

Thanks for the picts and information. Looks like a clean install and its working well. 

 

  I like the idea of the small solar charger.  Any voltage input is better that none at all!

Fishbucket left some batteries at Adventure Sports and they still have some left. Free to NCKA.

I'll take one of those batteries Rob