Installed my fishfinder but...

Well, I finally attempted to install a fishfinder onto the marauder.  All of the aritcles I read made it seem so easy, so I gave it a try on my own even though I wasn't feeling all that confident.

I decided to take a somewhat temporary approach to the project... old school power supply which I'll probably upgrade later and gooping the transducer onto the hull rahter than using the pool noodle which I'll probably also change once I figure out where to get a pool noodle or some kind of closed cell foam.

Anyway, everything seemed to be going pretty well until it came time to goop the transducer onto the hull...I wanted to put it out of the way so I sanded down a spot right under the footwells (is that what they're called?) but when i spread the good there it all kind of drizzled down hill a bit and made it hard to put it exactly where I wanted to.  So instead I let the goop drizzle down, cleaned up the mess in the old spot and spread a little more goop in the spot where it seemed to settle (luckily I had also sanded that spot).  I put the transducer in, mushed it down into the goop making sure (as much as I coiuld) that there weren't any bubbles.  To hold the transducer in place while it dried I put some tape around it but it didn't hold too well...so I put it in again and put more tape on it...looked like it was holding good enough.

After a bit I noticed that my son, Omar, was looking a bit guilty about something so I asked him what he had done and he told me he moved the wire and the transducer had moved.  After checking it out I decided to go ahead and re-seat it.  Seems to be doing good now but I'm not too confident it's going to work right.

I wont get to try it out tomorrow because I've got to take Omar to the zoo but I'll probably get to try it out on Sunday. 

How will I know if it's working correctly?  Is the best way to kind of sit site by side with someone who also has a fish finder and kind of compare the results?
Is there something I'll see or won't see that will let me know that something isn't right? 
If it's not right, can I just apply a bit of heat to the goop and remove it? I think I read that here somewhere.

This was the first mod I've made to the yak, so even if it doesn't work right and I have to re-do the transducer I lost the fear of making holes in it...although I don't plan on making many more.

Getting the fishfinder installed puts me one step closer to removing my self imposed lake only yak fishing restriction.

Have a good weekend.  I don't know where I'll fish Sunday but I hope to see someone from the board out there wherever it is.

Angel

I STRONGLY recommend going with the pool noodle mount, you will find that it is easier to do, and you will get better performance in my opinion.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/bb/index.php?topic=3665.0

And

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/bb/index.php?topic=4812.0

MolBasser

If you have trouble locating the large pool noodle let me know.  I have some just sitting in my closet, and would be happy to slice you off a bit.  This also goes for everyone else.

Although, the way Mol did his (in the link he provided) with the regular sized noodle looks pretty clean.

Angel I will be going fishing at Lake Del Valle on Sunday (1/7) would be happy to compair fish-finders my name is Pat and I will be in a yellow LL Mantaray 

Pat R

Hi, NCKAers,

Like Jonesz, I, too, have been lurking in the shadows but have scoured NCKA posts for hints on how to "pimp my boat," especially install my fish finder, for several months.

I'm struggling with the same dilemma with my Marauder as you, Angel, although, unlike you, I'm NOT afraid to drill holes in my boat, which probably is fool hardy.  I did, however, successfully install three Scotty threaded flush mount rod holders--one on the left side of the cockpit by the footwell and one on either side of the back deck just behind the seat.  I also installed my fish finder, locked down the power cables with a compression thingy, and wired the battery. And, now, the same dilemma as you:  I'm going to use closed-cell foam to mount the transducer, probably just under the bucket in the round hatch in the cockpit...BUT there doesn't appear to be a good horizontally flat surface on the hull so it's going to be a crap shoot.  I want to mount the battery case in the same vicinity, too, perhaps with Velcro.

Anyway, hi, folks!  I'm hooked!  I hadn't been fishing in ??? years (I'm older than dirt!) until I began trolling for trout in Sierra lakes last summer--that has to be what heaven is like!  I really like freshwater fishing, and I intend to expand my repertoire to bass fishing, too.  I met several of you at Paddlefest last fall and look forward to seeing you on the water and gleaning as many hints/tips as I can.  I'm a kayaker first so maybe that skill can be of help to you and somewhat forgive all my silly  fishing questions!

Lastly, Angel, I can share a piece of that foam if you would like to try it.  Let me know.

Happy paddlin',

Janice

Welcome to NCKA, BigJ! 

Thanks for the offer Bungle, I went out and bought a noodle at toys r' us today.

Pat I was going to go out to Del Valle this morning but I got up way too late.  Good thing though...I went to buy the pool noodle and when I got back I checked on the transducer and noticed that while it wasn't just flopping around in there it wasn't as attached to the hull as it should have been...I think it must have been because of some water that got in there while I was cleaning the boat up.

Anyway, I removed everything and cleaned up the mess and then glued the carved out piece of pool noodle...I'll check on it tomorrow and with any luck I'll be able to test it out this coming weekend.

--
Angel

One more question...does it matter which direction the transducer is pointing?  I just realized tonight that I put the foam in such that the flat part of the transducer is pointing forward and the mounting arm (if installing externally)  with the wire is pointing back (See image) ...I have a feeling I'm going to be removing the pool noodle I just gooped in.  This will be the third attempt before even hitting the water with it.

--
Angel

Angel  the arm should be pointing forward just the opposite of what you have it  keep at it it will all work out fine.

Pat R

For what it's worth, here is where I mounted my transducer on my Marauder using marine goop.  I chose this spot because it is out of the way of anything I might choose to store or stuff down the center hatch. 

The location is just forward and to the right side of the center hatch.

I am not sure if it matters which way the trasducer is pointing.  I installed mine backwards by mistake and it works fine.

I am not sure if it matters which way the trasducer is pointing.  I installed mine backwards by mistake and it works fine.

I don't think the direction that the transducer is pointing really matters, unless maybe you have a 3d or mapping unit.
I also installed mine backwards and have not noticed any problems.

Brian 3d

Thanks everyone...I'll probably leave it as it is for now and fix it later.  I was just thinking that I'd see the structure moving one way when in reality it was going the other    Then it would be like when I first taught myself to cut my own hair (with clippers, never tried with scissors)...that one took some time to get used to.  Yep...Sometimes, as a Marine, when you're cruising around the Adriatic on a Navy boat you just have waaaay too much free time...I guess instead I should have been practicing my transducer gluing skills.  Maybe in my next lifetime.

Angel, when i gooped my transducer all i did was put goop down on a flat surface and then had measured the distance between the unit and the top of the kayak hull and cut a stick to hold it firmly in place.  The next day i noticed hundreds of bubbles all around the sides in the goop but when i took it out the finder worked  perfectly.  Thing i figured is that as long as the bubbles aren't underneath the transducer your fine.  As far as performance, the signal goes straight down and it doesn't matter which way the transducer is facing. 

I'd be interested to know about the more elaborate and expensive units though???  Haven't really looked into that but as far as I'm concerned all i really want to see is depth and structure on mine.   JTF..