Fishfinder for an AI

Sorry .... I know THIS topic beats the dead horse over and over BUT ....  Are there any special considerations for mounting a NEW fishfinder to a NEW hobie AI?  Special transducer mounts, etc...  I'm leaning towards a Lowrance Elite-5 DSI Gold Combo or HSD 5.  Can't see the differences at first glance?  My main topic is where & how to best mount the transducer to receive the best possible feedback on an AI.

Thanks!

~Bill

I have the Elite5 and it rocks.

I have mine shooting thu hull. Water bath method and have no issues. As far as mounting the head unit. Most mount to the left aka (bar) cross member. The right side is kept "clean" b/c that is where the sailing lines run. Some like GB2 have it in the left mesh pocket area. I use one of Pat R's ram mounts. Best $10 I ever spent. As far as the model...your call and prob a separate thread.

I was trying to see if anyone had seen a scupper mount mout the lowrance?  I see a generc scupper mount made by lowrance but I wanted to see if there was anything more specific to the AI?

 

  Someone recently posted his PVC pipe scupper install which looked sweet.  Try a search for PVC transducer.  Or duct seal as that AI guy Al did!

Bill not rain on your parade but when sailing you will take some serious water in your lap. Which is fun btw. So using a scupper hole for a ducer may not be the best for drainage. And you will want the tank well ones free for a scupper cart if you go that route.

Bill not rain on your parade but when sailing you will take some serious water in your lap. Which is fun btw.

That happens to me all the time(when I close my eyes and imagine)

congrats & Looking forward to your future posts and adventures with the A.I.

Bill not rain on your parade but when sailing you will take some serious water in your lap. Which is fun btw. So using a scupper hole for a ducer may not be the best for drainage. And you will want the tank well ones free for a scupper cart if you go that route.

Good point....

The main cockpit drains primarily through the mirage drive hole so I wouldn't worry too much about the seat scupper hole. I considered a rudder installation but decided not to because I didn't want the transducer that far behind me although I am reconsidering because my shoot through doesn't have enough sensitivity to mark squid.

http://www.adventureislanders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=131

Is that a twist and stow shark fin rudder?

It turned out to not have a 'twist and stow' but does have a shark rin rudder.  This one just flips upward.  Not sure if there is a pro/con of one over the other?  I want the ability to be able to mark bait, fish, structure, etc. at depths condusive to Salmon fishing in Monterey (at the very least).  I'm not against spending the money on a descent fishfinder/gps but I don't want to  do it "just because".  I want a unit that will perform and do the transducer installation the right way the first time.  My last 2 yak's had an in-hull mounted transducer (same head unit).  One worked well spotting fish & the other didn't work.  During the PIF Event in Monterey earlier this year, I didn't mark ANYTHING while Salmon fishing so I believe it was a function of poor installation/equipment.  I don't want a repeat of this next year.

~Bill

I have a Lowrance Elite 5 FF GPS Combo and very happy with it.  I did a thru hull install with goop and foam method.  The unit finds fish accurately but the temperature is off which I can live with it.  See picture marking trout last Thursday at Quarry Lakes, I concentrated where they were holding and caught a lot of nice ones.  It works well too for saltwater. 

Water builds up in the seat as EWB mentioned. Try sailing your AI, you will have water in your seat area when the bow submarines for a few seconds. You need to unscrew the drain plugs to let water out.  I am planning to move the FF unit by the mesh pocket area, just too far to reach.

If your sprung for the AI, then likely you are into performance.  If you are, and you want the most from your fish finder, why do a hull shoot through install?  Especially if you buy a $500 plus lowrance elite 5 system.  Mount the transducer on the bottom of your rudder for optimal sensitivity. 

Or just smear a bunch of crap (goop) in your hull and push the transducer into it.  Yeah that should be optimal, .......not.

I shoot through the hulland have no problem seeing bait, temps, fish and structure. At least as far as I know... One of my biggest concerns on an AI is the problem of water being blasted up when you really get going. Most F/Fers are designed to handle water pouring over them, but not up from undernieth. The wire connections are shielded from overhead, but are left open under. This can become a problem real quick. That's why I made my splash shield with an upside down bottle. Take a look at my post. It's not pretty, but it sure does a great job of protecting the wires from being exposed to splash up. I took it out in some pretty knarly sailing conditions this summer down in Santa Cruz and it did great! No matter how you choose to mount your unit, consider protecting it, or you'll be buying a new unit soon enough...I also considered just wrapping it with some cling plastic wrap each time, but went with a more permanent solution.

I am moving my FF closer to the mesh pocket area like GB2 and Lucky13.  Next to impossible for me to get the buttons from the seat area.

I've been a 50/50 believer in the results achieved with a "glue in" method based on the past 2 kayaks.  With my goal of going to a larger frequency structure scanning unit, I want to optimize it's capabilities.  I am intrigued with the rudder mount idea more and more.  I will do some searching and see what I can find.  In the meantime, if anyone has images of this being done I'd appreciate it.  With a few good ideas could come a production ready design.