Easy Transducer Mounting

I recently bought the Dagger Axis 12.0 Crossover SINK (Sit inside Kayak). Most recently purchased a Lowrance Elite 4 HDI with GPS and the dual scan Transducer and wanted it mounted in such a way as to easily move the Lowrance from the Axis 12.0 to my Predator 13 so I did not have to purchase two units or two transducers.

If you know anything about SINK’s, you may be asking; how did he make a fish finder work, especially a Lowrance Elite 4 HDI in a “V” hull kayak like the Axis 12.0. The hull is not shaped well for a shoot through transducer, there is no transom to hang a transducer and the hull is too rounded; it is quite easy to say, this is going to be a fail.

There is a fellow kayaker / Inventor / manufacturer in Canada who has the answer to this dilemma… Wade Van Pelt, owner of www.fishfindermounts.com invented, now manufactures and sells the only magnetic transducer mount in the World. Boy that’s a claim worth investigation… and as far as I (and Google) can tell there is no one who has a solution like Wades.

When you visit Fish Finder Mounts you’ll find the magnetic Transducer Mount (sold separately) is but one component of a complete package including battery, battery case and the magnetic transducer mount.
Wade’s ads states:
Don’t drill any holes in your boat
Mount your transducer anywhere on your kayak, canoe, & small fishing boat of all varieties
Mount the transducer in a couple of seconds with complete confidence
The world’s only magnetic transducer mount

I’m very aware of rare earth magnets from my metal detecting hobby. Put one on the head of your rock pick and ferrous metal jumps on for a ride and leaves the gold in the hole for you to find. Rare earth magnets come with a disclaimer telling you to keep your fingers out from between the magnets or you WILL be pinched and pinched hard!

Wade has created a transducer mount with rare earth magnets embedded in its frame. The second component is a backing fixture that goes inside the boat hull which also has magnets imbedded. Hold the backing fixture inside the hull and get close with the transducer mount and it will literally jump onto the hull with tremendous force. That makes it sound like the transducer mount is difficult to remove. And it is if you pull straight out or try to slide the mount off. A 90 degree twist of the inner fixture causes the transducer mount to lose about 50% of its grab and is then easy enough to remove. It couldn’t be more secure and couldn’t be simpler.

When you buy the mount it comes with a small cushion between the magnets. I would recommend you make a larger piece so as to be able to hold it against the magnets without getting close enough to get pinched. I cut a rectangular piece from a plastic coffee can lid about an inch larger than the magnet area of the backing fixture and it works perfect. Don’t ask how I know you shouldn’t hold both pieces against your belly while attempting to align the self-aligning magnets…

On my Predator 13 and on the Axis, I use the mount with one of the two depth extensions included. To go deeper into the water for say an aluminum hulled power boat I can see where the second could be needed and it things get extreme more extensions can be ordered. This is a very versatile mounting system; portable, easy to use and cosmetically better than any other solution.

I found Fish Finder Mounts quite by accident while surfing on YouTube for How-To fishing video of the Hammer Swim Bait that I’ve been raving about as of late. Don’t recall how one led to the other, but I’m pleased I found his site.

I do not personally know Wade Van Pelt, except to say I purchased and use his magnetic transducer mount. If a FishFinder is in your future, be sure to bookmark Wade’s website his mount may be the ticket for an easy and portable installation for you too.

This is awesome...

Cool idea it doesn't effect the electronics ? I'm guessing it wouldn't as long as it is constant.

I'm REALLY interested in this. Thanks for the intel!

Mike

I'd be cautious about storing the fish finder head or the transducer anywhere near that strong of a magnetic field.  That's a computer in that thing, with a memory that can get trashed with a strong magnetic field. 

Dang, what a novel idea ! Very interested ...

There could be a concern if you placed the Lowrance display head right against the magnets; so yes it is a great idea to keep them separate; good thinking.

I purchased a Pelican Small Case 1120 Dry Box (under $40.00 at ACK) in orange so as to make sure the head was secluded, protected and bright enough in color that I'd not forget to bring it along; that solution is one of the tips I intend to write about when I do the review on the Elite 4.

I've got some learning to do before I can make a review on the Fish-finder. I'd like to be able to describe how and why I set it up for my kind of fishing. So far the Elite 4 has been on one outing and all I've done is turn it on, flip through the pages and realize I don't know much about it; the review will come in a few weeks.

For now I'm pleased I've been able to get it mounted and happy that it is transferable from one boat to another.

For tips and tricks on the FF, check out youtube.  Here's one that I found interesting and can't wait to try;

That is a great solution!  Cheers to the inventor! 

Magnets afaik only affect magnetic media.  Flash, SD, NVRAM, etc are not magnetically stored, like hard drives, so they are not affected by magnets.  I've seen LCD's affected by strong electrical current, and it might not be a good idea to put the screen right up to a powerful magnet, but I still doubt it will do anything to it.

I ordered one and will let you know how I like it. Need looking for a better solution to the transducer

That is a great solution!  Cheers to the inventor! 

Magnets afaik only affect magnetic media.  Flash, SD, NVRAM, etc are not magnetically stored, like hard drives, so they are not affected by magnets.  I've seen LCD's affected by strong electrical current, and it might not be a good idea to put the screen right up to a powerful magnet, but I still doubt it will do anything to it.

After googling, it seems that a magnet won't affect flash memory or TFT displays.  Most likely this mag mount will be a pretty good solution!   

That is a great solution!  Cheers to the inventor! 

Magnets afaik only affect magnetic media.  Flash, SD, NVRAM, etc are not magnetically stored, like hard drives, so they are not affected by magnets.  I've seen LCD's affected by strong electrical current, and it might not be a good idea to put the screen right up to a powerful magnet, but I still doubt it will do anything to it.

After googling, it seems that a magnet won't affect flash memory or TFT displays.  Most likely this mag mount will be a pretty good solution!   

Thanks for posting the update on the magnets, Jerry. Very good to know. Thanks for posting the trick for the Elite 4 as well. I've been toying with upgrading my FF to the Elite 4 and with a birthday coming up later this month, people have been inquiring about birthday ideas. Perfect timing...

Magnets can warp or distort TFT monitors...so I'd keep the head unit away from the magnet during transport and storage too.

I've done a lot of testing with the Lowrance units in SINK yaks.  The transducer mounting is all the same as a SOT kayak, just don't have to fuss with cable routing thru the hull to a head unit like a SOT.  I've used a zip lock bag filled with water & a couple zip ties to make a 'wet bath' for a transducer in my sit-in.  Worked well even with DSI imaging.

Looks like a lot of potential drag. Thoughts?