Rigging the kayak with a transducer:
This is the plumber’s putty I used for fixing the transducer in the hull. It cost $1.99
First I made a ring of putty in the bottom of the hull. The ring is big enough to put my transducer in.
Then I put the transducer in and added a little water for good contact with the hull.
I then covered the transducer with more putty and sealed it up.
The putty sealed really well with the kayak’s hull. There was no water leakage.
I got a good signal through the hull, and it was cheap and fast to do. I can also peel it off real fast with no residue left behind.
And this is how I improved comfort:
I picked up a yoga mat from my local Good Will store for $2.00.
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I used double faced carpet tape on the bench.
I cut the mat to fit the bench seat and laid it down.
It made for a nice soft seat and it’s not slippery.
Here’s my “W” at the lake ready to go:
I live in one of those houses that are on the hillside in the background.
The “W” is a great boat to sneak up on wildlife.
This is a beautiful lake just to be on. (Willow Lake Prescott Arizona.)
Bob
Always a pleasure to visit Arizona!
Great pics!
Marco
Looks easy, and effective. This fish finder seems to be conveniently mounted on a wooden mount that you can stick into one of the depressions in the saddle top, and remove easily.
Nice pictures –
Mike
AZ has some great fishing. Those modifications look real nice. That depth sounder should help a bunch out there. I remember some of those lakes being hundreds of feet deep.
foam all around the cockpit and on top of the seat -that’s what i call comfort
Nice job making a Great yak even better.
I Like the use of the plumbers putty to hold the transducer, sweet deal!
Tight Lines
Rox
Smart way of fixing the transducer.
This is a good tip. Epoxy is very hard to remove.
The only con fact of setting the transducer inside is a decrease in range of sonar. Can you estimate that decrease in percentages?
Regards,
Petru
I am using an “Eagle Cuda 300″ fish finding sonar. With 200 kHz frequency.
800 watts peak-peak power; 100 watts RMS power. I’m not sure what all that means but I have plenty of power, actually I have to much power because I have to turn down the sensitivity. The unit has a depth capability of 600 feet. And this is a low end model, only $80.00 at Bass Pro Shop. I would say the decrease in range by going through the hull is minimal.
Keep your hooks sharp,
Bob S
Thank you Bob.
How’s the plumber’s putty mounting for the transducer working out? Any problem with the water evaporating? If it’s working, it’s a great idea; I’m in the process of rigging a ‘yak now and firmly believe simpler is better, IF it works!
The plumber’s putty is working just fine. I had to add water once but no big deal. The transducer works much better with the water added. I am in Florida on vacation this month so I haven’t been fishing for a couple of months. I plan on using new plumber’s putty for the coming season. One thing I’m going to work on is a different setup for holding the rods. With the rods sticking up I have had problems with hitting them in my back cast. Also I found that when I reach back (turn my body) to change rods it gets a little tippy. If I come up with a solution I will take pictures and post them.
Bob
I just bought a Humming bird Fish FInder and was wondering how to mount the transducer… your method sounds interesting. I will give it a try.