Through hull transducers on a vintage boat

[OLDIRON]

Hello, it's been quite a while. I recently acquired a 1972 Glastron 149 BeauJack. I noticed that it has two transducers mounted to the hull near the keel after I took the boat off the trailer. There are no wires coming out anywhere in the floor. I have already repainted the deck and relocated the helm and seat risers.It looks like the gel coat around the fittings were lightly sanded and a sealer similar to 5200 was applied to both. Should I be concerned with any water leakage? I do not think these would be factory so I have to question how well they are sealed. Why are there two of them? The floor seems to be sound and the stringers are not soft anywhere on the boat. Unfortunately, since I have redone the deck, I guess I would have to cut holes in it to verify any leakage. What do you recommend I do from here? ,

 

[Old Ironmaker]

If they were sealed right no problem. Check the bilge for a leak when you splash it. As far as why 2? Someone previously may have had a bad unit and replaced it with sonar that didn't match the previously transducer and added a second unit or always had 2 units, 1 being redundant. I have a transducer on my transom that does nothing usually because I changed from Garmin GPS combo to Hummingbird but if need be I have an old B&W Garmin fishfinder I carry that I can plug in as a back up.

 

[GA_Boater]

Two Old Irons in this thread. LOL

OI #1 - OI #2 probably has it right. Maybe one of the transducers is old and bad, while the other is newer and bad. Pull the plug after a cruise and check for water draining is probably all you can do at this point.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Two Old Irons in this thread. LOL

OI #1 - OI #2 probably has it right. Maybe one of the transducers is old and bad, while the other is newer and bad. Pull the plug after a cruise and check for water draining is probably all you can do at this point.

I just realized that after I posted Georgia, maybe we worked together in the Blast Furnaces, maybe we are related. Big website small World?

 

[Old Ironmaker]

After I posted I realized we have similar handles. OLDIRON #1 may have worked in the Blast Furnaces too. I do know they did have a few in California at one time. Big website, small World?

Old Iron 2.

 

[dingbat]

I just realized that after I posted Georgia, maybe we worked together in the Blast Furnaces, maybe we are related. Big website small World?

Dofasco or Stelco?

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Stelco.

 

[OLDIRON]

If they were sealed right no problem. Check the bilge for a leak when you splash it. As far as why 2? Someone previously may have had a bad unit and replaced it with sonar that didn't match the previously transducer and added a second unit or always had 2 units, 1 being redundant. I have a transducer on my transom that does nothing usually because I changed from Garmin GPS combo to Hummingbird but if need be I have an old B&W Garmin fishfinder I carry that I can plug in as a back up.

Thanks. There really is no bilge to speak of, just a well at the transom plug, and there is no opening into that well below the deck. I did water test the boat last week, but there's really no way to know if any water got into the hull under the deck without cutting a hole in the floor. I kinda don't want to do that because I just finished painting it with no skid and my seat mounts are right over the transducers. I would have to remove those also, but I could if I have to. I was thinking about just lightly sanding them and the gel around them and smearing sealant on and around them. Do you think I'll be ok with that?

 

[Old Ironmaker]

If you put the boat in the water then take the plug out after you pull it out and it's dry well then, no leak. If you did take on water it may not be from the transducers and you have a big job to find it.

 

[OLDIRON]

If you put the boat in the water then take the plug out after you pull it out and it's dry well then, no leak. If you did take on water it may not be from the transducers and you have a big job to find it.

There was no water in the well, but there could be water between the floor and the outer hull. The way the boat is built the space between the floor and the hull, where the stringers are, is sealed. In theory, the only way water could get in, or out for that matter, is through a hole in the outer hull. Like a leaking transducer.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Does that boat not have a bilge pump? I can't picture what you describe. Any pics available? I need to learn something new everyday.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I Googled and found your boat in the article below about marketing. Saw a few pics too. Interesting. Apparently Glastron's entry into the hot "Bass" boat market.

Glastron

After ?interviewing hundreds of fishermen and incorporating their thoughts into a boat,? Glastron introduced the Beau Jack V-148 in 1971. Well, in order to top that for ?72, Glastron decided to, ?offer more kinds of fishing boats to choose from.?
To compliment the V-148 (from ?71) Glastron came up with its 16-foot sister ship the V-168. Stick steering and all the amenities of the 14-foot version, the boat appears to have a lot more room and could handle an 85-horsepower motor.
For those who didn?t like stick steering, they also came out with two new models, the V-149 and V-169, that had console steering.
It?s pretty amazing the hull designs of these boats and the fact they still have you deep within the boat (no casting decks) considering in two or so years Glastron will have one of the fastest ?pad? bass boats on the market, resembling bass boats of today. Still they were workhorses that got the job done.

OK, I've put off shoveling the 8" of snow we got last night, fun wow!

 

[OLDIRON]

Does that boat not have a bilge pump? I can't picture what you describe. Any pics available? I need to learn something new everyday.

Yes, that's my boat. A V-149 with a 1988 40hp Johnson with Teleflex steering that is fairly new. Of course the trailer leaves much to be desired. I'm in the process of converting it from a tilt trailer to strictly bunks. I will never dry launch this boat into some backwater swamp. LOL. Back to the topic and your question about having a bilge. No, it does not. Just a small well in front of the transom plug. I am planing to put a small pump that I have into that well for just in case. The floor and the hull are sealed. There is no access to the interior of the hull unless you rip up the floor. Someone must have cut the transducer wires off where they came through the floor, and then shoved them into the cavity and sealed it off. I know anytime you penetrate the hull, if not done correctly, there's a chance for a leak, and I don't believe these two units came from the factory. What should I do in your opinion? Thanks.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Do it right and remove them both, clean the holes and area very, very well and fill the holes with 3M 5200. I think you will sleep better.

 

[OLDIRON]

Do it right and remove them both, clean the holes and area very, very well and fill the holes with 3M 5200. I think you will sleep better.

Thanks, and your correct about doing it right. I just wanted to avoid cutting holes in my newly painted floor. I'm assuming the transducers have a lock nut on the inside and that would be the only way I could remove them. They look like they are about 1 1/2" in diameter and that's going to leave me with two very large holes to fill. Any other suggestions that might make my life easier? LOL.

 

[OLDIRON]

Would there be any objection to sanding the gel coat around them really well and applying glass mat and resin over them? They are close to the keel, it's a tri hull, so they will be away from the new bunks and would not scrape on them at all. I'm just grabbing at straws here because I really, really don't want to cut into that floor and removing them would leave me with some pretty big holes. Any ideas will be taken into consideration. Even bad ones at this point. LOL

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Dofasco or Stelco?

Now there are dozens of minor Steel firms as far as employees and tonnage that passes through the gate in Greater Hamilton that are not integrated plants. The way it was well over 100 years ago before they merged into what is Arcelor Mittal Dofasco and the current Stelco that was formerly known as US Steel Canada. Now it's back to Stelco which is wholly owned by Bedrock Industries, an investment firm out of NYC.

 

[dingbat]

Now there are dozens of minor Steel firms as far as employees and tonnage that passes through the gate in Greater Hamilton that are not integrated plants. The way it was well over 100 years ago before they merged into what is Arcelor Mittal Dofasco and the current Stelco that was formerly known as US Steel Canada. Now it's back to Stelco which is wholly owned by Bedrock Industries, an investment firm out of NYC.

Been in the industry since 1978. Instrumentation and Control OEM. Plate, strip, sheet, process, galv and tin lines.

Many customers along QEW from St. Catherine to Burlington.

My sales rep for that area is an ex-Stelco guy.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Been in the industry since 1978. Instrumentation and Control OEM. Plate, strip, sheet, process, galv and tin lines.

Many customers along QEW from St. Catherine to Burlington.

My sales rep for that area is an ex-Stelco guy.

I worked closely with the Instrumentation group at Stelco Hamilton and Nanticoke, I didn't answer your simple question, sorry., Especially for Y2K when the World as we know it was to end.. I always told my group of misfits if you learn the instrumentation and what it is telling you, you will learn the process. PM me the name if you wish, I may know him or her.

 

[GA_Boater]

OLDIRON - To get back on your topic, can you get a photo of the bottom of the hull showing the transducers? Realistically, they probably aren't leaking.

Do they protrude at all? I would consider lightly sanding the gelcoat around the transducer and the transducer edge, then using 5200 as a sealing coat.