Sorry for the length of this post, but as they say, "It's all in the details".<br /><br />I recently purchased a 21' Beachcomber "Fish & Play" Pontoon and wanted to add a depth finder. Since I was interested depth and temp, not fish, I purchased an Eagle Cuda 168 for the features, ease of use, and cost.<br /><br />The manual had no instructions for a pontoon, so I called Eagle, where the tech recommended mounting the transducer on the lower edge of the accessory bracket at the rear of the pontoon, either left or right. I did this and was off to the river. The unit came on and worked normally after the easy setup. However, at speeds greater than 5 mph or so, the depth indication just "flashes" and holds the last value, and it cant find the bottom. I tried several angle adjustments without success.<br /><br />I emailed and spoke with Eagle tech's several times (and even sent them pictures), and it seems cavitaion (turbulence & air bubbles) is the problem. After seeing the pictures, they tell me that it will not work properly at that location because (1) the accessory bracket does not reach the bottom edge of the log and (2) because of the "V" strut welded on the log bottom. Their only solution is to mount the transducer on a pole at the front of the boat. I've never seen one like that!<br /><br />I just can't believe this is the only solution. I know many of you must have working units, and many with the transducer located at the same bracket. However, I do see some boats with the bracket extended down to the bottom edge of the log, and no V struts. I considered, but dismissed, the idea of relocating the bracket to the edge of the log because the "V" strut still remains an issue. I was thinking of locating the transducer near the speedometer tube on the lower edge of the motor pod, but after watching the water flow there yesterday, I think there may be too much turbulence here as well. I was surprised to see water flowing all the way up to the top of the motor pod, and not really that smooth. They tell me that the transducer must have a smooth water flow to work properly.<br /><br />I would appreciate any ideas or experiences you may have, maybe short of trading boats for one with a working depth finder!
