Sonar transducer inside metal hull?

[stevefishes]

Previously I fished from a kayak with a plastic hull. My fish finder transducer was installed inside the hull. Can I do the same with an aluminum hull?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Sonar transducer inside metal hull?

Previously I fished from a kayak with a plastic hull. My fish finder transducer was installed inside the hull. Can I do the same with an aluminum hull?

Nope,... Won't work,....... Welcome Aboard...

 

[CanWoodsman]

Re: Sonar transducer inside metal hull?

Nope,... Won't work,....... Welcome Aboard...

Where did you get that from??
As long as there is no air spaces the transducer will shoot thru the hull.
Yes it is better to not have to go thru the hull but it will work. For many years when I rented boats I would place the transducer it the rear of the inside of the hull and with a little water around it the transducer shot thru the hull alright. Silicone caulking will also work instead of water.

 

[giericd]

Re: Sonar transducer inside metal hull?

you can do a through hull or transom mount transducer dont try a regular transducer stuck to the inside of your hull. Remember that the transducer is designded to send a signal and then receive it detecting the density of objects it encounters along its path. for example on my lowrance the hardest objects (rock/metal) display a solid red color on my screen. now if you are trying to start your signal going through metal and finish comming back through metal you will have very inaccurate readings with a ton of distortion if it even works at all! it's too simple do a transom mount and be done with it, if you like leave your transducer in the kayak and for around $45 you can get a nother to mount on your other boat, now you can just mount your fishfinder in which ever boat you feel like taking that day plug it in and your in business. Have the same deal but with fiberglass hulls, use the kayak for the super skinny flats, flats boat for general flats/back bay fishing, and a bay boat for the passes and off shore- there is no way i was going to buy 3 nav/fish finders! 1 unit 2 extra power plugs & 2 extra transducers and i'm ready for any thing! good luck

 

[dingbat]

Re: Sonar transducer inside metal hull?

http://faq.airmar.com/index.php?action=artikel&cat=1&id=89&artlang=en

Airmar does not recommend it. The transducer's sensitivity will be reduced transmitting through the metal hull, so you will not be able to see as deeply into the water. However installation in an aluminum hull is acceptable if the thickness is 3.8 mm (0.15",3/16") or less. The transducer must be epoxied directly to the aluminum hull. Use Airmar models P72, P79, or M260

 

[stevefishes]

Re: Sonar transducer inside metal hull?

Thanks guys, I didn't think it would work. I'll just do a transom mount.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Sonar transducer inside metal hull?

Where did you get that from??
As long as there is no air spaces the transducer will shoot thru the hull.
Yes it is better to not have to go thru the hull but it will work. For many years when I rented boats I would place the transducer it the rear of the inside of the hull and with a little water around it the transducer shot thru the hull alright. Silicone caulking will also work instead of water.

Yes, it does work with the caveat that if it's a skimmer style transducer it will see some performance loss. It really depends a lot on the quality of the transducer and head unit. An inexpensive unit might have been just fine on kayak but will likely provide less than satisfactory results when the transducer is mounted to shoot through an aluminum hull.

I've tried it in an attempt to get a cleaner look but ended up going back to a transom mount. I was running a Lowrance 525cdf then and in certain conditions the return signal would drop out more than I remembered it doing when it was transom mounted. I installed it according to Lowrance after they strongly advised me not to do it advising me to go with a true through hull transducer. I had the skimmer and a tube of 5200 but not enough free cash for the through hull unit so I went ahead and did it. When I realized I should have listened to Lowrance and tried to remove the skimmer, I broke it and ended up buying a new one anyway.