Got the new FF....now what - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Limits · 03-22-2014, 08:08 PM

Many thanks to Cadillyak for posting this West Marine Deal ( Heads up! HDS-5 Gen 2 on sale )

I saw his post a little late but was still able to take advantage of the "Friday Only Sale" on Sunday.

I had a little problem with my order timing out, so I tried it twice. Seemed like it didn't work the 2nd time either so I chalked it up to trying to take advantage of the sale after the fact.

24 hours later, I have an email stating that both orders went thru and on Friday, I had 2 Fishfinders sitting on my door step. (whoops!)

Anywho, I'm trying to figure out how to mount this thing on my Hobie Revolution. The Finder comes with 2 separate cords - one for power and the other for the transducer. These cords are quite bulky. How have you other HDS-5 fans mounted your finders??

I was thinking of a thru hull wet mount for the transducer but am open to hanging it over on the side directly in the water.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

YakDout · 03-22-2014, 08:34 PM

I have a revolution 13' and installed an elite 5 hdi myself last year sometime. It took sometime to get it the way I wanted it, but I like how it turned out. These are the 3 mounts that I've tried on my kayak and of course the last one worked the best

1. Through-hull
Pros: you won't lose the transducer, easier wiring
Cons: you will lose definition on your screen, no temp reading

2. Scupper mount
Pros: temp reading, and great definition
Cons: can come off if you like to drag you kayak around, your bait tank will not drain right without customization

3. Over the side arm (my current mount)
Pros: temp reading, great definition, won't come off,
Cons: drag, depending on where you mount, can interfere with turbo fins.

4. The lowrance ready bay (which you don't have, but obviously a great improvement in the newer boats)

So I'm finally satisfied with the ram ball transducer mount I have, and below are some pics. The cables of my ducer were pretty thick, so the wirecap needed some filing. I love the location of my FF as well as the ram arm.

YakDout · 03-22-2014, 08:39 PM

Transducer mount

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=21088

YakDout · 03-22-2014, 08:41 PM

ff mount

dmrides · 03-22-2014, 09:19 PM

I have always been a fan of keeping it simple. On my revo I used a wet mount. The cables run out under the hatch, the ff was mounted in the sail mast. I could easily stow during launch and landing. The transducer, battery and ff could all come out during transport, I never had to unplug the cables in the back of the unit and never drilled holes in the yak.
Only drawbacks; no water temp and it is a bit of a reach to the sail mount location. For me the benefits and convenience of this set up far outweighed those drawbacks.

Limits · 03-26-2014, 10:35 PM

Thank you very much for the comments and suggestions. I especially like the photos Yakdout. Very helpful as I'm more of a visual person .

I like the idea of having the transducer directly in the water. I'd hate to lose any resolution now that I have a pretty decent FF. Thanks

03-22-2014, 08:08 PM	#1
Limits Kayak Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cypress, CA Posts: 200	Got the new FF....now what Many thanks to Cadillyak for posting this West Marine Deal ( Heads up! HDS-5 Gen 2 on sale ) I saw his post a little late but was still able to take advantage of the "Friday Only Sale" on Sunday. I had a little problem with my order timing out, so I tried it twice. Seemed like it didn't work the 2nd time either so I chalked it up to trying to take advantage of the sale after the fact. 24 hours later, I have an email stating that both orders went thru and on Friday, I had 2 Fishfinders sitting on my door step. (whoops!) Anywho, I'm trying to figure out how to mount this thing on my Hobie Revolution. The Finder comes with 2 separate cords - one for power and the other for the transducer. These cords are quite bulky. How have you other HDS-5 fans mounted your finders?? I was thinking of a thru hull wet mount for the transducer but am open to hanging it over on the side directly in the water. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. __________________ When the going gets tough, the tough go "pedaling"

03-22-2014, 08:39 PM	#3
YakDout Brandon Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,345	Ram ball arm Transducer mount http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=21088

03-26-2014, 10:35 PM	#6
Limits Kayak Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cypress, CA Posts: 200	Thank you very much for the comments and suggestions. I especially like the photos Yakdout. Very helpful as I'm more of a visual person . I like the idea of having the transducer directly in the water. I'd hate to lose any resolution now that I have a pretty decent FF. Thanks __________________ When the going gets tough, the tough go "pedaling"

03-22-2014, 09:19 PM	#5
dmrides Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Point Loma Posts: 584	I have always been a fan of keeping it simple. On my revo I used a wet mount. The cables run out under the hatch, the ff was mounted in the sail mast. I could easily stow during launch and landing. The transducer, battery and ff could all come out during transport, I never had to unplug the cables in the back of the unit and never drilled holes in the yak. Only drawbacks; no water temp and it is a bit of a reach to the sail mount location. For me the benefits and convenience of this set up far outweighed those drawbacks.