Transducer mounting

[Jimmyz123]

Originally Posted by Biggameaddict

The water, you dont put water in the putty?

No water needed, if you're putting water, you're not doing it like I know.







I use a sponge to make the form but you don't need that. On my Malibu Kayak I had, I didn't use a frame I put the putty directly on the bottom of the kayak. As you can see in the photos I just placed the putty in the center of the form and smooshed it flat. Then I put the ducer in the form and pressed it down. No water added at any time. I get perfect temp readings, perfect depth readings, and the ducer does not move, even if you drop the kayak off the top of a Ford Explorer, trust me I've done it.

[steveooo]

Originally Posted by Jimmyz123

I get perfect temp readings

I think you might get a general idea of what the water temp is after being out on the water for a while, but I don't know that this would be the ideal method if you are looking for temp beaks, or really wanted an instant accurate temp of where you are fishing. I think it would probably take a while for the hull of the kayak and the putty to adjust to the actual water temp in the spot you are fishing.

Is a degree or 2 difference in temperature that important? Probably not, because the conditions will be what they are and we can't control that. I like being able to have the odds & info in my favor when i get a chance to fish. I'll fish an area whether it is 60 degrees or 64 degrees, but I'll start getting serious about fishing when I see that 62.5 break show up on the sonar, especially when looking for in the springtime.

As far as how well the putty actually allows the sonar to work and transmit an image? A pic of a nice in your lap, or a couple of these in your hatch would probably make me start looking at this as the preferred method if it is not possible to get the 'ducer in the water

No question that in the having the 'ducer in the water is best. Hobie has the best of both worlds now on the PA 12 and PA 14, allowing the 'ducer to be mounted in the water without any serious modification.



I like the idea of the putty install. Simple is good. I'm sure if it is the real deal, we'll see a few more guys do this in the future.

Steve

[Jimmyz123]

Originally Posted by steveooo

I think you might get a general idea of what the water temp is after being out on the water for a while, but I don't know that this would be the ideal method if you are looking for temp beaks, or really wanted an instant accurate temp of where you are fishing. I think it would probably take a while for the hull of the kayak and the putty to adjust to the actual water temp in the spot you are fishing.

Is a degree or 2 difference in temperature that important? Probably not, because the conditions will be what they are and we can't control that. I like being able to have the odds & info in my favor when i get a chance to fish. I'll fish an area whether it is 60 degrees or 64 degrees, but I'll start getting serious about fishing when I see that 62.5 break show up on the sonar, especially when looking for in the springtime.

As far as how well the putty actually allows the sonar to work and transmit an image? A pic of a nice in your lap, or a couple of these in your hatch would probably make me start looking at this as the preferred method if it is not possible to get the 'ducer in the water

No question that in the having the 'ducer in the water is best. Hobie has the best of both worlds now on the PA 12 and PA 14, allowing the 'ducer to be mounted in the water without any serious modification.



I like the idea of the putty install. Simple is good. I'm sure if it is the real deal, we'll see a few more guys do this in the future.

Steve

No argument that the best place for the ducer is to be in the water itself. However my feeling is the next best thing is using the electrical putty. Sometimes people are afraid to try new things but when I say how easy and accurate this installation is, I bought into it 100%. One of the toughest things is that many of the scupper hold transducers are an extra $60 or more to purchase, it' worth it for sure, but many of us are on a budget that doesn't allow the extra purchase.

I have to say I love seeing all the ideas people have come up with for installing their equipment.

[mrJB]

Been using the duct putty for a LONG time, on several kayaks. It works well and is one of the easiest methods to do, and does not screw up your transducer if you want to keep the transducer when you sell your kayak.

On the other hand, forget accurate temperature readings. Ever feel the "woosh" of hot air that comes out of the kayak when you open a hatch on a hot day? Kinda' like leaving a thermometer on the floor of your car with the windows rolled up and expecting an accurate temperature reading. The contact with the cool plastic hull does not have enough isolation from the warm/hot air inside the kayak, making any temperature reading unreliable.

I'm with Steve, when you go fishing, you go fishing. If you wait for what you believe is the "perfect" temperature you'll frequently be surprised by who caught what when...