Sweetwater Fishing Forums
Special Interest => Electronics chat => Topic started by: Capitan Morgan on January 04, 2011, 05:49:14 PM
-
Hi I have recently built a canoe and would like to fit a fish finder to it. I have come across the Humminbird Fishin' buddy series http://store.humminbird.com/products/271365/120_Fishin%27_Buddy (http://store.humminbird.com/products/271365/120_Fishin%27_Buddy) while looking on the net, they are just one unit that I can clamp to the rail and there is no need to drill holes (id hate to have to for the unit or transponder thing). So I have a couple of questions in regards to the functions they offer and In general about sounders as I don't know much about them.
Firstly is a colour screen important at all if the rest of the specs are the same?
Are the fish symbols just for show or are they very likely to determine a fish? I see other sounders that do not have the symbols, do you just go by the concentration of pixels and make an educated guess as to if its a fish or not (even better ones I see you can actually see the shape of the fish). Is it making that 'guess' for you on these types of fish finder?
When they say waterproof, do you think they mean I can hold it under water and it will work? I have not tipped my canoe accidently as yet, but once I start taking some friends along It's likely one will assist with that.
Do you think with transponder on a pole pole stuck in the water on one side of the canoe it would be too much of a hinderance with paddling? I am anticipating trolling a fair bit and It does concern me.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Almost forgot, what else would you recomend!
-
Those things are about twice the price they should be.
Until recently the Pirana max 150 or the eagle cuda 300 for around the $150 to $170 mark were the pick of the bunch for yaks and canoes, (both greyscale) but I think they have been replaced by new models recently with matching new bigger price tags!
Its fairly easy to make a standard sounder in to a portable one. Just screw the transducer to a suitable piece of wood of the right length and clamp the wood to the side of the canoe. Screw the head unit to your wife's favourite small cutting board, (to sit in floor of canoe and allow you to point the screen at yourself) add a 12 volt 7amp battery and you have a portable fish finder.
All fishfinders are IPX rated 6 or 7, cant remember which, but they are good for 30 minutes under water to a metre deep. Rolling the canoe wont worry them.
Colour is good, but to get an equivalent sized screen and features equivalent to a good greyscale, add at least $500 to the price.
Fish symbols are to make you think there are fish where there aren't any. Use them in raw mode. Fish look like aunty Doris's eye brows.
I'll see if I can dredge up a photo of my setup, its exactly as you describe, external mounted. Secret is to get the height right.
-
Here is how my Mark 5 goes on my yak using a Ram mount. Note how the transducer head only is in the water when moving along, creates no resistance that I can feel. This was a "rough up" to see if it would work, been using it for nearly 12 months.
Hint - dont put it where you like to bring fish on board!
-
Here are some pics I got ages ago from somewhere I cant remember when I was first thinking about using an external sounder mount (after changing sounders 3 timwes in 6 months I was sick of prying silastic off kayaks and transducers!) So if they belong to someone, please excuse my theft! Its a great idea.
-
Its fairly easy to make a standard sounder in to a portable one. Just screw the transducer to a suitable piece of wood of the right length and clamp the wood to the side of the canoe.
I like that Idea a lot! I'm thinking some aerofoil shaped timber blade with the transducer on the bottom and unit mounted atop somehow "wood" be suitable..
Your setup with the arm looks pretty cool hanging off the side on that arm. :)
Do you have to protect the battery from water totally?
-
No they are sealed. You can immerse them totally with no real issues. What I have found is that you have to protect the battery from yourself!
I dropped an aeroguard tin on top of mine in the box I keep it all in in the back of the car. It arced, burnt a hole right through the tin, but did not ignite it (or I wouldn't be typing this now!). I keep my battery in a kids plastic lunch box now, with holes drilled through for the wires to go.
-
here's another variation ...... this set-up works well for my sit-in yak
...... would also work in any single skin canoe.
I've made a pick-up and drop-in, all in one, centre console, from a plastic container.
Holds the sounder & it's transducer, the 7amp. battery plus extras in one easy to carry/simple to install, package. No external wiring and bits to foul with weed or snag lures etc.
Transducer shoots through a water filled rubber glove which is in contact with the inside of the hull.
I have several photos that explain the build if you think it might work for you, just let me know.
-
Interesting concept working through the hull...I think I will try it, just because I like seeing how stuff works. Do you have to tweak you sounder when you do it compared to just when it is in the water?
My hull is epoxy-4mm ply-fiberglass/epoxy. I do imagine some signal loss for sure is going to occur and in the end will most likely just hang it over the side, but I love seeing stuff like that.. :thumbsup
-
My hull is epoxy-4mm ply-fiberglass/epoxy. I do imagine some signal loss for sure is going to occur and in the end will most likely just hang it over the side, but I love seeing stuff like that.. :thumbsup
Transducer should shoot through your hull no problem. Only thing you need to ensure is that there's no air between the transducer & the hull. There's alot of way to do it.
Epoxy, glue or silicones all work of you want to fix it inside or for a wet box arrangement grease, oil, water or glycol all work.
** NOTE** Never use acid cure silicones on transducers as they will react with the transducer. If it smells like vinegar its probably an acid cure. Use a neutral cure with high adhesive properties & marine rated like FixTech or Sikaflex.
Humminbird do a kit for inhull mounting of transducers. You put the self adhesive rubber boot onto the inside of the hull > put the supplied grease into the boot > put transducer into boot on top of grease > use the velco zip tie to secure it. See pic below
Cheers,
fitzy..
-
Oh cool.. I do think It would be better for not tangling lines... and not to mention for paddling!!! Thanks for the tips guys!
-
Just another question, and excuse my ignorance but does the direction you face the trans
ponderducer matter? Just with my canoe if you solo you face one way and if you have two people you face and travel the other way..
-
Not if your mounting it inside the hull.
-
On standard transducers it doesn't matter, but with quadra beam & side imaging it you can be 90 degrees out. I can't see forward / backward being an issue with any.
fitz..
-
I've seen more than one bloke with his yew bewt side scanning fish finder scratching his head over how to mount it in a yak. Its pretty much gotta be in the water to work (not in the hull), or the side scan bit wont work!