Best place for a shoot-thru hull transducer on plastic boat?

[Zozza 295]

Hey fellas,

Those with experience of installing these, what is your take on the best place on a boat to install.

My boats underbody looks as per the pic.

Cheers

[Island Time 1,246]

full keels can be a bit of an issue. Normally, in a fin keeler, its forward of the keel to give you clean water flow and depth in front of the max draft.

The transducer needs clear, non aerated water. You will likely need an offset transducer, or a fairing block so it actually points down

1/3 of wll back from the bow is normal.

[Guest 000]

A little similar underwater to my H28.

Position where IT said. If the underwater hull is non-cored then you may wish to do an internal installation. I did mine by glassing a small piece of 4" drain pipe to the inside hull, cut so that it sits vertically. When cured, fill the pipe with (I can't remember, light oil?), mount the transducer in an end cap and glue it on. Mine works very well and as a bonus it means one less bump on the outside hull and you can do the install with the boat in the water.

[Zozza 295]

IT, ChrisC many thanks.  Yes, non cored hull, all grp. 

[wheels 543]

Do understand that there is still a dramatic attenuation of the signal, thus max depth it will reach is affected.
Make sure you are well out from the Keel itself, or the keel can start returning false echoes and when in deep water, the thing suddenly reads you are in a few ft of water.

[Island Time 1,246]

True wheels, but it also needs to be relatively close to the centreline so it's not out of the water on one tack. Compromise compromise.....

[Black Panther 1,599]

At sea mine reads 2.5m. So far I have been able to figure out that it is lying.

 

Although once I was on a boat with forward looking sonar and the alarm went off mid altlantic - we had sailed over a sleeping whale.