In Hull Depth Sounders

[llsnpk]

Any suggestions for in hull depth sounders for use on a Pearson P40?

[arf145]

Is there some aspect of the P40 that you suspect is going to give an in-hull transducer a problem?

[sailingdog]

The sounder you use really depends on the instruments you get... since not all instruments work with all sounders. It would help if you said more about what you're looking for in a sounder.

Are you looking for a basic depthsounder? a fishfinder?

Do you need new instruments?? speed/depth?

What kind of instruments do you already have??

The only real problem with mounting a transducer in the hull is if the hull is cored. However, even most cored hulls will have sections that are solid glass.

[ChicagoNewport27]

I'm wrestling with this same issue. Depth sounder vs. Fish Finder? In hull vs thru-hull transducer?

Not to redirect this thread, but...

What are the advantages of a depth sounder vs a fishfinder?

Why are fishfinder units seemingly so much cheaper than standalone depth sounders? (Maybe they sell more of them, so they're cheaper?)

Then there's the whole discussion of how to display the data returned.

Some may want a chartplotter with a depth reader integrated into the screen. Some may want just a standalone display reading depth. A fish finder removes some of that discussion, because it does a bit of both by showing you a glimpse of whats under you plus the depth.

Gah! Too many options!

(Maybe I should start my own thread.)

[MisterBilge]

Originally Posted by ChicagoNewport27

I'm wrestling with this same issue.
Depth sounder vs. Fish Finder? In hull vs thru-hull transducer?....
Gah! Too many options!

(Maybe I should start my own thread.)

I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down, CN27, but there's no such thing as "too many options." That's like The Admiral saying "I've got nothing to wear!"
I've been doing a lot of research to refit my (no longer working) 1981 instrument package, and I'm leaning toward a c'plotter and separate depth sounder, in is as much as, if combined, when the one instrument breaks, you've lost both items. There are some incredible deals out there recently, i.e. a c'plotter for under $200:

HUMMINBIRD 755C CHARTPLOTTER 5" DISPLAY NAVIONICS Shop.Sailnet.com - sailing resources, shopping, sail, blogs

and I for one plan on the "shoot through the hull" system, just can't stand the thought of putting more holes in the hull.

If you google "chartplotter 101" it will lead you to a get-smart site in this forum, but it is 10 years old (hint hint mods.)

One of the mfgrs (Garmin?) on its site says you can even use the transom mount transducer as a shoot-thru! The whole process is kinda fun, at least if you have no life like me in the doldrums of 2 ft of snow on the boat.

[klubko]

We have ST40 and we utterly hate through-hulls (when we bought the boat, we removed 7, keeping only 3). The 'shoot-thru' installation has it's perks, but it should, as far as I understand it, work with any transducer.
Catch 1: your boat cannot have cored hull, as SD pointed out. If it does you have to haul out, cut out a piece and glass the hole. The signal has to go through homogeneous material and the air in the cored hull would bounce it back.
Catch 2: you can't install it anyplace. There might be air bubbles in the glass. Setup your system, put the transducer in a bag full of water and look for a spot where it gives you good signal. Naturally you should first find out what's the depth under your boat at that time. The transducer does really have to be 100% perpendicular.

I suppose you know the rest: create a container from a pipe, glue it to the hull, fill it with water (some suggest oil, soapy water..., but that's messy and plain water works just fine), secure the transducer.

Good luck
Petr

[scottyt]

i may be doing a hummingbird combo fish finder gps. the one i am looking at is b+w but that is fine for what i need and its only 300. it would be more of a at helm view, backing up the laptop with seaclear.

but you should see some of these really high res sonars now they are incredible. pricey as hell but bottom views are great



1197c SI Combo NVB

[rikhall]

Originally Posted by klubko

and plain water works just fine), secure the transducer.

That's easy for you to say! Try plain water in the pipe where we get five months of "hard water". It was -38 C at one point this past winter. (At least - I wish it was past!)

Rik

[CaptainForce]

Water or oil is nolonger needed for an in hull tranducer. I purchased the inexpensive Humminbird model with the in hull puck. I set it on a plastic bag of water to test it, but then adhered the transducer to the hull with the manufacturer's supplied adhesive putty. 'works well, 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

[mitiempo]

You can epoxy the transducer directly to the hull as long as the hull is not cored. http://www.epoxyworks.com/indexprojects.html
click "boat repair and restoration" , then scroll down to "depth sounder installation"