Mounting transducer on transom wheel brackets

[Croolis]

Must... resist... starting... another... thread about mounting transducers.

FAIL .

Found a link on here to a thread using a 3D printed mount to attach transducer to the wheel brackets on my transom.

https://f-ribsandsibs.com/forum/view...hp?f=20&t=4587

I remove the wheels completely when I'm launched and therefore will be able to lean over and slot in the transducer instead into the wheel bracket.

Simple question then: anyone done it? I imagine it'll need to be very snug, won't want any vibration.

Maybe I should just drill another set of holes in the transom, dunno.

[Pikey Dave]

This is my solution
https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/seamax...ons-90278.html

[User name]

Originally Posted by Croolis

Must... resist... starting... another... thread about mounting transducers.

FAIL .

Found a link on here to a thread using a 3D printed mount to attach transducer to the wheel brackets on my transom.

https://f-ribsandsibs.com/forum/view...hp?f=20&t=4587

I remove the wheels completely when I'm launched and therefore will be able to lean over and slot in the transducer instead into the wheel bracket.

Simple question then: anyone done it? I imagine it'll need to be very snug, won't want any vibration.

Maybe I should just drill another set of holes in the transom, dunno.

Looks like his github link is dead. Is it supposed to fit to the wheel axle, so you keep the stem in place on the transom and just remove the wheel? If that's the case then it might be a bit of a faff to assemble/disassemble every time you go out.

[Croolis]

Originally Posted by User name

Looks like his github link is dead. Is it supposed to fit to the wheel axle, so you keep the stem in place on the transom and just remove the wheel? If that's the case then it might be a bit of a faff to assemble/disassemble every time you go out.

Oh, I didnt think that was it. I thoght it jst went in the bracket where the entire wheel stem goes. Yo know, the bit thats still left on the transom when yo roll the boat p to pt it away.

P.S. My yoooo key and apostrophe key, amongst others, have stopped working and I cba to yooz the sodding virtal keyboard any more. Yoll figre it ot .

[User name]

Originally Posted by Croolis

Oh, I didnt think that was it. I thoght it jst went in the bracket where the entire wheel stem goes. Yo know, the bit thats still left on the transom when yo roll the boat p to pt it away.

P.S. My yoooo key and apostrophe key, amongst others, have stopped working and I cba to yooz the sodding virtal keyboard any more. Yoll figre it ot .

Yeah, I could be wrong, but I can't see how it would actually reach to the water with just that printed part alone. It kinda looks like its attached to the axle with a screw/retaining nut from the pics.

You could also pick up some tube in the same diameter as the original wheel stem and fashion a mount from that. That way it'll plug & play into the mount when you have removed the wheels.

[smallribber]

This is my solution no drilling required

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9BNDcR_Ppk

[Croolis]

Don't have a Honwave with that handy bolt in the transom already.

I might just get a bit of metal tube as suggested. Was thinking ali box section just like the the wheel stem itself, easier to put pin through when mounting. Will have to see what the supplied transducer mounting is really like.

[Croolis]

As an aside, I dropped TWO bloody pins in the water last week when reattaching transom wheels. I really need to get some line on those pins to the transom lmao.

[User name]

Originally Posted by Croolis

As an aside, I dropped TWO bloody pins in the water last week when reattaching transom wheels. I really need to get some line on those pins to the transom lmao.

Haha, been there and learned the hard way too!
I made up a couple of tethers using stainless wire that I make fishing traces with. Just crimp a couple of loops on it and you're good to go.

[Fenlander]

If you don't have the complication of transom tabs on your air floor then it's just one hole to drill to mount a simple transducer timber leg. Less faff than trying to adapt something to the wheel brackets. Never shy away from drilling the transom to fit something you need, particularly so high up away from the water.

I fitted my first chart plotter to the Aerotec with DIY transom mount transducer in 2015 reporting on it in this thread. With the fixings used you don't even need a spanner when setting up.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f37/garmin...tec-69858.html

In post 19 you can see I initially trialled it held by a G-clamp to make sure it was going to work and get an idea of height before drilling the transom. It was when I had flip up wheels that later were changed to removable but that didn't alter the transducer mount arrangement.

Here is a better view five years later in post 5. I had intended to remake it in hardwood with a neater slot but it ended up serving its purpose until I gave up the depth aspect of a chart plotter to save kit and faff...

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/one-pe...tec-83658.html

[Croolis]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

If you don't have the complication of transom tabs on your air floor then it's just one hole to drill to mount a simple transducer timber leg. Less faff than trying to adapt something to the wheel brackets. Never shy away from drilling the transom to fit something you need, particularly so high up away from the water.

I fitted my first chart plotter to the Aerotec with DIY transom mount transducer in 2015 reporting on it in this thread. With the fixings used you don't even need a spanner when setting up.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f37/garmin...tec-69858.html

In post 19 you can see I initially trialled it held by a G-clamp to make sure it was going to work and get an idea of height before drilling the transom. It was when I had flip up wheels that later were changed to removable but that didn't alter the transducer mount arrangement.

Here is a better view five years later in post 5. I had intended to remake it in hardwood with a neater slot but it ended up serving its purpose until I gave up the depth aspect of a chart plotter to save kit and faff...

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/one-pe...tec-83658.html

I do have those tabs on the inside of my transom, the things that the air deck is supposed to fit under. But the idea of fixing it to a board and then bolting the board high up is a good one. In fact, I've got a bit of either ali or steel box section hanging around that could do it. Gives me an excuse to try the metalwork blade I got with the cheapo Titan recep saw I bought recently.

I wonder if my over-a-year old tube of marine sealant has totally gone off...

[Fenlander]

>>I do have those tabs on the inside of my transom

I meant the tabs that stick out beyond the transom as part of the air floor on some models and stop an easy DIY transducer setup. Those blocks inside that locate the air floor are no trouble.

[Croolis]

I went out yesterday at Pwllheli Abersoch with the transducer strapped to a tube at the back. It worked fine like that, though that's not going to be a permanent solution for me I think.

Garmin Striker 4 Plus. I had to turn the screen backlight up to 100%, despite the sun not being out and I had a 3D printed hood on the unit.

The 7ah lead acid Yuasa battery did not last too long, I thought. I had it on and off so it's hard to tell how many minutes I got out of it but it was gone within couple hours of launch. Now, I didn't charge it, it was delivered with 12.5v in it so I just went with that. Probably I should have given it a charge (forgot).

I caught NO FISH. No fish . Went down to the St Tudwal islands off Abersoch, jigging for mackerel on the north side of them in the deeper water couple hours, 2-3 hours before high tide, then down to the south of them, another hour or so. Then I put on sandeel lures and trolled my way slowly back between the islands, would have been slack water by the back end of that. Turned it in and headed back after that.

Am very tired now lmao. Should have started this stuff when I was a young man.

[Steve509926]

Hope you had a good day despite "no fish"

My 7ah Yuasa when fully charged lasts me 3 days which equates too approx 9hrs - 10hrs that's running a Garmin 45cv and charging my mobile every now and then.

When it's fully charged the volt mtr reads 13.6v

[Croolis]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Hope you had a good day despite "no fish"

My 7ah Yuasa when fully charged lasts me 3 days which equates too approx 9hrs - 10hrs that's running a Garmin 45cv and charging my mobile every now and then.

When it's fully charged the volt mtr reads 13.6v

Hmm. Just charged mine with motorcycle drip charger and got 12.8v, checking it with multimeter.

Will have a further fiddle.

Yeah, had good day. Me and my 12 year old. He laughs when we're bouncing along on the plane. I found it rather crippling by the end of it lol. Caught some sun. He learned to do small casts and handle the rod with plastic lures .

[User name]

Shame about the lack of fish. Did you even see any on the sounder at least?

What did you have on the mackerel jig? It can be hard not to catch the odd mackerel at the moment.

[Fenlander]

Like Steve I always found a 7ah would last several days on holiday running a Garmin dv45. Only had two of these batteries in 15yrs, they have lasted well.

[Croolis]

I did see on the sounder, must have been shoals by look of them, couple times on the trip over to target area when I slowed down to fiddle with settings. Then when we did get there I saw what must have been a shoal that I marked with a waypoint and was trying to motor back to it, which is much easier said than done, and likely pointless I expect. Shortly after that the battery went.

Lures were 3-on-a-rig simple feather ones on mono or fluoro (unsure) that I'd bought off Amazon, and my lad had a more flasher version from the same set, added weights to the bottom:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00WGADB...roduct_details

This is only the second time I've fished, last time was few weeks back with a mate, using the same rigs, and he got one mackerel that dropped off, and I got two on a single cast. That is the limit of my achievement so far .

Next weekend with weather and opportunity I'll go down there on my own I think, so I have no distractions and no one else to please, and make a real study of it all. Yesterday some newbie mistakes were made, apart from battery, which caused faff and sucked up some time.

The most annoying one was - before we left, I'd put some braid on one reel and filled it, then went to spool another from the same bit and found I ran out long before I filled the second. So I learned how to tie a "uni knot" and added fluoro to the braid to fill the reel. When out on the water, I found that the second I unclipped the fluoro to thread the rod and put a swivel on, the fluoro just unravelled itself from the reel all on its own, like there was a ghost unreeling it. Even after I got the rod setup, swivel and rig on, if the line wasn't under tension from the weight the line would just unreel itself. I got angry and just ripped it off and fished with an inadequate amount of braid instead (was just enough to get to the bottom most of the time). Really annoying stuff. I'm just going to stick to braid for now for main line.

[Croolis]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Like Steve I always found a 7ah would last several days on holiday running a Garmin dv45. Only had two of these batteries in 15yrs, they have lasted well.

Are you running it down to 12v or less?

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Croolis

Are you running it down to 12v or less?

I'm not, I trickle charge it overnight, run it for 3 trips / days then trickle charge it again. I don't think I've seen it drop below 12.2.