The best way to install a transducer on a kayak
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- I think the well system made of Duct Seal is the best for installing a transducer on a kayak hull. (thru-hull).
I is easy to make, easy to undo or redo. No tools are required at all. No sanding no heavy cleaning required at all. It is the cheapest and the fastest. There is no waiting time. You make it and go fish.
Though, I found that gluing the transducer on the hull, regardless of glue types (including Duct Seal), is not quite dependable. Because there is an inherent problem that is air pockets or air bubbles form between the hull and the transducer.
Build a well for the transducer and fill the well with water is the best way to achieve consistent and accurate readings for a long period of time.
On the video, I explained and demonstrated why a transducer well made of Duct Seal is the best way for installing a transducer on a kayak hull.
Joe
far better informed info than other videos. I don't like doing things by taking someone's word for it and you do a great job answering any concerns.
Saved my ass here mate, much appreciated comment
I used this technique after watching some guy on UA-cam. Humminbird. Worked great. Going to keep it simple and install my new Garmin Striker in my 2020 Hobie Outback the same way. Thanks for confirmation.
I saw this video after buying a Humminbird kit. I liked this so bought Duct Seal via a company that imports to Europe in Germany, took a while & expensive, although half the cost of the Humminbird kit. Really easy to set up. I've enough to sort out a second transducer on my other kayak, but got carried away & bought some other duct seal type stuff that is made by someone else. Definitely the way forward. Thank you very much.
I appreciate you taking the time to post this video. Installing a new transducer in my first yak tomorrow thanks to you.
I just got my first kayak and this video helps me see how to work the transducer installation. Thanks very much!
*I have not used all of the features **allabout.wiki/uk1r** I have mainly used it for depth finding, water temp, and sometimes to locate fish. Not good at locating fish yet*
Based on other videos today on YT, I was going to try duct seal and do an in-hull instal of the transducer. Others are saying it works. Having watched this, especially the door screen air bubbles, I am going abandon that idea and to go for a traditional under hull install. Wondering if your getting correct contact over time with duct seal, ruins the tidy convenience of an in-hull mount. I have an OT Predator, so I think I will push a section of plumbing pipe down the scupper hole with the TD attached and hold it in place with D tape shim. It's gonna be in the transducer recess where it should be. Bonus will be that the water temp reading will be accurate. Thanks for the video, it's well thought out to show the comparisons, plus how air bubble can so easily form even with duct seal.
Excellent video thanks for doing this
seems like a cool idea, I used Marine Goop on mine and have had no issues with it coming loose or anything like that
Thank you! Heading to the store now. Just got my first kayak and am installing my fish finder. Great tips! Thanks again
Just for clarity...after reading all the comments....some people still don't understand why you need WATER inside the well. The water eliminates any AIR BUBBLES between the bottom of the transducer and the hull of the kayak. The signal needs to move through a continuous medium (water,then hull, then body of water under the hull) in order to hit the bottom of the ocean/lake/river and bounce back to be interpreted by the fish finder. Air bubbles disrupt the signal...and give a false/inaccurate reading. By creating the well and filling it with water...you will insure that you will NEVER have an air gap between your transducer and your hull (unless of course you flip your kayak...then you will need to refill the well again). Glues, putty, adhesives will eventually fail over time...and force you to re-glue the transducer (over and over again). I am switching to this method TOMORROW! THANKS!
You know that water evaporates? Right?
Don G you are aware that if you’re fishing in a kayak you are surrounded by water, right?
The world is better with you here. Thanks
Cooldoung, you can always try. Transducers manufacturers designed to use on fiberglass hulls and they warn of any foam core in the hull will affect readings. They recommend to glue it with epoxy and make sure no bubbles are present in the mix for the best accuracy. Of course that will be a more permanent installation on a single yak.
Thank you very much for making and sharing the video!
smart Testing methods ! thanks Zeke from NC
Great video 👍, thanks for the tips 👍
Much better than my idea of double sided sticky tape lol. Thanks a bunch
This is the best method so far
The well system made of Duct Seal is the only way. Gluing is not the way. On the video, on Tarpon 140 & Hobie Adventure, I used the typical gluing method to mount the transducers. I had been keeping the hulls of all kayaks wet on purpose when not in use. The depth readings on T140 & Adventure started fluctuate in some area. It never happens when using the well system. I am done with the experiment. Now I am using only the well system.
Thanks
Joe
I like your video presentation. Text is better than voice, I think. Can be paused and studied.
I'm enthusiastic about the use of duct seal to build a well. I built a well using a PVC pipe coupling, which I glued to the hull.. The Hawkeye 3355 transducer is round, so it fit in the pipe-dam nicely, and the fish finder worked. I, too, have 3 kayaks, so it would be easy to move the transducer from one to the other using a dam, whether made of Duct Seal or PVC pipe. It only has to hold water, and you say only 1/8" of water. The receiver of my Hawkeye quit working, so I've got to buy another fish finder. I think I'll try the Humminbird 4088301 PiranhaMAX 153 Dual Beam Fishfinder. It's cheap and has dual beam. (I wonder if that will work in a dam.) I'd like to have the receiver mounted rather than portable like the Hawkeye. Too much clutter having the wire leading to my PFD.
So, the duct seal sticks to the hull well enough to form a dam and stays flexible so it can be molded over the transducer to help retain it. Perfect!
Jerry
Great video, thank you! Have you considered using petroleum jelly instead of water?
I use this method on my polyethylene Mokai ( motorized kayak). The first year it ran great, the second year the readings were sporadic, and the third year it failed. I used anti- freeze for the well, as water tends to evaporate. The antifreeze does interfere with the seal to the transducer if you don't allow a space.
So, I'm going to leave a bit more space, (front and rear) so the antifreeze doesn't get in between the transducer and seal. I think this is key. Water I don't think it's a good idea for the well, as it will evaporate in short order, and if you live in a cold climate, then you have to drain and redo this every year. Antifreeze doesn't have this problem.
I like the fact it's not permanent, just in case you happen to find a place on the hull that has voids. This can happen with fiberglass hulls.
For testing purposes, you can put your transducer in a Ziploc bag with water and throw a small sand filled Ziploc on top of that and drive around, make some turns, change speed, etc. If everything looks good, go to the duct seal.
The well is key, (and space) so that the antifreeze doesn't get between the seal and the transducer. It works, but follow these steps!
It confuses me due to the fact that the transducer can read through the hull but as you said, it works... How? I'm installing my first fish finder and obviously want to find the least invasive way so I don't have holes everywhere, thank you for the video
I think it will. But you need to test. It works on a jon boat. It will cost you a couple of dollars o test and easy to remove if it fails. The duct seal is 1.99 at Home Depot and Lowes.
Please let us know if it worked or not.
Thanks,
Joe
good idea! i will give it a try and see how it work...
The beauty of the duct seal is that can remove it any time you want. But not the glue stuff
Parabens ! Melhor instalaçao ate hoje ! Muito obrigado!
@SouthernCross33
All you need is water between solid hull and the transducer constantly. This works well with dinghy, jon boat. you don't have to drill to install brackets for the transducer.
Glueing does not guarantee, but water does.
Joe
Ok thanks alot im gonna buy alot of stuff today to start mounting the fishfinder. Really, thanks.
I have a kayak with cery thin foam between the plastic dont know if it will work but gonna give it a go
Thank you for the vid !!
Helped me out a lot!!!!
Fishfindermounts has a quick and easy magnetic mount that works great!
wow, awesome video. I've been using Duct Seal for a month now but I never thought to cover it in water. Brilliant! I was just sticking it to the floor, and I certainly have seen an improvement using your trick. Thanks.
-(For those trying to find it, it's $2 at Home Depot in the ELECTRICAL department, not the duct/pvc section).
Just out of curiosity, how do you have your battery stored?
@yakattackable
Yup. I know what a pain it is with glue stuff. And eventually gules fail and removal is real pain. Duct Seal Well is the way to go.
joe
So we fill it with freshwater? Thanks alot for the help and great vid.
I am curious about the water. Does this always have to be in the well that is created with the sealant putty and if so how come? I do apologize if this seems like a silly question but I just want to make sure I get it correct,it just seems too easy.
Good stuff! Thanks
hey great video thanks for the comparison! Quick question I have been to Lowes and Homedepot and cannot find this duct seal type. All I can find is waterbased duct seal who carries this type your using? Thanks
I used goop glue on a different transducer and after 2-3 years I got air bubbles. I do haul my kayak keel up as it fits better on my truck and it stays that way while on vacation. Will Duck seal stand up to this? BTW the Goop Glue was a major pain to get off.
Should the duct seal be between the transducer and hull or is it ok if the seal is just surrounding the transducer to keep it in place so that it doesn't move around. I'm getting good readings but sometimes loses depth and sonar completely then comes back.
Question please: i have an old town loon and it has a double hull with foam between - not very thick but do you think it would be acoustically transparent enough for a transducer to work through it?
What about replacing the water with petroleum jelly. Though I don't know if it would degrade the duct seal
'K, thanks for answer, kinda thought so
Other videos state that the transducer has to be flat against the hull. However my kayak does not have a flat bottom. Would this matter using this method?
Hey, if we want to use the kayak only in saltwater would we have to put sultwater in the well or freshwater? And is there a way to completely seal the transducer so you wont have to always refill the water like filling the well with water than putting duct seal over the whole thing?
Wouldn't the water come out if you were in rough weather or offshore? I got a Hobie revo 13 and tend to go in bays and offshore and sometimes it gets bumping with the waves. I recently did the in-hull using silicon and it went pretty good apart from my fishfinder failing but it was reading fine the only problem it didn't read was the temp.
i would do this but my yak has no centered flat spots in front on me behind me there is area but if i put it there i fear putting extra things snacks clothes gear in the rear hull will knock it loose im thinking just arm mounting it off the nose with a rope so i can pull it out of water if i may hit anything and so i can beach it without damage
What brand of duct seal did you use ? Is it the water based duct seal 1030?
Why is water needed for the duct seal but not when filled in with silicone?
How about like this in a jetski hull? will it worked?
@Jimmyzplayer123
I try hard to some useful info on UA-cam to share. Yap, Duct Seal is the best one. No waiting and Cheap and works
I think you have to remove petroleum jelly throughly if you re-install DUCT Seal
joe
There is a moldable 2 part putty at auto places called quick steel. It gets quite hard and has excellent adhesion. I think I will try to take your technique and swap the duct seal for the quick steel. Thanks for the great vid.
Terrible idea hopefully you didn't follow through.
I tried this method and the duct seal works great, holds the transducer just fine. I however forgot to add water and my Garmin Striker 4DV read nothing except air temp. Going back out tomorrow morning and will make a better/taller well and add some water. Hopefully my new fish finder isn't a piece of junk already. I'll report back.
AnglerX did it work?
I see people complaining all the the time bout glue failing its your own fault for failing to prep the area first u need to sand the area till its rough and clean it properly so theirs no dust and then leave the glue to set properly for over a week the best glue ive used is leadmate used for waterproofing leadwork on houses quit trying to half a job and do it right or shut up when your wank work fails
Here is one of my ideas:
Look for my video titled “Hobie Revolution Rigged for Fishing” uploaded on November 28, 2011. On the video at 03:13 time mark, you will see the battery box
Since I have three kayak, I tried to not to drill holes on the kayaks. I want FF I owned be portable. All FF will go bad eventually. When a FF on one kayak goes bad, I can install a FF from another kayak. I don’t have to buy three FF
I'm hoping to use this method for my kayak, but I will be fishing ocean ledges up to 200 feet deep. Does anyone know if this method will still work at those depths?
Yes it works 4 me
Stay tight
Is duct seal permanent? or can it be removed.
@beavergallo
very long time. Do not ever use any kinds of glue. All FF will break in 1-3 years. You need to buy new one. undoing is al pain in butt if you use glues. All you need is 1/8" of water in the well. Well can leak a bit. It will still work
I used Duct Seal for telephone cables in DCO vaults and manholes. Never thought to use it for this purpose. DS does dry out over time in my experience but the way you do it no big deal, get new stuff. Silicon sucks for most things as you have to sand off where it was applied if you want anything to ever stick there again. I'd be interested in how 3m 4000 would work for a permanent installation. I've read where toilet bowl wax rings work but is messy to clean up. Caution don't use 3m 5200 unless you never want to remove the object :) Link to 3m 4000 uv PDF spec sheet. Use it on my sailboat.
multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/434380O/marine-adhesive-sealant-fast-cure-4000-uv-05280-06580-06586.pdf
freshwater or saltwater where you launch the kayak.
@GilLesS72
You do NOT push down hard. There is NO\, No, No glue between the hull and the Transducer. Just water... It is a well ystem.
I use my kayak on saltwater the most of time.
I don't know how to seal the transducer well. I never thought about it
Joe
Yes. and put some water.
need to use 2 part apoxy
i would suspect that plumbers putty would work in the same way
No!
Foam between the hulls is the problem. Air in the Foam is the problem. I used to have boats. Boaters installed only above the solid fiberglass
Sorry about that
Joe
Update...You MUST have water around it (like the author said). I built up my walls a bit more and filled the well to just below the transducer and put the kayak in my pool and it worked fine, all readings seem to be accurate from the couple seconds it was in there but sadly no fish lol. Another way you might engineer this is find a small plastic tub, even like a cheap Ziplock food tub, something that will fit your transducer, cut out the bottom to fit your transducer or just leave it intact, use the same duct seal to "cement in the bottom on both sides (if cutting out the bottom) and put a few small pieces of duct seal on the transducer to hold it in place, cut the lid just enough for the cable. This way you won't have to worry about loosing water. I've heard the water temps can be off a bit so I ended up ordering a Scotty transducer arm and locking mount so I can put it in a spot in the front of my kayak that's made for the Scotty mounts. Great idea and will use until my mounts get here.
I need audio with my eyes it’s hard to read
So it's best to put it in water like it's designed 😆
Speak!!!
No. The water won't come out. I fish occasionally in 3-4 foot chop, short, not long period waves
All my friends switched to Duct Seal well now.
There shouldn't be no air or air bubbles between the transducer and the water under the kayak.
water is not needed inside the hull
Plumbers putty is nowhere near as good as duct seal. Different consistency and holds much better.