the dreaded 'ducer bubbles: How Do I Prevent This?

[mdmakaira410]

i removed my transducer this morning because i had to fix something with the wiring and found a bunch of airbubbles. when i go to reapply how do i make sure this doesnt happen again? im using a foam cutout filling the cutout with marine adhesive then applying the 'ducer. let me know how to fix this or if there is a better way to go about doing it.

[DOGFISH]

Use GOOP. As you press down on the transducer, twist it back and forth to work out the bubbles. Press down until you make good contact and twist until you are confident that the bubbles are out. There is a good video of this process on You Tube of a couple of guys installing a transducer on a Hobie PA.

[mdmakaira410]

do home improvement stores have goop or do i need to go to bass pro or west marine? i did the back and fourth motion the first time i stuck it in the yak and i didnt use a foam cutout to hold it in place and it didnt really have any bubbles, the second time i mounted the foam first so i couldnt really move the puck around to get the bubbles out. im going to go without the foam this time. and thanks for the lure advice, i actually do have a bunch of the tackle you suggested but am going to pick up the cranks and a few new bucktails and other stuff this week.

[Redfish12]

Just about any hardware store will carry Goop. You should also consider the locktite plumbing putty that was mentioned on this site in a different thread. It's very easy to install and seems to hold up well. If you ever have a problem, it's easy to fix on the water.

[mmanolis2001]

I agree with the Duct Seal method. I never could get all the air bubbles out of any Goop installed Transducer. I tried and failed on 4 occasions. I went with the GB Duct Seal and its held strong thru 6 trips now.

I had to increase the sens of the FF a little but I'm getting good readings and can see a 1/2 oz jig falling under the puck. Its a simple install and can be done on the water in several mins if need be. I carry a golf ball sized glob in a zip lock bag just in case.

I took some pics of the install in this thread.

http://www.snaggedline.com/boatyard/...p?t=514&page=2

[mdmakaira410]

sounds good mdfisherkid and i are gonna try that this week and fish saturday, well let you know how it holds up.

[mdmakaira410]

is that puck in your picture for an eagle fishfinder mmanolis? i have a cheapo eagle cuda and i really have no idea what my basic settings should be on it. if you do have an eagle throw me a bone would ya? haha

[mmanolis2001]

Yep its an eagle 350s. I'm by no means an expert with this unit. I just toyed around with the Sensitivity and ping speed until i got an acceptable visual reading. I still have noise on the surface and cant really tell if the bottom is hard or soft. I mostly use it for depth or bait readings. I have been able to pick individual fish off the bottom but i cant seem to catch those ones

1. try raising the sensitivity up to 80% or 90% until the surface clutter gets to noisy then back it off a little.

2. lower the ping speed a little as well. These units are designed for faster moving boats and the ping speeds could be to fast for a slow moving Kayak.

3. Turn of the Fish ID. All it does is show false readings of big fish and get your hopes up high.

4. Don't look for the nice crisp arches advertised on the sites. I don't think you can get a reading like that from a kayak but again I'm no expert. I look for bait balls and sometimes you can see larger smudges or dashes under them. I assume that's the larger fish feeding on the bait.

[surfdog]

Yep its an eagle 350s. I'm by no means an expert with this unit. I just toyed around with the Sensitivity and ping speed until i got an acceptable visual reading. I still have noise on the surface and cant really tell if the bottom is hard or soft. I mostly use it for depth or bait readings. I have been able to pick individual fish off the bottom but i cant seem to catch those ones

1. try raising the sensitivity up to 80% or 90% until the surface clutter gets to noisy then back it off a little.

2. lower the ping speed a little as well. These units are designed for faster moving boats and the ping speeds could be to fast for a slow moving Kayak.

3. Turn of the Fish ID. All it does is show false readings of big fish and get your hopes up high.

4. Don't look for the nice crisp arches advertised on the sites. I don't think you can get a reading like that from a kayak but again I'm no expert. I look for bait balls and sometimes you can see larger smudges or dashes under them. I assume that's the larger fish feeding on the bait.

i also slow the scrol speed to about 50%, only going about 3-5mph so slow it down.

[mmanolis2001]

i also slow the scrol speed to about 50%, only going about 3-5mph so slow it down.

Ah yes this also. I knew i forgot something

[mdmakaira410]

Mdfisherkid and i did the ducer install last night. If this putty thing works it is definitely the easiest way to do it, it takes less than 2 minutes to do.