Wet well Transducer question

[Runnin]

I just bought an Elite 4 GPS combo unit. I'll be installing soon. I was going to shoot thru hull using the GOOP method. Then I thought about trying a wet well method. Does anyone here do this? If you suspend the transducer in a water well, why doesn;t it detect the hull as bottom? Does the transduce need to be in contact with hull or suspended in water well to function properly?

[Southerly]

yes, works. i cut the bottom from a tupperware container and gooped it inside my hull. my x-ducer sits on hull inside of the tupperware container, covered with water. i think similar speed of sound thru water and PE allows it to work.

[dsiekman]

I have the same gps/ff and started with the goop method. It eventually failed so I went to an external arm. Major drag problems. Then I went to the duct seal wet well. This method worked much better for me. I always had noise at the surface and no method seemed to do away with that.

[chex]

Wet well works. Not sure why it does not detect the hull, Southerly is probably right. Either that or the unit is designed to ignore something that close. People shoot them through fiberglass hulls of boats, so a kayak hull is small compared to that.

The main issue with wet well is keeping the water in there, especially if you flip your yak for transport/storage. I'll know in a few months if my new installation is good at keeping water long-term.

[ComeOnFish]

I use wet well with duct seal. To me, it works after flipping the kayak over 100%. I verified several times unintentionally. it needs a bit of water between the bottom of the transducer and the hull.

I forgot to fill the water inn the well often. So I installed the transducer on a useless space under the center hatch where I can reach it with hand while sitting on a kayak. I fill the water with my hand

joe

[Birddog]

Anyone have a pic of there wet well? Or a link to see an install?
Thanks

[dsiekman]

Anyone have a pic of there wet well? Or a link to see an install?
Thanks

Sorry, mine's not picture worthy. I threw it together in under five minutes trying to get on the water. It worked so I didn't mess with it. I just rolled the duct seal out like modeling clay into a "snake", made a circle on the bottom of the yac, and pressed it into place. The transducer is held in place with one more duct seal snake running across the top of it as it sits in the well. I scoop a handfull of water into it when I go out. It doesn't take much.

[rwh]

I installed mine with duct seal, but I didn't use a wet well, I just mashed it down into a patty of the duct seal about 1/2" or so thick, twisting it a little while pushing down to work out any air then packed the excess that smashed out around the xducer all around the bottom 1/4 of the xducer. It is a really old fishfinder, but it seems to be working great, It's accurate and hasn't moved at all. Is the wet well method needed for the latest fish finders like the ones with side/down imaging or would just using a patty like I did work as well?

[Birddog]

Found a thread by Abumasgouf on next page in dry dock

[DonV]

I went with the wet well. Used 4" PVC glued down with Goop. Rubber cap to mount the transducer. Has held up day to day and to some unexpectedly severe abuse. Had my kayak blow over after having it standing on end and also a fall off the roof rack. Still no leaks in the wet well. i did take some pains to mold it as much as possible to the shape of the hull.

BTW Sitting here writing this I just realized I have not emptied and drained it for the winter. Going to see if it and the transducer has survived. If it has made it through tis I will be even more impressed.

[Runnin]

Don,

Did you have any issues with noise or double return from the wet well. There was a guy on another site that said he had troubles with this method if bottom of transducer was not right against bottom of yak. If it was a inch or so from bottom, the yak caused a return on FF.

[DonV]

Don,

Did you have any issues with noise or double return from the wet well. There was a guy on another site that said he had troubles with this method if bottom of transducer was not right against bottom of yak. If it was a inch or so from bottom, the yak caused a return on FF.

I set mine about a 1/4" off the hull. The FF does get a little funky sometimes in very shallow water, I'm talking less than a foot or two. I don't know enough about my FF to know if this is caused by the mount or just normal at at extremely shallow depths.

I got mine out in the yard right now and will snap a couple of pictures of the setup and post back. I'll also see if I can find some links to the guides I followed and post them back also. If you do decide to go that route let me know and I can offer some more guidance.The hardest was getting the PVC formed to the hull. Many of the guides I read didn't seem to concerned about getting a tight fit but I did see some talk of leaks and wanted to get mine as tight as possible. Roughed it out with a dremel tool and then held a piece of coarse sandpaper tight to the hull and with a lot of back and forth of the PVC got it to form in about perfect.

BTW everything seems fine even with mine freezing up. Haven't tested the transducer yet but see no obvious damage. I'm guessing the rubber cap helped with any expansion of ice.

[DonV]

Here are the promised links and pictures.

P1000031.jpgP1000033.jpgP1000034.jpg

http://kayakfishinghole.com/communit...ead.php?t=1156

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ead.php?t=6508 Need to register to see pictures

Keep in mind that for Lowrance you need a 4" ring versus a 3" for the Hummingbird. Another tip if you do do this. Some grease around the inside of the rubber cap makes it much easier to remove and replace.

[daolai]

DonV - thanks that helps alot. I may do that with my new Lowrance 4dsi

[ComeOnFish]

Anyone have a pic of there wet well? Or a link to see an install?
Thanks

Birdog,
I have 4 kayaks currently. I use Duct Seal Well on all my current and old kayaks. Duct Seal well never fail and it's re-do-able any time

The water temp reading is accurate on cloudy day, but not sunny days if thru-hull method is used. So I carry a thermometer to check the water temp.
I have used marine glues - recommended by the old school. I never try glues again. Redoing is painful if glue is used. Anytime glue is used there will be air pockets. Air pockets are the problem. An also every glue will fail eventually

Well system is the best for thru-hull transducer. I like Duct Seal Well over any other material. It is cheap and re-doable without tools. Drying time is 0.
Wet well works for DSI or Sonar.
Some of my recent posts include scree image of FF when stripers under the kayaks.

Here is my instructional and why duct seal video:

Joe