Fishfinder Questions

[CaptainDelirious]

I'm thinking about getting an inexpensive (< $100 if possible) fish finder for my yak and would like recommendations on good units. I'm also not clear on how to mount the transducer, can they work through the bottom of the boat? Thanks

[ComeOnFish]

Let me start.
Other members will join soon

I use Lowrance x4 and xp pro on my Revo and Adventure more than a year. I have no issues with them yet. I can locate the fish and catch with the FF

I know there was a bad batch of Hummingbird Piranha 170.

Here is how I mount the transducer:

[ComeOnFish]

I recommand 7ah SLA battery. The 5ah SLA battery on the video is one I don't use any more.
Securing the battery inside of the kayak and Mounting a FF are up to you. Search the web, you will find the best way for your kayak.

Thisw is how I rigged my Hobie Revo:

Joe

[tufnik]

I've been using the Piranha Max 170 for two years. Using the wet box installation method inside the hull, the transducer shoots through the plastic. Works great. Do a search in the the Tackle Forum to find installation methods. In my method, I cut off the top half of an Ocean Spray fruit drink bottle. The transducer is mounted in the "dome" and the cut edges of the dome is placed on top of the perimeter of duct seal. I fill the dome with water through the top after unscrewing the bottle cover. Works fine.

I tried the dry method using only duct seal, but it didn't work well. Bad images on the display. The wet box method works very well.

[ronaultmtd]

I just use two blocks of duct seal and permanently seal the transducer inside a wet well- last one lasted a year before I re-did it- works fine-

[ComeOnFish]

I just use two blocks of duct seal and permanently seal the transducer inside a wet well- last one lasted a year before I re-did it- works fine-

That will do it.

In my case, I always rinse the inside kayak with fresh water and keep and carry the kayak upright. The FF works without adding water. I guess my wet well wall is high enough to hold enough water. And the inside of my kayak is always wet.

Joe

[CaptainDelirious]

Thanks to everyone for their input. Do some of these FF have plugin transducers? I'm thinking about mounting a FF to a homemade dashboard which I remove from the yak when not in use.

What type of battery is used to power the FF? How long do they last and where do the batteries go?

[Turtle135]

The aforementioned Humminbird PiranhaMax 170 fish finders are very popular with kayak fisherman. They have a small footprint and they handle the basic duties of a fish finder very well. One of the other nice things about the PiranhaMax units is that both the transducer and power cable plug straight into the back of the unit. This makes for an easy quick removal mounting solution.

Humminbird just released a whole new series of PiranhaMax units so the price on the 170 has dropped:

Basspro Shops: http://www.basspro.com/Humminbird-Pi...duct/10200003/

As far as batteries go, I have had the best luck with a 12Volt 7amp/hour sealed lead acid battery. I can go multiple trips without having to recharge.

BatteryMart: http://www.batterymart.com/p-12v-7ah...attery-f2.html

I have tried the 8-packs of AA rechargeable batteries for powering the unit but I found it was much easier to charge the 12 volt battery than handle all the individual AA batteries (and the 12 volt runs longer). I keep my battery inside the hull in a tupperware.

[Turtle135]

Here is my current mounting solution:

[ronaultmtd]

I have to throw something new in this post- yesterday we found ourselves "fogged in" in a thick blanket of fog in a first ever fishing spot at the tip of St. George's Island- Chexone, Kevinfry and I were out too far to see land- could not see more than a few hundred feet tops- none of us knew this area- never been there before- we all had looked at the charts, but looking at a chart and fishing it are two different things- without a GPS we would have been lost- up s_ _t creek without a paddle-Chexone and I had combination gps/fishfinders and Kevinfry didn't- we all stayed together and we all paddled in together-