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Can anyone offer feedback on depth finders? Several years ago i installed a hummingbird unit, replacing the clock w/the depth gauge and installing the pickup on the drivers side of the hull, forward of the prop shaft penetration (this is a thru-hull unit, epoxied inplace). It only reads when moving less than 5mph, not very effective. Any feedback on other manufacturers? Transducer locations that work better? (this is installed in my '86 Saltare)
Not sure what model you or I have, but I have a Humminbird in my '89 Saltare. Transducer is a in hull mount (epoxied, no hole drilled). I mounted it directly below the transmissiom output shaft/flange. Has worked great at all speeds from 0-50 MPH for the past year. Only time it acted up was last time out it read 240-ish feet after dropping in. The marina has maybe 3' of water at the time. It started working after a minute or two. I suspect it was just acting up because air temp was below 50 and water temp was mid 50s. Worked fine the rest of the day.
I have the 'fishfinder' Lowrance, eagle. It has a 3-beam transducer, that shows fish(objects) and displays depth of fish and left, right, or center. It came off my old boat(the whole set-up actually cost more than the boat!) and I like it because of all the different things it does. It reads water temp, speed, logs distance travelled, and of course, depth in a couple of different ways. I drilled the transom, and mounted everything to the wakeplate. It took some trial and error with different angles, and spacers to get it accurate, but I really like it when both speedos get clooged with junk, and I can still read my speed! Oh, and I mounted the display in the drivers cupholder of my 90Mariah, with a short section of PVC pipe, so it is 'quick release'.
I went with a Faria since it most closely matched the new gauges I installed. The transducer is a thru-hull (no hole) that mounts in a housing siliconed to the hull and the void between the housing/hull/transducer is filled with propylene glycol. I've only used it once on the lake test - readings were consistent at speed going straight, but blinked occasionally during hard turns (don't know if it was bubbles or change in angle).
I started running out of room for a good transducer location since I had also added a ballast thru-hull and paddlewheel pick-up for the speedo's. The transducer needs a relatively flat spot on the hull (some angle adjustment available in the housing) and a clean water stream. Ended up starboard side (opposite the bubble inducing paddlewheel), in front of the ballast intake and across from the raw water pickup. It's the ~4" black round object next to the coupling.
Attachment 8187
Sorry this is off-topic, but you gotta love that bildge!! Detailed and clean as a whistle! Looks great sybermike!