Can I Use a Transom Mount Transducer as a Through Hull on an Aluminum Boat?

[quijibo]

I convinced my Wife to come up to the cabin on our vacation and I just found my transducer broken off from the transom mount. Can I just epoxy/silicone it to the hull? It is an '86 Lund Mr Pike and there is a spot about 10" forward of the transom and 6" to the starboard side that I could either silicone or epoxy it to. The transducer is a Lowrance HST-WSBL from an LCX-25C. I realize that I would lose my water temperature sensor, but is there another reason that this might not work? I've tried searching the net, but there are as many people that say it's works great as there are people that disagree with them.

[wastewaterguru]

It's broke anyway....so you have nothing to lose.

I had a standard "skimmer" ducer epoxied in the bottom of my boat for three year until the epoxy finally popped free. It worked great....and and the bottom of my boat was 0.190 gauge aluminum (twice as thick as yours probably is).

You lose about 10% or so of the sensitivity I'm told.....but I never noticed any signal loss.

[h8go4s]

Here's how to find out if it will work:

Make a "pond" on your boat bottom with putty. Place the transducer in the pond, fill it with water and go boating. As long as the ducer has water underneath it, it should shoot thru the hull. If not, don't bother epoxying it in.

[quijibo]

I tried it and it didn't work, it took about 3 or 4 minutes to get a depth reading and the sonar returns were unintelligible. I did find a replacement transducer(HST-WSBL/106-72) and just spent three hours driving and two hours mounting it and routing the wires. Unfortunately Lowrance uses that same part number for another unit as well, because the connector doesn't fit my unit(LCX-25C). I am really starting to wonder why I keep buying stuff from these guys.

[wastewaterguru]

Here's how to find out if it will work:

Make a "pond" on your boat bottom with putty. Place the transducer in the pond, fill it with water and go boating. As long as the ducer has water underneath it, it should shoot thru the hull. If not, don't bother epoxying it in.

I will say that this is not a good test. The transducer has to be solid to the bottom. Try it with silicon before giving up on it. Silicon it to the bottom and allow to set up overnight. Just having it in water is fine if someone is in the back holding it tight to the bottom. Otherwise any gap or vibration will mess up the return signal.

[leech~~]

I will say that this is not a good test. The transducer has to be solid to the bottom. Try it with silicon before giving up on it. Silicon it to the bottom and allow to set up overnight. Just having it in water is fine if someone is in the back holding it tight to the bottom. Otherwise any gap or vibration will mess up the return signal.

Shoot through ducers are flat bottom so they sit flat and bond well to the hall bottom. Skimmer duces are rounded a bit to ride in the water better. Unless you can make a solid column for sound to travel from the bottom of the ducer through the hall and to the water you will not get a good reading. But it may work as WWG has suggested.

[quijibo]

I filled a 3" pvc about half way with clear roofing caulk an embedded the transducer in it. I didn't wait overnight though, maybe I should give it another try. There is only a 9" x 9" area that is open to the hull and it also has a bilge pump and a drain plug in there too, so there was really only one place to mount it without tearing out the floor.

I talked to Lowrance this morning and their records indicate that my new transducer must have been a fluke since they never made one with that connector and pin configuration. They are overnighting(Monday) a new one free of charge. I guess the new owners really are taking their reputation seriously.

I guess I'm fishing old school on this vacation. I wonder what will try to screw with my next trip.