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I have a 14 foot aluminum and am planning on installing a fishfinder on it. Theres no holes drilled in it yet but not against the idea of it. Just wondering what everyone uses to seal the holes. It's a tiller as well wondering where to tie the wires out of the way
I put some steel screws with marine silicone and a gasket to seal.. Just ran the site over the top.. And got some electrical clips for TV cable.. Haven't had a leak in 5,years.. Oh.. Ya.. I also put a small strip of wood on the inside with marine silicone on it as well..
You might want to consider installing a "starboard" plate, use bolts not screws, generous with sealant at holes, the back of starboard and then seal around the edges. Once this is installed you can screw your transducer to the board. This will allow you to move or change transducers down the road without having to put new holes in your hull
I assume that you will mount the transducer outboard on the transom where it won't get damaged by dragging it over rocks etc the way it might with a thru the hull mount on a small boat.....
Whatever you do, use stainless steel hardware. Aluminum and regular plated steel hardware will result in galvanic corrosion.
X2.That's how I installed mine,over the top and attached to the outside transom.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
Just glue it to the bottom of the boat , I used two part eypoxey and it works great, and no holes in bottom of boat.
Use 3M 5200 it is a marine sealant, it's the best. To avoid drilling more holes then I would want to, I installed a polyethylene plate that installs with 2 screws and sealant. That way I can move, add and remove transducers anytime with no holes to fill in the boat. SS screws is a must.
Thanks for the tips guys thinking a plate is my best bet!
I use a tip up transducer bracket that clamps to the transom on my 14' Sea Nymph. This way it is portable and I can use it on rentals when required. I also had a severe storm come up and turned my boat sideways one time. If the transducer were fixed, it would have been damaged. I also store my boat outside and flip it over in the off season. I think that all that UV exposure would do something to the material.
I've used my homemade ice transducer set-up in borrowed aluminum boats. I just C-clamp it to the transom.
http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...g/DSCN0233.jpg
It worked very well, even on my uncle's fibreglass ski boat that I used once.
I usually use some 4200, 4000 or sikaflex. Or better yet, don't drill holes below the waterline.
I had a customer recently show me a product that you can buy online (sorry, I don't know the name) that is essentially a piece of starboard packaged with some glue sold specifically for this job.
I "invented" a method using a pipe, a bimini top hinge and some clips for my boat. When the transducer hits something like a beaver dam or deadhead, the pipe pops free of the clips and swings from the hinge. At the end of the season, I just undo the hinge screw and remove the whole thing since I've seen how many transducers get ruined by rodents every year. Also, then I have the xducer for ice/canoe fishing. 2 screw holes, both above the waterline.
Also, Trex is an inexpensive substitute for starboard.
Only pic I have of the back of the boat with the transducer installed:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psd511b257.jpg
What type of clips to you use to hold it in place?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dead Ringer
http://www.westmarine.com/beckson-ma...05_158_003_007
But I expect to hit the xducer frequently due to the way I operate my boat. I seems to hold ok at speed (15mph), but sometimes does pop out. Then I just reach back and clip it in again. If you don't hit stuff often, then you could use something sturdier, like a hose clamp or HD cable tie.
^Exactly. I used a 3/4" pc. of Polyethylene, stainless steel screws from the inside-out, and plenty of marine sealant. Having crushed a few transducers at crappy launches, this truly IS the best way to do it. I probably have a photo of mine somewhere. PM me with your email if you'd like to see it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Surf and Turf
I had been interested in this thread, hoping to find something to attach the transducer plate to the back of the aluminum boat without drilling any holes. I found it.
I found an epoxy from West System, http://www.westsystem.com/ss/g-flex-epoxy/
I was able to epoxy the plate to the back of the transom, and it is not coming off without a grinder.
I wonder if that's all that the Transom Savers are, a chunk of starboard and some G-Flex. If so, it would be a couple bucks cheaper to get the pieces separately and you'd still have some epoxy left for other little jobs.Quote:
Originally Posted by marcus
use a plate , stainless screws a good silicine...a buddy used a cutting board from the buck store cut down for a plate
Provided you do it correctly the first time and don't have to drill a million holes there is no issues using screws. A little bit of sealant and you won't have a single drop of water come in the boat.
Steel and aluminium plus water results in galvanic action on the ALUMINIUM. While normal steel/plated screws will rust, the aluminium dissolves! Either use aluminium rivets or epoxy.