The best way to install a transducer on a kayak

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Most popular comments
for The best way to install a transducer on a kayak

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thomas glandon - 5 years ago

water is not needed inside the hull

thomas glandon - 5 years ago

need to use 2 part apoxy

Anthony - 5 years ago

Should the duct seal be between the transducer and hull or is it ok if the seal is just surrounding the transducer to keep it in place so that it doesn't move around. I'm getting good readings but sometimes loses depth and sonar completely then comes back.

Larry Sharp - 6 years ago

Much better than my idea of double sided sticky tape lol. Thanks a bunch

comeonfish01 - 6 years ago

This is the best method so far

Noodles - 6 years ago

Thank you very much for making and sharing the video!

jethrowomber - 7 years ago

i would do this but my yak has no centered flat spots in front on me behind me there is area but if i put it there i fear putting extra things snacks clothes gear in the rear hull will knock it loose im thinking just arm mounting it off the nose with a rope so i can pull it out of water if i may hit anything and so i can beach it without damage

Ian Everton - 7 years ago

There is a moldable 2 part putty at auto places called quick steel. It gets quite hard and has excellent adhesion. I think I will try to take your technique and swap the duct seal for the quick steel. Thanks for the great vid.

Paul R - 7 years ago

Speak!!!

Drew Olmsted - 7 years ago

Why is water needed for the duct seal but not when filled in with silicone?

10. comment for The best way to install a transducer on a kayak

AnglerX - 7 years ago

Update...You MUST have water around it (like the author said). I built up my walls a bit more and filled the well to just below the transducer and put the kayak in my pool and it worked fine, all readings seem to be accurate from the couple seconds it was in there but sadly no fish lol. Another way you might engineer this is find a small plastic tub, even like a cheap Ziplock food tub, something that will fit your transducer, cut out the bottom to fit your transducer or just leave it intact, use the same duct seal to "cement in the bottom on both sides (if cutting out the bottom) and put a few small pieces of duct seal on the transducer to hold it in place, cut the lid just enough for the cable. This way you won't have to worry about loosing water. I've heard the water temps can be off a bit so I ended up ordering a Scotty transducer arm and locking mount so I can put it in a spot in the front of my kayak that's made for the Scotty mounts. Great idea and will use until my mounts get here.

AnglerX - 7 years ago

I tried this method and the duct seal works great, holds the transducer just fine. I however forgot to add water and my Garmin Striker 4DV read nothing except air temp. Going back out tomorrow morning and will make a better/taller well and add some water. Hopefully my new fish finder isn't a piece of junk already. I'll report back.

Ryan M - 5 years ago

AnglerX did it work?

Troy D - 7 years ago

I use this method on my polyethylene Mokai ( motorized kayak). The first year it ran great, the second year the readings were sporadic, and the third year it failed. I used anti- freeze for the well, as water tends to evaporate. The antifreeze does interfere with the seal to the transducer if you don't allow a space.

So, I'm going to leave a bit more space, (front and rear) so the antifreeze doesn't get in between the transducer and seal. I think this is key. Water I don't think it's a good idea for the well, as it will evaporate in short order, and if you live in a cold climate, then you have to drain and redo this every year. Antifreeze doesn't have this problem.

I like the fact it's not permanent, just in case you happen to find a place on the hull that has voids. This can happen with fiberglass hulls.

For testing purposes, you can put your transducer in a Ziploc bag with water and throw a small sand filled Ziploc on top of that and drive around, make some turns, change speed, etc. If everything looks good, go to the duct seal.

The well is key, (and space) so that the antifreeze doesn't get between the seal and the transducer. It works, but follow these steps!

Barry Brown - 7 years ago

I just got my first kayak and this video helps me see how to work the transducer installation. Thanks very much!

Mike Brink - 8 years ago

Does the transducer help find fish and also tell you the water depth ??? I know nothing about these....They sell this tape 2 sided called VHB tape made by 3m that is INSANELY strong. If it's water proof which i'm pretty sure it is, it would hold anything taped to a boat...I seen the stuff on discovery TV show modern marvels, there's YT videos of it..They use it to hold skyscraper windows in place. I believe they said the tape is so strong that the windows are only VHB taped in place no other fasteners needed.

mrmystery - 8 years ago

Just for clarity...after reading all the comments....some people still don't understand why you need WATER inside the well. The water eliminates any AIR BUBBLES between the bottom of the transducer and the hull of the kayak. The signal needs to move through a continuous medium (water,then hull, then body of water under the hull) in order to hit the bottom of the ocean/lake/river and bounce back to be interpreted by the fish finder. Air bubbles disrupt the signal...and give a false/inaccurate reading. By creating the well and filling it with water...you will insure that you will NEVER have an air gap between your transducer and your hull (unless of course you flip your kayak...then you will need to refill the well again). Glues, putty, adhesives will eventually fail over time...and force you to re-glue the transducer (over and over again). I am switching to this method TOMORROW! THANKS!

BadBeattie - 5 years ago

Don G you are aware that if you’re fishing in a kayak you are surrounded by water, right?

Don G - 6 years ago

You know that water evaporates? Right?

Mike Swift - 8 years ago

I used Duct Seal for telephone cables in DCO vaults and manholes. Never thought to use it for this purpose. DS does dry out over time in my experience but the way you do it no big deal, get new stuff. Silicon sucks for most things as you have to sand off where it was applied if you want anything to ever stick there again. I'd be interested in how 3m 4000 would work for a permanent installation. I've read where toilet bowl wax rings work but is messy to clean up. Caution don't use 3m 5200 unless you never want to remove the object :) Link to 3m 4000 uv PDF spec sheet. Use it on my sailboat.
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/434380O/marine-adhesive-sealant-fast-cure-4000-uv-05280-06580-06586.pdf

everett sheets - 8 years ago

far better informed info than other videos. I don't like doing things by taking someone's word for it and you do a great job answering any concerns.

Tim Ivers - 8 years ago

Thank you! Heading to the store now. Just got my first kayak and am installing my fish finder. Great tips! Thanks again

Geovanny Matias - 9 years ago

What brand of duct seal did you use ? Is it the water based duct seal 1030?

20. comment for The best way to install a transducer on a kayak

Patrick Cavanagh - 9 years ago

I saw this video after buying a Humminbird kit. I liked this so bought Duct Seal via a company that imports to Europe in Germany, took a while & expensive, although half the cost of the Humminbird kit. Really easy to set up. I've enough to sort out a second transducer on my other kayak, but got carried away & bought some other duct seal type stuff that is made by someone else. Definitely the way forward. Thank you very much.

Fishing Rod - 9 years ago

Cooldoung, you can always try. Transducers manufacturers designed to use on fiberglass hulls and they warn of any foam core in the hull will affect readings. They recommend to glue it with epoxy and make sure no bubbles are present in the mix for the best accuracy. Of course that will be a more permanent installation on a single yak.

GroundUpStudios - 9 years ago

It confuses me due to the fact that the transducer can read through the hull but as you said, it works... How? I'm installing my first fish finder and obviously want to find the least invasive way so I don't have holes everywhere, thank you for the video

Andrew Dewolfe - 9 years ago

Thank you for the vid !!
Helped me out a lot!!!!

Drew Purvis - 9 years ago

seems like a cool idea, I used Marine Goop on mine and have had no issues with it coming loose or anything like that

TheZeebyrd - 9 years ago

Plumbers putty is nowhere near as good as duct seal. Different consistency and holds much better.

xxwolfgarxx - 9 years ago

i would suspect that plumbers putty would work in the same way

Paulo Rizental - 10 years ago

Parabens ! Melhor instalaçao ate hoje ! Muito obrigado!

Owl Jones - 10 years ago

I appreciate you taking the time to post this video. Installing a new transducer in my first yak tomorrow thanks to you.

Jerry Lester - 10 years ago

I like your video presentation. Text is better than voice, I think. Can be paused and studied.

I'm enthusiastic about the use of duct seal to build a well. I built a well using a PVC pipe coupling, which I glued to the hull.. The Hawkeye 3355 transducer is round, so it fit in the pipe-dam nicely, and the fish finder worked. I, too, have 3 kayaks, so it would be easy to move the transducer from one to the other using a dam, whether made of Duct Seal or PVC pipe. It only has to hold water, and you say only 1/8" of water. The receiver of my Hawkeye quit working, so I've got to buy another fish finder. I think I'll try the Humminbird 4088301 PiranhaMAX 153 Dual Beam Fishfinder. It's cheap and has dual beam. (I wonder if that will work in a dam.) I'd like to have the receiver mounted rather than portable like the Hawkeye. Too much clutter having the wire leading to my PFD.

So, the duct seal sticks to the hull well enough to form a dam and stays flexible so it can be molded over the transducer to help retain it. Perfect!

Jerry

30. comment for The best way to install a transducer on a kayak

pc4sun - 10 years ago

The world is better with you here. Thanks

coolduong - 10 years ago

I have a kayak with cery thin foam between the plastic dont know if it will work but gonna give it a go

LTAAAM - 10 years ago

Other videos state that the transducer has to be flat against the hull. However my kayak does not have a flat bottom. Would this matter using this method?

zaccazsneddon - 10 years ago

I see people complaining all the the time bout glue failing its your own fault for failing to prep the area first u need to sand the area till its rough and clean it properly so theirs no dust and then leave the glue to set properly for over a week the best glue ive used is leadmate used for waterproofing leadwork on houses quit trying to half a job and do it right or shut up when your wank work fails

geekyPIANOman - 10 years ago

good idea! i will give it a try and see how it work...

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

No. The water won't come out. I fish occasionally in 3-4 foot chop, short, not long period waves All my friends switched to Duct Seal well now.

Alisha - 11 years ago

Wouldn't the water come out if you were in rough weather or offshore? I got a Hobie revo 13 and tend to go in bays and offshore and sometimes it gets bumping with the waves. I recently did the in-hull using silicon and it went pretty good apart from my fishfinder failing but it was reading fine the only problem it didn't read was the temp.

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

The beauty of the duct seal is that can remove it any time you want. But not the glue stuff

yellowmango117 - 11 years ago

Is duct seal permanent? or can it be removed.

Turkiller123 - 11 years ago

Ok thanks alot im gonna buy alot of stuff today to start mounting the fishfinder. Really, thanks.

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

freshwater or saltwater where you launch the kayak.

Turkiller123 - 11 years ago

So we fill it with freshwater? Thanks alot for the help and great vid.

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

I use my kayak on saltwater the most of time. I don't know how to seal the transducer well. I never thought about it Joe

Turkiller123 - 11 years ago

Hey, if we want to use the kayak only in saltwater would we have to put sultwater in the well or freshwater? And is there a way to completely seal the transducer so you wont have to always refill the water like filling the well with water than putting duct seal over the whole thing?

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

Yes. and put some water.

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

There shouldn't be no air or air bubbles between the transducer and the water under the kayak.

Brian G - 11 years ago

'K, thanks for answer, kinda thought so

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

No! Foam between the hulls is the problem. Air in the Foam is the problem. I used to have boats. Boaters installed only above the solid fiberglass Sorry about that Joe

Brian G - 11 years ago

Question please: i have an old town loon and it has a double hull with foam between - not very thick but do you think it would be acoustically transparent enough for a transducer to work through it?

comeonfish01 - 11 years ago

Here is one of my ideas: Look for my video titled “Hobie Revolution Rigged for Fishing” uploaded on November 28, 2011. On the video at 03:13 time mark, you will see the battery box Since I have three kayak, I tried to not to drill holes on the kayaks. I want FF I owned be portable. All FF will go bad eventually. When a FF on one kayak goes bad, I can install a FF from another kayak. I don’t have to buy three FF

50. comment for The best way to install a transducer on a kayak

House - 11 years ago

wow, awesome video. I've been using Duct Seal for a month now but I never thought to cover it in water. Brilliant! I was just sticking it to the floor, and I certainly have seen an improvement using your trick. Thanks. -(For those trying to find it, it's $2 at Home Depot in the ELECTRICAL department, not the duct/pvc section). Just out of curiosity, how do you have your battery stored?

comeonfish01 - 12 years ago

I think you have to remove petroleum jelly throughly if you re-install DUCT Seal joe

David S - 12 years ago

What about replacing the water with petroleum jelly. Though I don't know if it would degrade the duct seal

comeonfish01 - 12 years ago

@GilLesS72 You do NOT push down hard. There is NO\, No, No glue between the hull and the Transducer. Just water... It is a well ystem.

Shorebreak Photography - 12 years ago

hey great video thanks for the comparison! Quick question I have been to Lowes and Homedepot and cannot find this duct seal type. All I can find is waterbased duct seal who carries this type your using? Thanks

comeonfish01 - 12 years ago

I think it will. But you need to test. It works on a jon boat. It will cost you a couple of dollars o test and easy to remove if it fails. The duct seal is 1.99 at Home Depot and Lowes. Please let us know if it worked or not. Thanks, Joe

Formonster Fishing - 12 years ago

How about like this in a jetski hull? will it worked?

comeonfish01 - 12 years ago

@SouthernCross33 All you need is water between solid hull and the transducer constantly. This works well with dinghy, jon boat. you don't have to drill to install brackets for the transducer. Glueing does not guarantee, but water does. Joe

ed davis - 12 years ago

I am curious about the water. Does this always have to be in the well that is created with the sealant putty and if so how come? I do apologize if this seems like a silly question but I just want to make sure I get it correct,it just seems too easy.

comeonfish01 - 12 years ago

@Jimmyzplayer123 I try hard to some useful info on Youtube to share. Yap, Duct Seal is the best one. No waiting and Cheap and works

Stuart Pickrell - 12 years ago

Thanks a lot for this video. I've been researching and looking everywhere at the best method for doing this. I'm picking some seal up tomorrow morning, tomorrow afternoon = fish on!

comeonfish01 - 13 years ago

The well system made of Duct Seal is the only way. Gluing is not the way. On the video, on Tarpon 140 & Hobie Adventure, I used the typical gluing method to mount the transducers. I had been keeping the hulls of all kayaks wet on purpose when not in use. The depth readings on T140 & Adventure started fluctuate in some area. It never happens when using the well system. I am done with the experiment. Now I am using only the well system. Thanks Joe

comeonfish01 - 13 years ago

@beavergallo very long time. Do not ever use any kinds of glue. All FF will break in 1-3 years. You need to buy new one. undoing is al pain in butt if you use glues. All you need is 1/8" of water in the well. Well can leak a bit. It will still work

comeonfish01 - 13 years ago

@yakattackable Yup. I know what a pain it is with glue stuff. And eventually gules fail and removal is real pain. Duct Seal Well is the way to go. joe