Choose the Right Transducer for Your Boat
Transducers are typically mounted in one of three ways: through the hull, inside the hull, or on the transom.
Contents
Steps
=== Choosing a transducer based on what you need and what you have available. Each offers a different result and difficulty in installation.
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- Review your needs and by accessing the pros and cons. In Hull: An in-hull transducer is installed inside a boat hull against the bottom and sends its signal through the hull.
PROS
•No need to drill through the vessel, no drag.
•Boat can be trailered without damaging transducer
•No exposure to marine growth
•Can be installed and serviced with vessel in water
•Give great high-speed performance as long as water flow below the transducer is “clean” (no turbulence)
•Work with any engine type: inboard, outboard, and I/O when installed over solid fiberglass
•Perform well on both power and sailboats
CONS
•Not recommended for metal, wood, and cored fiberglass hulls
•Lose signal by transmitting through hull
Transom Mount: These are attached to the back (transom) of a boat hull.
- Access pros and cons for your use:Transom Mount: These are attached to the back (transom) of a boat hull.
PROS
•Good for trailered boats, out of the way of the rollers
•Easy-to-install and remove —especially if a kick-up bracket is used
•Good performance at boat speeds below 30 knots (34 MPH)
•Can be used with any hull material
CONS
•Will not work on a vessels with an inboard engine due to the turbulence forward of the sensor
•Not recommended for sailboats because of excessive heeling
•Will not work on stepped hull
Access pros and cons for your use: Thru-Hull: Thru-hull transducers, as their name implies, are installed in a hole drilled thru the hull.
PROS
•Work with any engine type: inboard, outboard, or I/O.
•Work for power and sailboats
•There are thru-hull tranducers for every hull material
CONS
•Do not use plastic thru-hull housings in a wooden boat. Wood swells as it absorbs water, so it may crack the housing.
•Do not use bronze thru-hull housings in aluminum and stainless steel boats. The interaction between the metal hull and the bronze transducer, especially in the presence of salt water, will corrode the metal hull and/or the bronze housing.
Tips
- Thru-hull transducers come in two styles: “Flush” and “External.”“Flush” thru-hull transducers sit flush or nearly flush with the boat hull. These are recommended for smaller boats with a minimum deadrise angle. They are often installed on sailing vessels because they produce minimum drag. “External” thru-hull transducers extend beyond the hull’s surface and usually require a fairing to aim the sound beam vertically. These are designed for larger untrailered vessels. Installed with a High-Performance Fairing, the transducer face is flush with the surface of the fairing and parallel to the waterline, resulting in a truly vertical beam, putting maximum energy on the target. Mounted in “clean water” forward of propellers and running gear, this installation produces the most effective signal return, since nothing on the vessel interferes with the transducer’s active face.
