D.I.Y. I n sta ll a Tra n sd ucer/Fis hfin der A bracket-mounted fishfinder is a simple way to bring the latest tech aboard a boat without room for it at the dash.
RUN THE POWER LEAD
Find More Fish Here’s how to install a bracket-mounted fishfinder and a transom-mounted transducer. BY LE N NY RU DOW
• ANYONE WHO ENJOYS FISHING CERTAINLY could benefit from the latest and greatest in fishfinder technology, but many small, trailerable boats don’t have room at the dash for full-sized flush-mounted electronics. And boats that use tiller-steering may not have a dash in the first place. Either way, the solution is a bracket-mounted fishfinder.
MOUNT THE BRACKET AND FISHFINDER
Using the bracket foot as a template, mark the spots for the pilot holes (1). We mounted a RAM Mounts D-111C-KNOB9H ball-joint bracket. Its large mounting plate includes a series of pre-drilled holes that will fit a number of different electronics units, including the Raymarine Axiom we’re mounting on this boat. Since our flush fiberglass mounting surface is backed with half-inch plywood, we’ll surface-mount the bracket using stainless steel screws. If you have access to the back of the mounting surface, through-bolts with nylock locking nuts are a better choice, because they are less likely to vibrate loose over time. After marking and drilling, give each hole a dose of 3M 5200 Adhesive/Sealant. Hold the bracket in place. Before running in the screws, give each one a dip in more 3M 5200 (2), just to be sure the holes are well sealed and water intrusion isn’t a problem in the future. Now you can use through-bolts to affix the fishfinder’s binnacle mount to the bracket mount (3). Then place the fishfinder on the mount.
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The fishfinder, once in place, needs juice. Depending on what sort of boat you have and where you’re mounting the unit, this job can vary quite a bit, but the bottom line is you need to use a wire-fish to pull the power wire through a channel, or under the deck or gunwale, and to the battery compartment. Always start at the unit and fish the end of the cord that connects to the battery, not the other way around, because the plug end is bulkier and will be more difficult to maneuver through rigging tubes and other tight areas. After you’ve run the wire, use a crimper (4) to crimp ring terminals onto the positive and negative leads. If the wire’s longer than needed for the application, coil up the extra and secure it with a tie-wrap or two. MOUNT THE TRANSDUCER
Fishfinders don’t work without transducers, and where you place the transducer will have a big effect on performance. Locate an area at the base of the transom as far as possible from strakes, steps, through-hull fittings or other anomalies that interrupt the water flow and create turbulence (which interferes with performance) as the boat moves forward through the water. Also, locate the transducer so its bottom is positioned between 1/8 and 1/16 of an inch beneath the hull bottom. In the case of a 3-D or side-scanning transducer, such as the Raymarine Axiom 9, the transducer will need to be submerged from the center seam down, to maintain full functionality. Once the transducer’s location is chosen, mark it and then tape on the manufacturer-provided mounting template. Note: Before you reach for the power drill, hold the transducer and bracket up against the template (5) to double-check the position. An error at this stage could lead to drilling
JUNE 2018 BOATINGWORLD.COM
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5/3/18 12:36 PM