Issue with retractable transducer

I just bought a PA 14 360 and setup the retractable transducer with a Lowrance TotalScan and Elite 7 Ti fishfinder.

For some reason when I raise the transducer, the 'front' half of the guardian plate doesn't come up very well. I have to pull extra hard to get that to come up as well.

Then, when I lower it slowly, the front half gets stuck going back down halfway. The back half works fine both ways. If I just release the cable and let it snap down, then it'll go down.

Any ideas? I've made adjustments for 2 hours and can't get it to work right. I thought it might be a stiff transducer cable causing issues but it's weird that it won't go back down nicely either. Hobie did say the plate can get 'pinched' inward when tightening the screws so I'm going to test that as well, but curious if others had a similar issue.

Let us know if you need more help after trying to loosen the screws and adjust the rim of the plate. It sounds like the plate is potentially getting hung up on the rim portion a bit. Like I mentioned in my YouTube response, also be sure that the control line is routed properly (over the pulley from the wide side of the scupper guard first, then down to the bridal on the inside of the Guardian) and that it's not crossing itself. Your plate should still be under warranty in the event you feel you need a replacement Guardian mount.

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Howie Strech
Parts & Accessories Product Manager
Hobie Cat USA

Thanks. I think the reason it was getting stuck on the way back down was due to testing it on its side so it would catch the rim on the way back. Going up, I need to test it on my truck so I can see how it performs.

One thing I noticed is that one of the screws squeaks when it's being screwed into, which makes me believe that the threaded piece in the kayak is moving for some reason.