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 Post subject: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2009 11:39 pm 
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Anyone installed a fish finder? Any details on how you did it? Anyone done a scupper hole or suction cup mount?


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Wed May 06, 2009 12:56 am 
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Location: Phuket, Thailand
JollyGreen wrote:
Anyone installed a fish finder? Any details on how you did it? Anyone done a scupper hole or suction cup mount?


Just installed the Hobie/Lowrance fish finder/installation kit following the video instructions below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SguqNiC0rec

My only beef was the grommet thru which the transducer power cable passes, in the video they drill a hole in the deck pass the wiring thru the hole and then use a grommet that they have cut down the side to hold it all in place and bung IT ALL up with marine goop...very tacky and it means you cant push the wiring back into the hull when your not using the unit. Also the 5/8" hole I was instructed to drill was WAY to big for the grommet supplied. I include a photo below to show you what i mean...

I did take it up with Hobie and here was their reply

To date yours is the first complaint we have had in Aus regarding the grommet. Normally I have seen them fitted on a vertical wall of the kayak on the inside of the cockpit area thus reducing the amount of water intake.

If I could do it all over again I would do it as suggested above and not as shown in the video. Though the video almost looks like its 'team hobie' doing the job!!!! As it was I just threw out the grommet, bought a tapered rubber test tube stopper with a hole running through it top to bottom. I had to widen the hole in the stopper a wee bit and dome the top off so water wouldnt lie there....then I cut the stopper top to bottom passing down evenly thru the center of the hole so I was left with two halves each with a sort of 'gutter' running down the middle. I then passed the wires thru the hole in the deck laid them inside one half stopper and glued the other onto it and held the whole lot to set with cable ties Once the glue was dry i really rammed the stopper into the hole in the deck then pulled it out again, that left a ring around the stopper which I used as a mark to cut a tiny rebate out of so the stopper would lock into the deck nicely. It worked very well. the hole in the stopper was really tight so pulling out and pushing back the wires was very tight and i had to spray loads of silicone on the wires. Now its all bedded in well its just a doddle Unfortunately my fish finder went funny on me about a week afterwards but it was nothing to do with the fitting as we tested all the wiring and everythings good...nevermind I have to return to UK for a few months, so I just sent the man unit back to Hobie!!!

Other than that just follow the instructions in the video!

I will post a photo of the stopper, but I am going to have to grapple with the covers as I have hung the boat up prior to my departure. I will also try to dig out the shot of the original grommet.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Wed May 06, 2009 1:23 am 
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Location: Phuket, Thailand
Here's what it looked like with the grommet...

Image

Here's what worked for me using the stopper

Image


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Wed May 06, 2009 8:56 pm 
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Yeah, I was hoping not to have to drill any holes. On my AI there is an unused screw in cleat in front of the peddles and an unused screw in eye to the right of the peddles. I wonder if I could just buy an extra cleat, cut off the cleat, drill a hole in it then remove the good cleat and install the drilled cleat in it's place. Then I could run the wires thru the hole and if I didn't like it I could just put the old good cleat back in its place. Do those holes that the cleats fit in go all the way thru? I think they do but not sure.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Wed May 06, 2009 9:12 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:32 am
Posts: 1807
Location: Terrigal NSW, Australia
JollyGreen wrote:
Do those holes that the cleats fit in go all the way thru? I think they do but not sure.


No they don't, but at least you would have a reasonably effective plug if you weren't happy with the hole you made.

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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 3:29 am 
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Posts: 270
Location: Perth, Australia
thinking about doing the same thing jollygreen did you end up doing it? Any advice on drilling holes in your boat would be much appreciated. I'm trying to mount a fishfinder on he front aka crossbar and would love to avoid drilling anything.

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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 3:07 pm 
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Does anyone have an idea of what size drill to use with the supplied grommet (Fish finder install kit), to prevent slop shown in picture above? 1/2", 9/16" ?


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 4:11 am 
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Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:07 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Saint Johns, Florida
I don't know what size drill bit.

The hole I drilled was inside the net holder. The hole is on the vertical wall which helps keep water out and when you don't have your fish finder in you can stuff the end of the cable into the net holder so you don't have to worry about it getting beat up when your driving down the road.

I used a Blue Sea Syatems CableClam to seal the hole. They are very effective at keeping the water out but they stick out quite a ways so I think I would use a different type grommet.

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Jerry D.
St. Johns, Florida
2010 TI
2008 AI


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:00 am 
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I finally fished up my install on my Revo (similar enough to adventure :) ). I ended up going with a 1/2 hole and used the grommet supplied with the kit.

1/2 hole seems about right, I was able to get the FF connector through without trimming the connector tabs (minor squeeze, trimming a tab probably a better idea). Got the (unsliced) grommet over the connector, and into the hole. Took a couple of minutes to get it seated in the hole, but worth the effort.

Image

Image

Wish I had thought to put the hole in the pocket (or seen prev post) before I drilled :)


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 1:58 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:39 pm
Posts: 89
Location: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Here is how I did mine on the TI.

I do not like cables loose in the bottom of a boat so I used some electrical fittings to connect the transducer to the standard electrical gland I installed.

I used a standard 20mm gland, modified some fittings I got from Bunnings Hardware to screw into the gland and used some 20mm pvc conduit to fit is and cable tied up at the front hatch mast mounting point. I also put an elbow on the end to point down to stop excess water coming in...not really necessary but nice.

Pic 1 - 3 fittings used plus PVC conduit...cable gland (throw away the nut and use part 2 as nut), modified 25mm to 20mm reducer (couldn't find a 20mm threaded piece, 20mm threaded fitting to 20mm push in fitting for conduit.
(conduit runs from gland fitting that tightens rubber grommet on cable to mast column (about 1.5m)

Image



Pic 2 - I used a lathe to take off the lip to make an internal threaded piece, can cut it off carefully with hacksaw if you don't have a lathe. This piece is now the new gland nut and couples the PVC conduit fitting to the gland. Can glue conduit into the fitting if you want...I didn't bother!!!

Image



Pic 3 - To get power through because cable is short I drilled a hole just before it fits into coupling and fed wires out. Alternative (probably better) is to extend power wires and run through to front hatch???

Image




Pic 4 - What it looks like from outside when finished (pocket to be re-installed) and cable to be run through...

Image



When the conduit is installed it was run along the side wall off the bottom (natural flex caused this) so it sits against side wall. I put some goop on the tube to fix it to stop any flapping about.

Looks neat and tidy inside and out and is more waterproof than the Hobie way. Cost about $10-15 in parts but I had to buy 2 couplings per pack so have a spare one for my brother's boat...when he gets one!!!

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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:27 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:11 pm
Posts: 5
Location: Houston, TX
Below is a picture of my Adventure with a Humminbird 597ci mounted on 1 1/2" Ram mounts. I used a 3/4" Ancor Liquid Tight Wire seal for the cable.

I used a 1" spade bit to drill the hole and then I used a Dremel tool to clean up the hole. Allow for a tight fit so that the Ancor wire seal can screw in (instead of a loose fit and the wire seal drops in). I applied some Marine Goop around the hole before installing the Ancor wire seal.

Image

In the middle of the wire seal, you will see something 'yellow' colored. That is a soft wrap used by tennis players to wrap over their tennis racquet handles. You can find this in most sporting good stores in the tennis section. This product comes in several colors. The Ancor wire seal comes with a rubber grommet for that center hole, but I couldn't get my Humminbird cable ends to go through the grommet. The soft tennis handle wrap is a very good substitute.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:33 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:39 pm
Posts: 89
Location: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
I installed the transducer on the TI behind the mast (see previous post)

It is the colour Lowrance X67.

I seem to get alot of surface noise on the finder that appears related to bow slap into the wind when sailing from rear seat.

Has anyone else experienced this on the TI???...or maybe I have an air bubble under the transducer??? (but I don't think so) as it seems OK at rest.

I am thinking it may be better to remount transducer to the rear of the kayak?

Any one with any advice on this?

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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 7:14 pm 
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Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:07 pm
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Location: Saint Johns, Florida
My transducer is installed just in front of the mast. When I'm sailing from the rear seat and going to weather in choppy conditions the picture on the looks like it is missing a vertical line every 16 of an inch or so. The digital read out stays solid though.

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Jerry D.
St. Johns, Florida
2010 TI
2008 AI


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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 7:22 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:39 pm
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Location: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Jerry

This is exactly what I get...

Wonder if it better to put transducer at rear??? (or even outside the hull on the supplied mount?

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 Post subject: Re: Fishfinder install?
PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 10:12 am 
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Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:19 pm
Posts: 58
i fitted a garmin 400c, works great.
the transducers behind the mast reciever nearer me, there's nowt else you could put in that space anyway.
i've got the cable coming out next to the mast about 2 " left of it using an electrictions gland.
the battery's up front for now in a watertight box velcroed on the side next to the mast reciever out of the way, gonna see about putting it at the rear of the yak next year to keep the weight rear biased.


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