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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:19 am 
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I found a great deal on a down-scan imaging sonar unit that I would like to mount on my PA. My only question is, will I be able to get the full benifit of the side imaging with the transducer shooting through the hull of the PA?


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:11 am 
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Xi Bowhunter wrote:
I found a great deal on a down-scan imaging sonar unit that I would like to mount on my PA. My only question is, will I be able to get the full benifit of the side imaging with the transducer shooting through the hull of the PA?


I'm installing a Humminbird unit with Down Imaging within the next week using the Humminbird Kayak Transducer Mounting kit. I will gladly post a reply here as to the quality of the image. Maybe someone else on the fourm has already been down this route with a down imaging unit and can respond.

Tight lines....

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:25 am 
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Xi;
I stand to be corrected but, I really do not believe that your side imaging units will function properly unless they are mounted in such a manner as their beams may travel, unimpeded to and from the transducer. I believe that the best way to accomplish this is to mount the transducer on the PA so that the beam(s) are not impeded/reflected/disturbed by movement of the Mirage Drive. Unless the mount is of the easily removable type, with the head hanging in "clean" water, I believe that you will be constantly waging a battle with incorrect readings, "ghost" images and, just plain old non-functionality. If someone has developed a "tried and true" method of permanently mounting a side-imaging unit in a PA hull, I would love to see pictures of how to do so and video of the unit actually in operation. Until then, I think I shall stuck with the lo-tech method of suspending the head on an arm from a bracket attached to my side rail.
Regards....


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:39 am 
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SRAces wrote:
Xi Bowhunter wrote:
I found a great deal on a down-scan imaging sonar unit that I would like to mount on my PA. My only question is, will I be able to get the full benifit of the side imaging with the transducer shooting through the hull of the PA?


I'm installing a Humminbird unit with Down Imaging within the next week using the Humminbird Kayak Transducer Mounting kit. I will gladly post a reply here as to the quality of the image. Maybe someone else on the fourm has already been down this route with a down imaging unit and can respond.

Tight lines....



Please let me know how it goes. I am wanting to buy a unit soon before I make my trip to Florida.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:10 am 
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Xi Bowhunter wrote:
SRAces wrote:
Xi Bowhunter wrote:
I found a great deal on a down-scan imaging sonar unit that I would like to mount on my PA. My only question is, will I be able to get the full benifit of the side imaging with the transducer shooting through the hull of the PA?


I'm installing a Humminbird unit with Down Imaging within the next week using the Humminbird Kayak Transducer Mounting kit. I will gladly post a reply here as to the quality of the image. Maybe someone else on the fourm has already been down this route with a down imaging unit and can respond.

Tight lines....



Please let me know how it goes. I am wanting to buy a unit soon before I make my trip to Florida.


I should have it installed by Monday. I'm off all next week and will be fishing locally and building my kayak storage rack in the garage. The post above mentioned "side imaging". I'm referring to the new "Down Imaging" technology that is on my Humminbird 385ci DI. Not side imaging. I'll assume that's what you're referring to...the new feature that gives you the "photo" like imaging.

FYI...I ordered my unit from www.digitaloasis.com for $420 with free shipping. Hard to beat that deal for the 385ci DI.

Is your trip to Florida related to the big Kayak tournament in May or something else?

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:37 am 
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SRAces wrote:
Xi Bowhunter wrote:
SRAces wrote:
Xi Bowhunter wrote:
I found a great deal on a down-scan imaging sonar unit that I would like to mount on my PA. My only question is, will I be able to get the full benifit of the side imaging with the transducer shooting through the hull of the PA?


I'm installing a Humminbird unit with Down Imaging within the next week using the Humminbird Kayak Transducer Mounting kit. I will gladly post a reply here as to the quality of the image. Maybe someone else on the fourm has already been down this route with a down imaging unit and can respond.

Tight lines....



Please let me know how it goes. I am wanting to buy a unit soon before I make my trip to Florida.


I should have it installed by Monday. I'm off all next week and will be fishing locally and building my kayak storage rack in the garage. The post above mentioned "side imaging". I'm referring to the new "Down Imaging" technology that is on my Humminbird 385ci DI. Not side imaging. I'll assume that's what you're referring to...the new feature that gives you the "photo" like imaging.

FYI...I ordered my unit from http://www.digitaloasis.com for $420 with free shipping. Hard to beat that deal for the 385ci DI.

Is your trip to Florida related to the big Kayak tournament in May or something else?


I meant Down-Imaging, sorry.

My Florida trip is just a fishing trip with some friends. No tournaments or anything.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:45 am 
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According to Lowrance, a "shoot-thru" hull installation will "severely degrade" the performance and reading of the DSI units.

I called and discussed this with one of their technicians and was informed that due to the different type of signal these units generate, thru-hull transducer mountings were not recommended.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:06 am 
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I have a Humminbird 597ci HD DI that ill be putting on my PA that the transducer will be in the water. I'm thinking that that is what they recommend.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:24 am 
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n2bassfishing wrote:
I have a Humminbird 597ci HD DI that ill be putting on my PA that the transducer will be in the water. I'm thinking that that is what they recommend.


Glad to hear you researched it for your unit. If it doesn't work, then I'll go to an external (non-thru the hull) method. I just wanted to try it. The transducer itself is removable in the kit instalation. I would just have to clean that grease off it and that should not be an issue. I will report my findings and probably hang the transducer in the water first before I put it in the thru-the-hull mount. My lake is cart rolling distance, so testing should be fairly easy.

Appreciate the input and feedback. It helps us all. :D

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:26 am 
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Tom Kirkman wrote:
According to Lowrance, a "shoot-thru" hull installation will "severely degrade" the performance and reading of the DSI units.

I called and discussed this with one of their technicians and was informed that due to the different type of signal these units generate, thru-hull transducer mountings were not recommended.


Thanks Tom!

Call me stubborn...lol. I just want to give it a shot.

Tight lines!

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:17 pm 
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I mounted the Humminbird 798ci HD unit on my kayak last year. The yak was a Native Ultimate and I had the transducer mounted on an arm that hung off the side of the yak behind where I sat. The thing is so sensitive that the swirl from the paddle strokes would show on the side imaging and down imaging displays.

That being said, if you are hell-bent on doing a through-hull mount, I can't stop you, but personal experience leads me to believe you will be seriously disappointed with the unit's performance in the down/side imaging modes if you do a through-hull mount. In fact, if you have a side-imaging unit, it simply won't work in a through-hull application.

I have a PA on layaway right now and knowing what I know about the paddle swirls showing up on the HB unit, I won't mount the transducer anywhere behind the Mirage Drive. Too much money in electronics for it not to work to its full potential.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:31 am 
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I just picked up the Lowrance HDS-5 with sidescan. I have an AI and am trying to figure out the best way to mount the transducers (yep, 2.. one for the HDS and one for the sidescan). I was thinking thru the hull, but after reading the above responses, I'm leaning more to a AKA crossbar install. Still thinking about this one.. any ideas /pics would be appreciated...


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:35 am 
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Take a look at these:
http://kayakfishinggear.com/liberatorby ... luded.aspx
http://kayakfishinggear.com/liberator-m ... tform.aspx


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:43 pm 
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This is an update to my thu-the-hull installation of the Humminbird 385ci DI using the Humminbird Thru-The Hull Kayak Mounting kit.

I went out several times this weekend while the adhesive was curing for the mounting kit. I basically hung the transducer over the side to go over some areas where I knew there were certain structures (and possible fish returns).

Today I went out with the transducer installed. Going over the same areas the returned images (both regular and Down Imaging) appeared normal. I'm not seeing any loss of quality using the Humminbird kit. The Down Imaging shots looked the same.

My battery is mounted in the rear storage tray like mentioned in another thread.

Here are some shots of the installation.

Image

I brought the cabling up the left/right front corner gaps where the tackle tray drops in. The cabling does not appear to be pinching in any way that would cause breakage in the cable.

Image

Since I lost the temperature reading with the transducer being a thru-the-hull mount, I used the temperature probe accessory and just dropped the temperature probe thruogh the scupper hole in front of the seat.

Image

I also installed the sliding seat mount from www.marineengine.com and only had to buy the four extra bolts, nuts and lock washers. I re-drilled a hole under the seat to re-position the seat strap. That seat slider is the best accessory you can put on a PA! What a world of difference!

Here's the link for the seat slider: http://www.marineengine.com/products/ac ... in=3215502

Since this fishfinder is not large and does not have a large footprint, I still have cutting board area if needed and it does not get in the way at all for peddling the Mirage drive.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 6:43 pm 
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Very interesting news and thanks for posting the FF mounted to the cutting board, I have yet to take mine out from storage and was thinking about mounting a compass there but couldn't remember how much clearance I would have. I am thinking of mounting a compass there and making a cover/box to mount the cutting board to so when I want to see the compass I will remove the cutting board. Still toying with the location for a compass and I will have to check the handles on the storage bucket to see if they are ferrous which might affect the accuracy of the compass. Looks like a nice week to start getting mine ready to go; I still have to decide on the transducer arm and will probably get a Liberator due to side imaging requiring outside of the hull mount. What does the seat slide do for you?


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