I screwed up …. Something??

1323 Views 25 Replies 11 Participants Last post by metalman, 13 d ago

Glass lord

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

Hoping someone with more knowledge than me can figure this out.
I added a Garmin striker 4 onto my kayak (ascend t 12) I did an inside the hull transducer mount using duct seal. I’m not getting any images it is getting power but no sonar readings. I really don’t think there’s any air bubbles in the duct seal the duct seal is about 1 1/4” tall and the transducer is buried about 1/2” into it I’ll include a few photos just not sure what I did wrong and before anyone asks no I didn’t catch fish either haha

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metalman

· #2 · 2 mo ago

Danni,
Is that duct seal rubbery like caulk? If so, that’s your problem; you’ve mounted the xducer on a big pad of sonar ping absorbing rubber.
If it’s not rubbery, you’ll need to tell us more.

…W

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Glass lord

Discussion Starter · #3 · 2 mo ago

metalman said:
Danni,
Is that duct seal rubbery like caulk? If so, that’s your problem; you’ve mounted the xducer on a big pad of sonar ping absorbing rubber.
If it’s not rubbery, you’ll need to tell us more.

…W

I’d say it’s about like playdough maybe a little harder. Honestly I just found YouTube videos with people using duct seal and thought wow that seams like a good idea and if I screw up it’s a lot easier to remove than epoxy.
Ive been thinking I did mount it toward the front of my kayak wonder if my weight offsets it and it’s not deep enough in the water …

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D schuerenberg

· #4 · 2 mo ago

I would think it needs to touch the hull with nothing between it

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cspot

· #5 · 2 mo ago

As long as that part of the kayak is touching the water it should be ok. I think the duct seal is too thick between the tranducer and the hull. Make it very thin between the 2. It can be thick around it the tranducer to help hold it. Make sure that the kayak isn't really thick material where you are placing it. Also make sure you try the tranducer just in the water to make sure it isn't your fish finder that has an issue.

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J. Lewis

· #6 · 2 mo ago

Following.

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prlwng

· #7 · 2 mo ago

That third pic looks kinda like what my striker 4 looks like when I forget to turn it off when retreving boat. When it is in water then depth readings are available.

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canebreaker

· #8 · 2 mo ago

My son tried different ways of mounting the transducer to the inside hull with Duck Seal. Sit the transducer where you want it then cover with the seal is the best. Can't have seal between transducer and hull.
He got it mounted right and was good for about 8 months. What's wrong now? Touched a wire and the whole thing moved. It had come loose. He ended up getting a Scotty transducer arm.

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Ammo

· #9 · 2 mo ago

canebreaker said:
... He ended up getting a Scotty transducer arm.

That's what I did with my Ascend. Too many variables with an in-hull mount.

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twaskom

· #10 · 2 mo ago

A transducer can not receive a signal through anything with air in it. Any bubbles or air pockets of any kind will keep a signal from getting through.

The signal will go through plastic and even fiberglass as long as the rosin has been worked into the fiberglass material which will remove the air bubbles.

A way to test for a good signal to get through the bottom of a boat is to build something like a circular dam around a spot that the transducer can set in. Then fill the damed up area with water and place the transducer in the water. The signal will go from the transducer thru the water, through the plastic boat then thru the lake water to provide the signal to the monitor.

If you take your kayak out and just put some water in it so you can hold the transducer against the bottom enough so no air is in between it and the boat you should get your signal. That will at least tell you if it is working. If it works, then figure out what material you need, epoxy or other, to use to mount it.

good luck.

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twaskom

· #11 · 2 mo ago

From your pictures I would say your placement is not the best location. By being right on the “V”, you are having to add a lot of material thickness under the transducer. The more you have to add, the more room for bubbles. If you move it to the right or left, it would be on a flatter surface that would need a minimal amount of sealer. If it aims slightly left or right because of the angle of the bottom, just be aware of that and use it to your advantage.

Or you could always build a bracket that would hold it off to the side of the kayak and just at the waters surface.

tight lines.

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Glass lord

Discussion Starter · #12 · 2 mo ago

Thanks for the tips all! Winston gave me a call and we talked through the scenarios currently I have pulled it out and moved it for easy access right in my access hatch I built a “pond” of sorts with the duct seal I’m going to add water and the transducer get the kayak on the water and see if it reads. Hopefully tomorrow!
I’m also looking into some better mounting options that Garmin makes I wasn’t aware of see if I can find a more long term solution

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River_monster91

· #13 · 2 mo ago

Buddy runs the scotty mount. Really likes it. Good luck in your search.

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Glass lord

Discussion Starter · #14 · 2 mo ago

River_monster91 said:
Buddy runs the scotty mount. Really likes it. Good luck in your search.

Thanks! If I can’t get this to work I’ll run a mount I’d just really prefer to not I’d like to have everything out the way as much as possible

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csurowiec

· #15 · 2 mo ago

I think the combination of the hull and the duct seal is absorbing all your signal. They make specific thru-hull transducers for a reason. Unfortunately, one of those is an awful big investment for a kayak. How I dealt with it on my kayak was to make everything modular. I have a box for the battery and the head unit mounts on top of it as well as the transducer arm. The whole system is on or off the kayak in seconds with 2 bolts into the deck rail system. All the parts came from YakAttack. I left a link below.

Water Boat Naval architecture Hood Motor vehicle

YakAttack® - USA Made Fishing Gear and Accessories for Kayaks and Aluminum Boats

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cspot

· #16 · 2 mo ago

ONe tip for the duct seal too is to really work it in your hands for a while to get it really warm and pliable. That helps it stick and makes it easy to mold.

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Glass lord

Discussion Starter · #17 · 2 mo ago

Well I figured I would post an update I made a “pond” out of duct seal added some water and the transducer it works. Now this won’t be a long term solution because I want it to be installed and done not constantly adding water.
My next plan is building a “pond” and adding sicaflex inside instead of water the transducer will be pressed against the hull as tightly as possible but since it’s not a completely flat surface any “air pocket” will be filled and the caulking will also hold it permanently in place or at least many years. Might work might not but according to YouTube experts it does so I’m going to try it. Worst case is just pull it out and redo it. I’m about to put in some long work hours coming up so it may take a while for me to post an update.
another reason I’m really wanting to do a in hull is because access is limited in my hull and that makes running wires in hull difficult to say the least
I didn’t have a lot of time but I did catch some blue gill and a small bass gotta fish if you’re on the water!

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J. Lewis

· #18 · 2 mo ago

GL, maybe you already know this, but there are quite a few different kinds of sikaflex. Not sure if the vids you watched called out a specific kind or not.

Just wanted to make note of it because I imagine the specific type/kind is probably important. I deal with a LOT of Sika products on a daily basis and the chemical composition of their caulking can vary widely. I would imagine that some would be better than others for something like this.

Definitely would not want to use the wrong one, you would likely never get that stuff off of the transducer once it's on there. Just food for thought, especially if someone else comes along and reads this thread later on down the road lol.

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Glass lord

Discussion Starter · #19 · 2 mo ago

Absolutely J! I’m a glazier by trade so I deal with a fair amount of caulking but don’t start asking me about what all the chemicals mean I just know what ones are compatible for certain situations haha!
Currently I’m planning on a polyurethane based clear caulking (sicaflex EBT+) however a lot of people recommend and use silicone and obviously I have that on hand 24/7 but in my mind silicone is a little more “rubbery” and pliable than a polyurethane base so I don’t know if it wouldn’t hurt the readings. But on the other hand silicone is much easier to remove if it doesn’t work. Either way I will use a clear caulking so I can visually see if there are any air bubbles. And neither one should hurt the transducer or the kayak
Side note I will also lightly rough up the kayak hull with sandpaper and clean it with alcohol to ensure I good bond

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twaskom

· #20 · 2 mo ago

Glass lord said:
Absolutely J! I’m a glazier by trade so I deal with a fair amount of caulking but don’t start asking me about what all the chemicals mean I just know what ones are compatible for certain situations haha!
Currently I’m planning on a polyurethane based clear caulking (sicaflex EBT+) however a lot of people recommend and use silicone and obviously I have that on hand 24/7 but in my mind silicone is a little more “rubbery” and pliable than a polyurethane base so I don’t know if it wouldn’t hurt the readings. But on the other hand silicone is much easier to remove if it doesn’t work. Either way I will use a clear caulking so I can visually see if there are any air bubbles. And neither one should hurt the transducer or the kayak
Side note I will also lightly rough up the kayak hull with sandpaper and clean it with alcohol to ensure I good bond

Sounds like a plan Dannie. The use of water was just to see if it was working and to make sure the hull would permit the signal to penetrate. Since you found that out, a more permanent mounting is your next step. Again, a flat thinner surface is the better place for mounting. Right in the V would seem to add more things to go wrong.

In the old days we would use a small round puck transducer that was flat on the bottom and was about as big around as a quarter. Made it much easier to mount.

Good luck

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