Depth finder info.

grantmi1 06-21-2003, 10:49 AM

Couple questions.

1. How important do you guys feel it is to get depth finder?

2. If I do is it a must that I get a factory one or wait and have one put on or put it on myself?

3. Is installation hard and does it have to go through hull. If I install it does it void hull waranty?

4. How much do the ones from the factory cost as a add on?

Thanks, oh and I like the ones with temp info hey and maybe speed too. lol

garyfranc 06-21-2003, 11:59 AM

Mike,

How important it is depends on the water you boat in. After a few busted props, I decided it was essential for me.

I got a cheapy little after market thing for less than 100 bucks and it has worked great for 3 seasons so far.

Requires only four tiny mounting screw holes below the water line and one 1/4 in hole for the cable above the water line.

Installation is a cinch.

Can't imagine it affecting warranty.

(gunz) · (gunz) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 06-21-2003, 12:57 PM

Gary,could you elaborate a little more?
Whats the brand?
Where you got it?
Where the unit sits?
I would appreciate it cause I'm thinkin about doing this also,but the dealer wants 250 bucks.
Too much for me.
Some pics of the install would be cool.
Thanks....

walt 06-22-2003, 3:12 PM

Hey Gunz I can help you put it in.
Walt out

(gunz) · (gunz) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 06-22-2003, 7:32 PM

Sweet,how much are they now?

grantmi1 06-22-2003, 7:42 PM

Lol you guys crack me up

(rodmcinnis) · (rodmcinnis) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 06-23-2003, 1:15 PM

A depth finder is not likely going to help protect your prop. The rocks that I have busted my prop on in the past have come up way too fast for the depth guage to have helped. If you have the alarm set, the beeping sound will confirm that the big CLANG you just heard was the bottom, but it won't help you avoid it if you were traveling 30 MPH.

If the water is muddy it will help you ease into a beach, or warn you that it is shallow before you dive overboard. It may help you figure out where on the lake you are: if the water is only 30 feet deep, you probably aren't anywhere near the dam!

Installation can be very easy. If it is just a depth sounder ( vs speed and water temp) then you can usually glue the transom mount transducer down inside the hull, no hole required. The bottom of the boat needs to be solid, not a hollow core. You can experiment before you get too far into the installation process: Buy a tube of clear silicon. Pick a spot on the bottom of the boat, preverably that points straight down. Do NOT place it directly behind a skeg, water intake, or other object that will disturb the water flow past the transducer. Squeeze out a pile of silicon, avoiding any air bubbles. Mush the transducer down into this puddle of silicon, let it set up. Launch, try it out. You may need to adjust the sensitivity on the depth sounder as the hull will attenuate the signal a fair amount.

If it works OK, your're done. If it doesn't work OK, you can always cut it out of the silicon and try again.

I have had people tell me that you can also experiment by simply sealing the transducer into a baggie filled with water and setting it on the desired spot. I haven't tried this myself, but I imagin it could work. What is essential is that there can't be any air pockets underneath the transducer, which includes hollow cores in the hull.

(fbroen) · (fbroen) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 06-23-2003, 1:41 PM

I find the depth finder invaluable. It is true that it won't tell you in time if you are travelling fast, BUT it will in a lot of cases be reading shallower and shallower and then you know to watch out. I also find the depth sounder exteremely useful to scout out an area at slow speed.

We installed one on a boat ourselves and it was real easy. Went for the inside the hull transducer so all you needed was to glue it in place and run the wires. What Rod said as far as placement. IF you can find out on a factory installed boat where they place the transducer, that will be the easiest place to find the right spot.

Oh, and we didn't do the baggy thing, cuz we found a spot similar to factory ones, but it did say in the instructions that is the best way to test it.

The inside hull ones are about $100 i think. Those won't give you the speed and water temp though, but a PerfectPass will...

(Message edited by fbroen on June 23, 2003)

(timmy) · (timmy) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 06-23-2003, 2:10 PM

do what I did, get a 'fishing' style one with the little screen as opposed to a number. this way you can EASILY visually see when it is getting shallow, as you can see the contour of the bottom. I have an Eagle "fish easy 2T" and it will plot at wakeboarding speeds, still read out a number at faster speeds, and also give temp. it is a small unit and I have it mounted in a discrete location (i.e. not on the dash)

(barry) · (barry) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 06-24-2003, 8:36 AM

Mike,
we never run the boat without ours and it works perfectly. You don't have to drill holes if you get a through-hull-transducer. Here is the one I have and I got it shipped to my door for about 96.00.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/ahlstrand-marine/depfinintran.html

B-

(timmy) · (timmy) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 06-24-2003, 9:16 AM

Here is the one I have. Again, showing the contour of the bottom at a glance is much more helpful than having to watch the numbers change.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/standard-pod-wrapped.jhtml?id=0012338&navAction=push&navCount=1 6&indexId=cat21392&parentId=cat21392&parentType=in dex&rid=&cmCat=MainCatcat21276

(fbroen) · (fbroen) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 06-24-2003, 9:44 AM

Personally, I don't necessarily think the bottom countour plot is all that useful if you are not interested in fishing too. (And I don't want that screen thingy cluttering up things, but that is just MHO)

Most, if not all, depth sounders have alarms that you can set to go off if they go below a certain depth, so you don't have to keep looking at the thing.

There was a very informative thread on the installation thing, I think it is the the one referenced by Ty in this thread, but I can't get the original one to come up:

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/25406.html

(bob) · (bob) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 06-25-2003, 3:07 AM

Im with what Fredrik said up one post, thru-hull transducer and small gauge, very useful, dont forget PP for your temp and speed readings :-)

(timmy) · (timmy) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 06-25-2003, 7:11 AM

i'll respectfully disagree. contour plots are VERY helpful, esp if there are a lot of fast depth changes. the screen can be mounted to avoid clutter if you are creative.

(timmy) · (timmy) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 06-25-2003, 7:14 AM

also, is it 5 ft deep and sandy or 5 ft deep and stumpy? rocky, etc? small gage won't tell you that.

(aquaholic) · (aquaholic) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 06-25-2003, 9:48 AM

I agree with ya Tim. Used to love mine on my other boat. Just doesn't seem to fit the look on a ski boat though. Although it might make the bass fisherman more friendly :-)