Transducer mounting

Talk about your boats, trailers, and boating specific topics here. Sponsored by Life Proof Boats.
Post Reply
User avatar
Creation
Petty Officer
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:49 am
Location: West Seattle

Transducer mounting

Post by Creation » Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:31 pm

Got a new elite 5 dsi from lowrance with my boat. Does this okay for the transducer mounting? When I had it before it went from 60-120 feet without changing and just blinked over and over. Never showed bottom or fish.Image

User avatar
BentRod
Admiral
Posts: 1864
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 7:59 am
Location: Issaquah

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by BentRod » Fri Sep 20, 2013 3:29 pm

Looks pretty good to me.

User avatar
Jerry H
Warrant Officer
Posts: 170
Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 3:43 am
Location: West Seattle

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by Jerry H » Fri Sep 20, 2013 7:55 pm

The installation looks good. When I installed mine (Hummingbird) it could not find bottom and just flashed. After going back to the directions I had to fine tune the horizontal angle of the transducer. Rotate it further up or down making it more parallel to the bottom. Good luck.

User avatar
oneshot
Commodore
Posts: 960
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 1:09 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by oneshot » Fri Sep 20, 2013 9:57 pm

doesn't look parallel to me.. pretty sure it needs to run even with the boat bottom and at a almost perfect flt angle, looks like its off kilter a bit perhaps? picture could be off too..

User avatar
The Quadfather
Rear Admiral One Star
Posts: 3744
Joined: Tue May 08, 2007 2:27 pm
Location: Carkeek Park, North Seattle
Contact:

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by The Quadfather » Fri Sep 20, 2013 10:10 pm

It looks a little like yer transducer is pointing from the transom up towards the bow.. but not sure from the photo.
Should of course be pointing straight down to bottom.

Not be a downer on your deal, but let us know how that Elite 5 DSI works out for you. I was very disappointed at the least in that model. Saved by a quick Craigslist sale.... and back to Humminbird I flew.
My issue was, just hardly any options to tweak the configuration of the sonar. It was like plug it in, and take what you get.

User avatar
Creation
Petty Officer
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:49 am
Location: West Seattle

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by Creation » Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:54 pm

oneshot wrote:doesn't look parallel to me.. pretty sure it needs to run even with the boat bottom and at a almost perfect flt angle, looks like its off kilter a bit perhaps? picture could be off too..

Yeah the mounting directions suck. It says make parallel to the boat bottom, then says should be parallel to the ground. So do I make it parallel to the boat bottom at the angle of the boat bottom? Or it it supposed to be even straight like I have it?
quadfather wrote:It looks a little like yer transducer is pointing from the transom up towards the bow.. but not sure from the photo.
Should of course be pointing straight down to bottom.

Not be a downer on your deal, but let us know how that Elite 5 DSI works out for you. I was very disappointed at the least in that model. Saved by a quick Craigslist sale.... and back to Humminbird I flew.
My issue was, just hardly any options to tweak the configuration of the sonar. It was like plug it in, and take what you get.
I got it with the boat for free so not too worried, he never installed it and the hummingbird he had on it said I was in 30ft of water... In 2ft. I've heard cruddy reviews and good review so I can only hope for the best with this.

User avatar
Jerry H
Warrant Officer
Posts: 170
Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 3:43 am
Location: West Seattle

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by Jerry H » Sat Sep 21, 2013 1:41 pm

Start parallel to the bottom of the boat. Work from there while you are on the water. Parallel to the bottom should work if your boat sits level on the water. Most don't it will depend on how you have it trimmed out. Adjust the angle of the transducer up or down as needed to best fit the trim of the boat.

User avatar
Amx
Vice Admiral Three Stars
Posts: 7351
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:43 am
Location: Wa. state

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by Amx » Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:12 pm

The bottom of the transducer is ALWAYS suppose to be parallel to the ground. That boat looks to have an angle, forget about that and make the transducer parallel to the ground in all direction--side to side, and front to back.

IF a boat rides in the water with the bow way up, then the rear of the transducer should be higher than the front when the boat is on the trailer and level with the ground. That way the transducer will be level/parallel with the ground when tooling across the water.

That boat has a rise to it, looks to be about 10-15 degrees. That mounting position of the transducer looks good.
Tom.

Occupation: old
Interests: living

User avatar
Mike Carey
Owner/Editor
Owner/Editor
Posts: 7689
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:56 am
Location: Redmond, WA
Contact:

Re: Transducer mounting

Post by Mike Carey » Sat Sep 21, 2013 7:48 pm

what has worked for me when setting up a transducer (assuming the boat is sitting properly on the trailer, a big "if") is to use a level to find the proper angle, which is no angle to the horizon of course.
Image

"Takers get the honey, Givers sing the blues".

Post Reply