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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    WALDEN
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    9
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    portable sonar / transducer for row boats or canoes

    Some small local lakes and ponds have only cartop launches and no gas motors allowed. I have a canoe, 10' V bottom and flat bottom and wondered how I could attach and detach a sonar transducer easily without drilling holes. Finally it came to me when I saw a door wreath hanger at a dollar store: (note: click photos to enlarge)
    Click image for larger version. 

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    I cut it to a size that I could bend over the transom or side of my canoe and attached it to a strip of wood:
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    At the bottom of the wood strip I screwed in a cross piece for the transducer's wide bracket:
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    Zip ties were used to secure the transducer wire and a ratchet lock used to secure the metal bracket at the top:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    If I don't want to use a trolling motor and heavy battery but rather just use oars or a paddle, I use a small 12v tractor or motorcycle battery to power the unit. The location on the boat's transom (pictured) doesn't pick up weeds and the angle of the transducer so it's parallel to the bottom is easily adjusted given the transom angle.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    New Albany, Indiana.
    Posts
    8,955
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    Here is what I did

    I went on ebay and found a tiller trolling motor mount......it is the perfect size for PVC.

    Then a couple joints, and some screws, and boom done.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Likes peter liked this post

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    WALDEN
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    9
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    Never thought to use PVC with elbow. Nice! Looks classier than my idea.
    Likes GeoFisher liked this post

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    New Albany, Indiana.
    Posts
    8,955
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    Quote Originally Posted by SENKOSAM View Post
    Never thought to use PVC with elbow. Nice! Looks classier than my idea.
    The transom mount trolling motor mount was about 40 bucks on Amazon....WORKS GREAT., at least I think it does.

    This is a down/side image ducer in a transducer cage I purchased for a trolling motor mount. IT seems to work just fine.

    I will be testing it in a couple weeks in canada....It will be interesting.

    Later,

    Geo

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    New Albany, Indiana.
    Posts
    8,955
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeoFisher View Post
    The transom mount trolling motor mount was about 40 bucks on Amazon....WORKS GREAT., at least I think it does.

    This is a down/side image ducer in a transducer cage I purchased for a trolling motor mount. IT seems to work just fine.

    I will be testing it in a couple weeks in canada....It will be interesting.

    Later,

    Geo
    Here are some pictures of my rig in action........it worked GREAT.

    This is my friend Dave B. with a good smallie.

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    All in all, the mount worked flawlessly, and I could even use the screw on the trolling motor moount to lower the transducer, or raise the transducer so I could run with or without the transducer in the water.

    With the transducer in, I could see depths pretty effectively, which was awesome for navigating new water.

    Yea, It worked pretty well.

    Later,

    Geo
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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    3,998
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    Can you run the wires through the inside of the PVC Pipe?

    Quote Originally Posted by GeoFisher View Post
    The transom mount trolling motor mount was about 40 bucks on Amazon....WORKS GREAT., at least I think it does.

    This is a down/side image ducer in a transducer cage I purchased for a trolling motor mount. IT seems to work just fine.

    I will be testing it in a couple of weeks in Canada....It will be interesting.

    Later,

    Geo
    Can you drill a hole in the PVC pipe and run the transducer wire along with the electrical wire through the inside of the PVC pipe?

    years ago my Dad bought one of the first portable sonar units. The Lowrance Little Green Box. We had a metal bracket that would clamp onto the side of an aluminum rental boat and then it had two metal bands that were shaped in the form of a C that would clamp around the transducer. The transducer was shaped like a long 1" diameter cylinder with a transducer wire coming out of one end. I could point the end of the transducer in the direction I wanted and view the sound eching off the bottom on the flasher unit. This was way before they came out with the paper graph depth finder and then later the LCD display type fish finder units.

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