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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Depth Gage

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Joltnjoe
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/23/2009 : 23:08:09

I have a 84 Catalina 25 The orginal Horizon Depth Gage Display is broken (LCD NG). The Transducer seems to be working. Is there a replacement for this Display or a compareable display for this Transducer, or should I just start from scratch. I like the 4 inch display. I looked at other gages and they are 2 inch ( What to do about the old opening?)

Thank You

The only thing Constant about the Wind is that it is NOT.
Smooth Sailing

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2009 : 08:07:27

Fish Finders are so much cheaper and provide so much more information that few stick with old school gauges when given the opportunity to replace them. My fish finder had a built-in GPS so it also was a knot meter. I used a humminbird Matrix.
[url="Fish Finders are so much cheaper and provide so much more information that few stick with old school gauges when given the opportunity to replace them. My fish finder had a built-in GPS so it also was a knot meter. "]Humminbird Matrix[/url]

Edited by - pastmember on 02/24/2009 08:08:34

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2009 : 13:11:29

There are creative ways to address the opening. Do you already have a flush mounted compass? I also went the fish finder route, albeit the less expensive (no GPS) Eagle Cuda 168 (current model is Eagle Cuda 300 - $80 at Cabellas, probable less on Ebay. There is another fairly current thread on this forum on the subject, with pictures.
Also, I have a new in box Norcross Hawkeye dash mount depth Sounder that is available for $75. Cost new was over $100, but I decided to go with the fish finder route instead. I would be happy to sell it to you. Otherwise, it's going on Ebay soon. If I had kept the Hawkeye, I would have mounted it on a board I could drop into the companionway crib board slots. The board would also hold a compass.

Edited by - on

mlg3733
Navigator

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118 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2009 : 15:32:27

I know you don't have the same gauges on your 1984 boat (Standard Horizon) that I have on my 1980 (Datamarine), but for others who may have Datamarine, the company did offer a depth gauge replacement for about $160 (2008 prices)

Edited by - on

Alan Clark
Captain

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406 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2009 : 16:53:06

If your Depth Guage is a Signet Marine, They can repair it for a reasonable price and do a good job of it... They re-calibrated ours and cleaned it.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5368 Posts

Response Posted - 02/24/2009 : 20:34:36

I've kept the guts of the old Standard Horizon display and electronics. I pulled it out because I wanted to place my new Hawkeye depth finder in the old enclosure. If you want the electronics, let me know on my personal email. You pay shipping.

The display is quite odd, and I wonder whether you fell prey to it.

To see it, I had to wear my polarized sunglasses, so apparently, it needs a sheet of polarized mylar inside the glass to see the depth numbers.

For all intents and purposes, it still works fine, however with the through hull transducer, I could only use it from April til July when the marine growth took over. The nice thing about the Hawkeye is that the transducer is mounted inside the hull.

Good luck with your project!

Edited by - on

Joltnjoe
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2009 : 19:35:49

Thank You for the input
I am trying not to change the Transducer
The LCD Display on the gauge is half broken.
Do the fish finders compatible with the Transducer?

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 02/25/2009 : 19:52:40

Nearly everyone sets the transducer against the inside of the hull these days. Some use toilet ring wax, some epoxy them. The point is the fishfinder solution does not require a new hole in your hull and you can just leave the old one where it is.

Edited by - on

Tom Gauntt
Navigator

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204 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2009 : 09:30:23

Joltn,
I was faced with a similar problem. The old depth gauge and separate water temp gauge (and externally mounted transducers) were beyond repair when I bought the boat. I initially wanted to use the same type gauges and existing holes in the bulkhead (going old-school), but after pricing these items, I began to look at other options (searching this forum and CD's forum primarily). I decided on a fishfinder rather than a simple depth meter for a couple of reasons. First, the price wasn't going to be a whole lot more, the fishfinder shows fish (duh) as well as depth and bottom obstructions, and it shows water temp. After a little searching, I picked up an Eagle Cuda 250 which has all these features PLUS a GPS moving map. Cost currently is about $200 from Cabela's. The GPS also is WAAS capable and most importantly is NMEA compliant, so for ten more dollars, I tied the GPS in to my DSC capable VHF radio so now I have a Depth/Temp/Sonar/GPS/Moving Map/Distress DSC capable setup for little more than a single gauge depth finder. As a former Coast Guard pilot, I can never have enough safety options!

Now what to do about all those holes... The old depth and temp gauges were mounted in a staggered arrangement on the starboard cockpit bulkhead. The muse finally struck and I visited my local lumber store and bought a piece of 5/16" teak, cut to cover both holes, rounded the edges and put a few coats of Sikkens on it. On the interior, I plan on mounting a binocular holder to cover those holes.

Although it's been too cold for too long here in Maryland to mount my new contraption, here is a picture in my cozy sanctum sanctorum:

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2009 : 17:08:59

Looks very good, Tom. FWIW, the Eagle Cuda brand (part of Lowrance) items are also readily available on Ebay.
If you buy a fish finder, you'll want to use the transducer that comes with the unit, cable and connectors will most likely be different from your old cable. The transducer will be able to shoot thru the hull. I and others used the wax ring method:
Buy a plumber's wax ring and pull off about 1/3 to 1/4 of the wax. Being careful to avoid trapping bubbles in the wax, carefully form a "patty" large enough that the transfucer face will be completely covered in wax when pressed into the "patty". Place the patty next to the hull where you want the transducer to sit and gently press it into the patty - not all the way, you want a layer of wax between the transducer and the hull. Connect the cable to the battery and to the display, and you should be set to go. Oh yeah, it's a good idea to test the unit before installation by dangling it into the water to make sure it works. You don't want to disturb the wax setting any more than necessary.

Edited by - dmpilc on 02/26/2009 17:51:47

skrenz
Captain

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USA
351 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2009 : 16:12:53

Dave,
Where in the boat did you decide to install your transducer in the wax trick? Is one place on the hull better than another?

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2009 : 18:55:46

On a swinger you need to avoid the keel trunk area, other than that simply near the centerline. On my wing keel I put it behind the stairs which made for short and easy wiring.

Edited by - on

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1776 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2009 : 20:04:52

Wow -- such a simple and elegant solution -- never would have thought of under the stairs but it is logical!

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2009 : 21:14:10

That's where I installed my transducer, just behind the keel cable volcano. Works well and the cable routing is much simpler.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5368 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2009 : 23:56:06

Mine is mounted in wax under the quarterberth opening on the hull, just off center to starboard of the keel line. Works like a charm and I had lots and lots of cable length to spare.

Note - extreme heel will cause inaccurate readings (over-estimate of depth), however your draft will be correspondingly less as well.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2009 : 09:13:53

What I like most about the fish finder is that it also gives a graphic image of the bottom so you can see visually how the depth is changing as you sail/motor along, rather than just numerical digits on a display.

Edited by - on

Joltnjoe
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2009 : 12:46:53

I am looking at this item on E-bay seller site http://stores.shop.ebay.com/HIGH-BIDS-TRADING-Emporium_Other_W0QQ_fsubZ1QQ_sidZ4329585QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em322. I looked at the Eagle Cuda 250 and the transducer is transmon mounted

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2009 : 14:28:53

The Eagle Cuda units come with a bracket to mount it on a transom, but you don't have to use it. Transom mounting will not work on a C-25, because the transom is often completely out of the water.

Edited by - on

Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2009 : 17:34:16

Here is a picture of my fishfinder, gps, and chartplotter. I have a shoot thru-hull set up.
The transducer is on the hull floor in the vberth almost dead center. It is ahead of the swing keel. I have the hard plastic tube siliconed to the hull that encloses the transducer. I fill the container with mineral oil for the sailing season; clean and remove oil for winter storage.

I like having a unit that displays all the information in one location.

My boat came with an old transducer that went through the hull. I fiber glassed the hole after removing the old transducer.

I have been happy so far.

Deric

Edited by - on

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1776 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2009 : 19:18:14

For what it's worth -- I am replacing my original Datamarine depth and adding a wind system (Raymarine St40) with an internal mount depth transducer. Yes, the fishfinder works great (have one on my 17 ft power boat) but these seem to be a cost effective way to go for me.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3460 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2009 : 18:09:03

I removed the old depthfinder and replaced with a Humminbird Matrix 17 fishfinder mounted on a RAM Swing mount. I covered the outside hole with a cover cut from Starboard with a scroll saw. It mounts with no screw holes drilled ! I thru-bolted it to a Starboard support on the inside of the cabin. The bolting is within the original depthfinder hole. The transducer is mounted in toilet bowl wax ring matl near the other transducer and seacock accessible from the door under the front of the VBerth. The photo w/transducer shows the plexiglas shelf/compartment I constructed to make the storage area more usable without concern for disturbing the wiring and fittings in that area.

Edited by - on

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