Association Forum - Arrgh Fishfinder woes [:(!]

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Arrgh Fishfinder woes [:(!]

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

D Wrate
1st Mate

Member Avatar

38 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/31/2004 : 15:02:57

So I am finally getting around to installing our fish finder, a Humminbird PiranhaMax 15. Problem is I cannot get it to read through the hull. In the water works great gets a reading in seconds, in the hull in a baggie of water, on a baggie of water... no reading...

This is the second unit as the first one read erratically even over the side. I know a shoot thru will work as the transducer for the old flasher is still there in a pvc tube and worked fine.

Hull is solid glass approx 1/2 to 5/8 in thick.

Last resort is to try the toilet bowl wax ring trick...

Any other suggestions?

Frustrated in Sidney...

David

S/V Cindino

Edited by - on

wade
Deckhand

Members Avatar

Canada
17 Posts

Response Posted - 07/31/2004 : 23:45:34

Try putting mineral oil in the pvc tube rather than water, that is what I used.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 08/01/2004 : 18:03:41

My Hummingbird transducer is epoxied to the hull in the small bilge access. Works fine.

Edited by - on

D Wrate
1st Mate

Members Avatar

38 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2004 : 01:09:31

Well just got back from the boat where I tried unsuccessfully to get this fish finder to work. This time I crammed it into a baseball sized gob of wax right next to the existing transducer and....nothing happened. Just a big zero on the display... over the side... 17 ft in a heartbeat... power off.. back in the wax... nada...

I might see if the existing transducer can be made to work with this display...

David

Edited by - on

jwilliams
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
357 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2004 : 11:01:35

David,

I have a Horizon epoxyied to the inner hull aft of the fin keel.

I was having some intermittent problems with consistent reading. I checked the manual and learned about sensitivity (gain) adjustments.

Occasionaly now I can get a false reading when I am really heeled, but I think that is bubbles (or a really big fish right under the sensor

)

Jim Williams
Hey Jude C25fk 2958
SF Bay

Edited by - on

D Wrate
1st Mate

Members Avatar

38 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2004 : 11:06:27

Should there be more or less sensitivity?

David

Edited by - on

jwilliams
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
357 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2004 : 17:36:22

David,

Dunno, without looking at your manual, sorry.

Jim Williams
Hey Jude C25fk 2958
SF Bay

Edited by - on

ronrryan
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
561 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2004 : 20:39:27

You do not mention whether you have the bottom painted with antifouling paint. Some paints will interfere with the "shoot-thru" on the hull, a problem I have had in the past. Sometimes a bit of scraping just below the transducer location will allow epoxied-in pucks to work again. Good luck, ron srsk Orion sw fl

Edited by - on

RichardG
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2004 : 20:44:55

I've been trying for about 4 years to get my fishfinder to work. I get intermident successful readings in a couple spots, but nothing consistant. Someone once suggested that my hull may have imbedded microscopic bubbles which were trapped when the hull was manufactured.

As you know the old transducer works in its spot, you may want to remove it and put the new one in the PVC pipe.

Edited by - on

oldsalt
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
578 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2004 : 21:09:48

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by D Wrate
 Should there be more or less sensitivity?

David
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

My guess is that you should increase the sensitivity and see if that helps to penetrate the hull.

Edited by - on

D Wrate
1st Mate

Members Avatar

38 Posts

Response Posted - 08/03/2004 : 00:41:49

I have exchanged the Humminbird for an Airmar depth sounder, no fishy images anymore... also going to see if the local marine electronic wizard can make my old transducer work with the new display. He had told me a while back that if they were both 200 khz (new display is, old transducer likely is) there was a good chance they would work.

Will keep you posted

Thanks all!!!

David

Edited by - on

Keith Dennis
Deckhand

Members Avatar

13 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2004 : 14:20:16

Check out Tech Tips for the C25 and scroll down to the boat name "Nakomis". He installed his transducer in a PVC pipe attached to a flat part of the hull, placed the transducer inside filled it with mineral oil and capped it with the lead wire comming out of a slot in the cap. I think I am going to try this as I am getting far out readings. I know my slip isn't 56 ft.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.