You'll still get pretty good reception, but you'll be able to see some noise/interference on the side with the motor. You might try sticking the transducer to a stick/thin board and have someone hold it in the water about where you want to mount it while you idle along and look at your unit. The motor will block part of your signal and cause the noise. The farther the transducer is from the motor, the more room for your signal to get out.