help Mounting Transducer to Kayak using PVC Arm or anything like it?

[wahanlin]

Have any of yall mounted a transducer to your kayak via a PVC arm that went into a flush mount rod holder, or any other way that would make it removable and not a permanent seal? I recently bought a Humminbird 398ci SI combo. I want the side imaging transducer to be in the water beside or behind me.

The issue is I have a cheap sit in Pelican kayak right now, that i plan to upgrade from in the next year or so. I have two flush mount rod holders behind me pointing toward the back, and I'm thinking about rigging an arm that could go into the water but would swing up if I needed it to. Also that I could take in and out when I am not in the boat. Any ideas? Thanks

[Fellows]

I have a Jackson Cuda and I found the scupper holes are almost the perfect size for transducers. I threaded mine through some PVC to give me an 'arm' for grabbing, wrapped that in some foam from one of those pool noodles with zip ties and it forms an almost perfect snug-tight and level fit on the underside of my kayak. It's really no big deal to add and remove it when I'm launching. Bonus was being able to use the leftover noodle to make a couple homemade buoy markers.

The only negative to this is the need to run your wiring into the hold for the battery and back out again for the finder. Given just how much space and access the Cuda has though, I honestly never notice the wires at the top once I've tucked all the slack up, and the center hatch just sorta sits there on top.

I looked into various ways to run the wiring more seamlessly or permanently but I couldn't find anything I liked. The ability to completely disassemble the fishfinder, transducer and battery to me is far more value than the two minutes it takes me to assemble it each outing.

I'm not sure what I'd do in your case though without some sort of scupper holes, if not available.

[sky hawk]

I've got one of these on my small boat:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Porta...1781000&rid=20

[teamhooksetter]

I have some buddies that have Pelican Sit-On-Top kayaks and this is what they done for there transducer.........Sorry for the sideways picture...There not real smart...The PVC is attached to the crate by some bungee cords. All they have to do is flip it over and its in the water. So far they say they have accurate depth readings and everything. Going to get another picture. Better view...

[teamhooksetter]

Here's some better pictures....First one is in the up position and the second one would be down in the water....

[wahanlin]

Thanks for the info fellas. any more ideers?

[Fellows]

Here's some better pictures....First one is in the up position and the second one would be down in the water...

Man, that is a really awesome solution - Even as someone with nice, flush mounts in my scupper holes I like that approach.

Question on the second one, aren't the transducers suppose to be level or is it just extended that far for a demo picture?

[DockShootinJack]

I like the swing away mount. That's good thinking right there.

[yakpilot]

I have a Jackson Cuda and I found the scupper holes are almost the perfect size for transducers. I threaded mine through some PVC to give me an 'arm' for grabbing, wrapped that in some foam from one of those pool noodles with zip ties and it forms an almost perfect snug-tight and level fit on the underside of my kayak. It's really no big deal to add and remove it when I'm launching. Bonus was being able to use the leftover noodle to make a couple homemade buoy markers.

The only negative to this is the need to run your wiring into the hold for the battery and back out again for the finder. Given just how much space and access the Cuda has though, I honestly never notice the wires at the top once I've tucked all the slack up, and the center hatch just sorta sits there on top.

I looked into various ways to run the wiring more seamlessly or permanently but I couldn't find anything I liked. The ability to completely disassemble the fishfinder, transducer and battery to me is far more value than the two minutes it takes me to assemble it each outing.

I'm not sure what I'd do in your case though without some sort of scupper holes, if not available.

I did something very similar. Works great!

ETA: Standby for pics...

ETA2: Okay, so I snapped a couple of pics. My mount is a semi-permanent set-up I guess. I say it that way because nothing is glued/fixed to the kayak and can be disassembled immediately, if needed, but due to my kayak's recessed transducer scupper hole, I can leave the transducer in all the time and it doesn't really touch anything as it's recessed almost​ completely. Like Fellows said, I still have my cords running into the body of the kayak elsewhere, but they aren't really in the way when I'm using it. (Ocean Kayak Trident 13)

In pic #1 you can see I have a small zip tie that holds the transducer in place. I rigged it this way so that should the transducer get hung up on something, the zip tie should break and allow the transducer to pivot freely on the bolt, thus preventing it from breaking. It functioned exactly as I'd hoped, too! While backing up in the yak one day it caught something, maybe a tree top or branch, and snapped that zip tie right off, but the TD was completely fine! You can't see it from the picture, but the aft section of that PVC has been dremeled out to allow the TD to sit horizontally.

I think I wrapped electrical tape around the PVC ends to snug it up securely with the scupper...hard to remember at this point. You can see in the second photo that the kayak has a "drain" profile leading to the scupper. To ensure water would still drain with the PVC there, I simply drilled a hole in the PVC and had it aligned with that small drain leading to the scupper.

[teamhooksetter]

They are level when they are in the water....It's just bent down like that in the picture. I met them out on the lake this past weekend and there depths was reading the same as the ones in my boat.