Thread: My portable FF/DF

I fish from two different small boats, one a 17' aluminum canoe and the other a 10' jon. I bought a Humminbird Helix 5 DI/GPS and did not want to mount it permanently to either so I built a portable unit. The box is a plastic "ammo can" from Harbor Freight, the battery is a 7 AH Gel Cell purchased at a local electronic store (similar items at Lowe's HIW). I mounted a short Ram mount to the top of the box, drilled one hole for the power cable and mounted the transducer with tie-wraps in a block of packing foam. In use the transducer trails along very nicely while paddling the canoe or while on a trolling motor on the jon. I charge the battery with a2 amp trickle charger and have used the FF/DF for over 6 hours with no degradation at all.

Pictures below. (sorry for the dust as I quit fishing when the temperature dropped below 40º )

That’s a pretty clever setup!

Our minds must be connected somehow. I did basically the same thing on my kayak. I used a thick piece of foam in the bottom with a rectangle cut out that fit the battery to prevent it from sliding around in the hard plastic case. Good job

Originally Posted by need2befishin

Our minds must be connected somehow. I did basically the same thing on my kayak. I used a thick piece of foam in the bottom with a rectangle cut out that fit the battery to prevent it from sliding around in the hard plastic case. Good job

do you just cut the plug end of the T/M and strip the wires, add clips, and plug into the battery terminals?

Yes, striped wires and I just used the solder type ends that fit the battery terminals. Think they call them "spade" connectors.

Rickie

That's slick, ya otta try it on the ice!

Originally Posted by moecarama

That's slick, ya otta try it on the ice!

I don't fish when the air temperature is below 40, so l sure as heck don't ice fish. I did when I was much younger and lived in New England, but now I'm a warm weather fan.

Would like to do something like this for our pontoon boat - it's my folks boat, and they don't want anything permanent mounted on the front end... could you show how you hook the transducer to the TM when using on your Jon boat? Or explain it - thanks!!

Originally Posted by Clint

I fish from two different small boats, one a 17' aluminum canoe and the other a 10' jon. I bought a Humminbird Helix 5 DI/GPS and did not want to mount it permanently to either so I built a portable unit. The box is a plastic "ammo can" from Harbor Freight, the battery is a 7 AH Gel Cell purchased at a local electronic store (similar items at Lowe's HIW). I mounted a short Ram mount to the top of the box, drilled one hole for the power cable and mounted the transducer with tie-wraps in a block of packing foam. In use the transducer trails along very nicely while paddling the canoe or while on a trolling motor on the jon. I charge the battery with a2 amp trickle charger and have used the FF/DF for over 6 hours with no degradation at all.

Pictures below. (sorry for the dust as I quit fishing when the temperature dropped below 40º )

Originally Posted by wannagofishin

Would like to do something like this for our pontoon boat - it's my folks boat, and they don't want anything permanent mounted on the front end... could you show how you hook the transducer to the TM when using on your Jon boat? Or explain it - thanks!!

I don't attach it at all. I just hang it over the side. It will not work at anything faster than trolling motor speed, but that is all I power my jon with. You might make a shaft attached to a C Clamp with the transducer mounted on the end. But, again, that would not work at cruising speed.

You might want to give Rickie of Podunk Ideas (rnvinc) a holler and see if he can come up with a movable mount. He is a wizard with that sort of thing. Check his website (below) to see some of the mounts he makes. He maybe able to modify one he already has. Look at the Da Ducer mount.

Podunk Ideas