DIY 8 Degree to 0 Degree Livescope Transducer for Trolling Motor

Been toying around with an idea to take my existing 8 degree trolling motor livescope mount and make it a 0 degree, but also will work with trolling motor. I got part of the idea from my son, Jeff Larch, as he uses a Garmin 0 degree pole mount and has put an extension on it to clear the barrel of the trolling motor. Using a 0 degree makes all the difference in the world as your jig remains in the beam from the surface all the way to the bottom.
Here's what I came up with...
Take a piece of 3/4 PVC preferably a foot long or longer for safety reasons. Set your miter cutoff saw to 8 degrees and make your first cut on your PVC. Now, cut the shortest length of your piece of PVC at 90 degrees and cut to a 1/2 inch or slightly longer. All I had to buy was a 6mmx30mm stainless bolt. It took 2 attempts at this build because my transducer would loosen off as the angle on the PVC shifted off center of the bolt. I remedied this by cutting a piece of wooden dowel rod to the same dimensions as the PVC. I glued this into the PVC and drilled a hole just big enough for the 6mm bolt to connect the mount to the transducer. Not nesseccary to use the rubber washer but I do recommend using a washer under the bolt in the back of the transducer mount. I also made a little half moon spacer by cutting a 1/4-20 lock nut in half. I put this in first into the back of the 8 degree bracket at the bottom towards trolling motor, then the washer, then the 6mm bolt. This gives the washer and bolt a good flat surface to pull on when tightened.
I hope my description of my build was not too confusing. Tested it yesterday and could see my jig from splash down to over 20 feet deep!

Attachment 451327

Looks good, very clever.

Great work! Thanks for sharing this with us

Got to take a trip out today with my new transducer set up. I've got to say that a 0-degree transducer mount is the way to go. It sure was nice not losing my jig half way down.

Anyone tried this DIY zero degree mount?

Garmin Livescope Zero Degree Mount (Budget Option For Ice Fishing!!) - YouTube

https://youtu.be/r6058u4U-U8

I didn't think about a larger diameter piece of PVC that would fit over the 8 degree. That would have been easier than cutting an 8 degree on one end of the 3/4" like I did.

Didn’t think about cutting a piece of PVC to straighten out the 8-degree mount. I’m currently printing a mount for my 1” PVC pole mount system on my 3D printer out of PETG to see how it compares to the ABS one that I printed and cracked.

Both methods will work, but cutting the matching 8 degree has to be lined up right when installed to give you 0 degrees. I think the 1' PVC over the 8 degree might be a better option.

This has worked very well for me. It allows me to track my jig all the way from the surface to the bottom. Seen somewhere where a guy used 1' PVC and it fit over the old mount eliminating the need to cut the matching 8 degrees. The LVS 34 mount is a little different so I would probably look into one of the commercial made mounts that would give you 0 degrees plus enough offset to clear the trolling motor.

Looks interesting, haven’t had any kind of problems seeing my jig with my 8 degree offset, but if I do I will try this. Whats the other benefits from changing this?