Transducer On A Jet Boat?

[LittleRedFisherman]

Just curious...why do you want it at the steering wheel? Can't imagine using it as a navigational aid on a jetboat. Mine is on the trolling motor, no problems to deal with.

It is a great navigational aid finding mdc brush piles by gps coordinates, following contours and finding channel swings. Some things I want to find going faster than the trolling motor will go. Its nice to jet up to a brush pile dead in my sights at 45 mph.

Yeah, in a perfect world i'd have 2, one at the console, other at the moter, maybe eventually...lol Like DD, i'm going to use it to find brushpiles and such for crappie, and maybe even some catfish holes here in the Delta. The only thing I may use it for on Ozark rivers is perhaps trying to locate some deep walleye. Or if I find a good smallmouth spot I might mark a waypoint. However I usually remember places like that visually..

DD, if I ever did go with one in the front trolling moter, wouldn't SI be the way to go there?

[duckydoty]

I like the si at the console more for locating what I want to spend some time on. When I get to the spot I usually change screens to di and sure fire screens so I can see my jig in the brush and fish coming up to the jig. I like the idea of the 360 up front though.

[Al Agnew]

Okay, makes sense...I just fish lakes and such so seldom that I don't think about that stuff. Mine gets used mainly when the water is a little murky on the river when I'm winter fishing, and then it helps me find rises and drop-offs that I know are there but can't pinpoint otherwise. Heck, I use mine more as a temperature gauge!

[Seth]

Al, I bought a Humminbird 998 SI last spring and it really shined when finding brush piles for crappie and graphing spoonbill during snagging season. However, after spring was over and I switched over to river bass fishing, I flipped up the transducer due to low river levels and used it as more of a mapping system. When the water get's really low like that, it's handy to be able to mark a waypoint with a little note to remind you which part of the river to take. Besides that, side imaging and sonar in general doesn't serve much purpose on small rivers for me.

[jdmidwest]

Lets dig this one up again many years later.

I am going to mount a Lowrance Hook 2 9" unit on my jet boat for use mainly in lakes when I drag the boat along for dual purpose.  River use of the electronics is limited.  Nice to see the structure under while fishing rivers.  Even better using the gps and track to navigate up and down the river.  I normally run up and fish back down.  If I made it up on a run without banging something, going down the same path should be fine.

I kept with the simple small transducer unit on purpose, they take alot of abuse on river boats.  We normally "rub" them off while drift fishing and not watching the back while hitting stuff.  Normally don't even notice the damage till we start running and see the thing flopping around at the end of its cord off the back of the boat. 

Looking for a mount that is more flexible, protected, or somewhat improved.  Any new ideas??

[mchadpayne]

On 12/29/2020 at 7:38 PM, jdmidwest said:

Lets dig this one up again many years later.

I am going to mount a Lowrance Hook 2 9" unit on my jet boat for use mainly in lakes when I drag the boat along for dual purpose.  River use of the electronics is limited.  Nice to see the structure under while fishing rivers.  Even better using the gps and track to navigate up and down the river.  I normally run up and fish back down.  If I made it up on a run without banging something, going down the same path should be fine.

I kept with the simple small transducer unit on purpose, they take alot of abuse on river boats.  We normally "rub" them off while drift fishing and not watching the back while hitting stuff.  Normally don't even notice the damage till we start running and see the thing flopping around at the end of its cord off the back of the boat. 

Looking for a mount that is more flexible, protected, or somewhat improved.  Any new ideas??

I am in the same position. I'm going to a topwater Jet and primary target crappie in lakes but love the Arkansas rivers. I have a helix 10 for the back that I want on a removable mount. I do not want the transducer on the boat in the river. I have looked at fishfindermounts and they have a magnet and a pole that I am thinking about trying. I just don't want to take a chance on destroying a $400 transducer in the river.

[jdmidwest]

9 hours ago, mchadpayne said:

I am in the same position. I'm going to a topwater Jet and primary target crappie in lakes but love the Arkansas rivers. I have a helix 10 for the back that I want on a removable mount. I do not want the transducer on the boat in the river. I have looked at fishfindermounts and they have a magnet and a pole that I am thinking about trying. I just don't want to take a chance on destroying a $400 transducer in the river.

I went with a cheaper unit and smaller transducer to cut down on losses.  Mounted a thick piece of white cutting board to the hull to attach the mount to.  May tear screws out before it gets into the transducer.

I might want to look at the magnet option.  I don't really need to see the sonar while running at plane, so I can mount high.  But I need something to protect it while drifting.  The get knocked around on stuff like that.  Need to make a little roll cage around it.

[LittleRedFisherman]

12 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

I went with a cheaper unit and smaller transducer to cut down on losses.  Mounted a thick piece of white cutting board to the hull to attach the mount to.  May tear screws out before it gets into the transducer.

I might want to look at the magnet option.  I don't really need to see the sonar while running at plane, so I can mount high.  But I need something to protect it while drifting.  The get knocked around on stuff like that.  Need to make a little roll cage around it.

Since I’ve posted this I’ve since got a newer blazer a couple years ago and had a mount welded on the boat in the back from the dealer who built it.  If it did rip it wouldn’t compromise the hull as far as leaking.  I still have a side scan mounted back there with that huge transducer as I fish lakes as well as run rivers with the boat.  So far I’ve yet to have any damage to that thing other than a lab I had one time chew the wire into in my driveway 🤦🏻    On my old boat I did use the cutting board idea you mentioned to mount it in the old boat.  
I just try to be aware of my surroundings when I fish and drifting backwards so far so good but It will happen one day probably and will see the transducer dangling back there 

[gotmuddy]

I am not sure where I am gonna mount one...I am afraid to drill holes in my hull hah

[BilletHead]

           I have shared this with you guys before. Two options. One is to get a old Junker transom trolling motor mount. Cut off each end. Transducer on bottom.  Zip tie cable up the shaft. When you are running in a dicey spot tip and lock shaft up. You can adjust shaft depth too easy. Only drawback is you may get some spray since your transducer has some space between it and the back of boat. No big deal.

   Second is what I do now. Have some para cord on transducer. Pop it out of locked position and tie it up when needed. Still have busted a couple brackets bumping into stuff but have not destroyed transducer.