Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

I have a Garmin 178C GPS/FF. It will serve as both the backup GPS and FF on my new boat.

I already have one thru-hull installed for the primary FF (a raymarine DS600X) and an unused seacock near it. I plan to use that for either a live well and/or stal water washdown.

I don't want another hole drilled into the bottom of my hull.

This leaves me with either a transom mount or in hull. I would rather not go the transom mount. By default this leads me to the in hull solution.

I see the cheapo 600 watt solution or the expensive 1,000 watt solution. I have read great things about the 1k unit, but is seems a little pricey for me right now for me (at least $600).

Has anyone ever installed the 600 watt in hull in a SeaCraft, and if so, what has your expeience been?

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Here's the Airmar B-60 w/Furuno 585.....I love it!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t/IMG_0511.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t/IMG_0514.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t/IMG_0510.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t/DSC00055.jpg

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Peter, forget about the 1000 watt transducer until you get a serious FF. [Think Furuno]

Without pix's of your planned placement of what you have, it's hard to give you a lot of direction.

We could recommend units to buy, but placement is critical with all the stuff you have now.

The Airmar B60 is a very nice unit.

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Warthog5,

Hopefully, I can adequately expalin where I am thinking about putting the in hull ducer.

Right now I have one thru hull to support a raymarine DS600X ff. The thru hull is about 1 foot behind the gas tank, and in front of the closed transom. It is a little off of the keel on the startboard side.

About two feet across from it I have a seacock seup that I plan on using for a livewell.

I was thinking of mounting the in hull somewhere behind the seacock, and in front of the close transom. Hope this helps.

Peter

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Peter-Just for kicks, I sank the transom mount ducer that came with my fishfinder(same raymarine you have)into a nice bed of clear lifeseal next to my keel stringer to see how it would operate. The thing gets tremendous resolution and didn't cost me a nickle extra-except for the lifeseal. A lot of the fishing I'm doing requires a good read in dips, humps, and drop-offs and I have been very happy with this set-up-and pleasantly surprised.

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

I have the B60 in the whaler and it is awful in water deeper than 150ft, may just be mine but I am very disappointed with it.

I also did the silicone to the bottom of my transom mount and shove it in the bilge of the Seacraft and it works flawlessly.

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Thanks guys. You got me thinking (no small achievement). I will let you know which route I go.

If anyone has any other ideas, please send them my way.

Thanks

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

I currently have a transom mount tranducer for my ff and the readings are ok while at rest, but really bad at anything over about 12 knots- I've been thinking about a shoot thru hull Airmar for my 21- maybe I'm confused but I though Peter was asking about a shoot thru not a thru hull but most of the advice and pics were for a thru hull- does anybody currently use a shoot thru on a 21 ?

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

I was asking about a shoot thru.

Pair of jacks,what kind of ff are yout hinking about hooking up the shoot thru to?

I was thinking of giving airmar a call and asking them their opinion

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

I was looking at the Furuno 585 or the 620- the 585 is bigger (I think 8" vs. 6") and they are both the new digital ff's- I've heard good things about them- I currently have a Furuno ls6000 monochrome from 2000- it works but I'm ready for color and a dual 50/200 unit

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

FWIW, the Airmar P79 in hull uses exactly the same elements as the standard P66 transom mount. If you already have one you can easily use that in your bilge.

The practical side of me says that since this is just a backup unit, wait until the boat is in the water and see how it performs in a wet bilge. Then decide if you want to glue/epoxy/caulk it in there.

I used the P66 in a homemade PVC reservoir and it worked well, but I had problems with long term adhesion to the hull. No combination of recommended caulk/reservoirs filler seemed to last more than a few months. Anyway - the last time the unit came loose on the water I simply left the transducer in the bilge with a little water.

It worked surprisingly well like that, 'though it would sometimes topple onto its side in rough water. Except when it toppled over, I could not see any difference in performance. I used it that way for 1 ½ seasons. Eventually I went with the thru hull that Warthog showed because I wanted temp and a permanent installation.

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Good point Roger (about trying it out once before sealing it in)

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Hi Peter-

Just a thought here....

Why the back-up fish finder? If there is one piece of electronics I consider to be dispensable it is the fish finder, I want two GPS units and a second VHF, but a second FF is extra to me, I can live without.

So, how about upgrading the fishfinder to a 585 unit and put a new TD in where you already have one? Just a thought...

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Hooper,

I already own a Raymarine DS600X. I have owned Furnuno's, and for the money the Raymarine is not too bad.

Also, I already own the Garmin 178C. I want to use the Garmin 178C FF capabilities as a backup to the Raymarine.

If I was starting from scratch, I would consider a Furano.

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

What Furuno model? Do you run your unit's in manual mode or Auto?

Auto uses filters and stuff can be missed. I ALWAYs use Manual mode. Hence the need for knobs to make quick adjustments and no Stupid menus to jump thru.

[QUOTE]
I was thinking of mounting the in hull somewhere behind the seacock,]/quote]

Not a good idea. The scoop on the seacock will create bubbles. the bubble will screw up the pix. I bet you would only get a decent pix with the boat dead still.

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Very good point. After i wrote it I started to think that maybe it is not such a good idea to install an in hull behind the seacock.

After this stupid snow melts, I will take a good look to see what my in hull location options are.

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Peter, what did you finally decide to do with our transducer?

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Hooper,

OK, here's the deal.

I have three FF setups.

First, I have a Raymarine DS600X ff. It is connected to the thru hull transducer setup that the previous owner put in for an old raymarine mono 750L setup. I went with the DS600X because it was the best FF that could work with the current thru hull setup. I am quite happy with the DS600X.

Second, I bought a used Furuno 1850DF GPS NT. I have the GPS setup working, but not the FF. My plans are to drill a hole in my aluminum flotaiton bracket and install a Furuno 525 transom mount ducer.

Lastly, for the Garmin 178C I have bought the Airmar P79 in hull. I found a place about 2 feet behind the Seacock where I will try to install it. My only issue may be that it can be pretty wet down there. We will see.

Peter

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

DO NOT do that.

It might work when the boat is sitting still in the water and that's it. Water turbulence!

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Wait a minute, are you saying that I can't/should not do a transom mount ducer with a flotation bracket, becuase you believe that there will be a lot of water turbulance?

I was planning on drilling through the top side of the bracket so that I could mount the ducer at the bottom of the 2nd chine (I can't do it by the keel becasue it is a full mount flotation bracket).

Re: Airmar In hull transducers - 600 Watts
 

Let's make sure we are on the same page here.

If you have a bracket like this.


http://www.classicmako.com/projects/...s/bracket4.jpg

Do Not mount the X-ducer in it. Water roll's up and is disturbed in that area. You will only get a decent pix when the boat is at rest.


Sorry, I reread. You want to mount a transom mount X-ducer. You can do that, but it sure looks bad with the cable run all around the bracket.

Why don't you mount a B-60 thru hull like reelescape1 showed in the first place?

It's a nice unit, works VERY well and makes a clean install. I've put 2 of them in different boats.