Back with another transducer question

tbeatm

Member
Sent my chartplotter/fish finder to navico to hopefully get an unrelated software bug fixed, so I have been puttering around my boat, which leads to this thread...

Happy with my Airmar 165HW transducer overall, but looking at where I installed it, which seems to be the best spot for it for least amount of turbulence/noise from under the hull; wondering if I should shim something in there so its actually straight?

1719260294010.jpeg1719260351415.jpeg
I held a straight edge to show you what I mean, hope that description makes sense. (First picture shows straight edge from engine/middle of transom, second photo shows straight edge from the angled part where the transducer is installed below my hand).

I know sonar isn't the be all end all, half the fish I catch has nothing on the screen, but now that I have seen it I can't unsee it. Just wondering what others would do, if anything. Thanks!
 
Sent my chartplotter/fish finder to navico to hopefully get an unrelated software bug fixed, so I have been puttering around my boat, which leads to this thread...

Happy with my Airmar 165HW transducer overall, but looking at where I installed it, which seems to be the best spot for it for least amount of turbulence/noise from under the hull; wondering if I should shim something in there so its actually straight?

View attachment 107565View attachment 107566
I held a straight edge to show you what I mean, hope that description makes sense. (First picture shows straight edge from engine/middle of transom, second photo shows straight edge from the angled part where the transducer is installed below my hand).

I know sonar isn't the be all end all, half the fish I catch has nothing on the screen, but now that I have seen it I can't unsee it. Just wondering what others would do, if anything. Thanks!
If it was me I wouldn't worry about it..
 
Sent my chartplotter/fish finder to navico to hopefully get an unrelated software bug fixed, so I have been puttering around my boat, which leads to this thread...

Happy with my Airmar 165HW transducer overall, but looking at where I installed it, which seems to be the best spot for it for least amount of turbulence/noise from under the hull; wondering if I should shim something in there so its actually straight?

View attachment 107565View attachment 107566
I held a straight edge to show you what I mean, hope that description makes sense. (First picture shows straight edge from engine/middle of transom, second photo shows straight edge from the angled part where the transducer is installed below my hand).

I know sonar isn't the be all end all, half the fish I catch has nothing on the screen, but now that I have seen it I can't unsee it. Just wondering what others would do, if anything. Thanks!
What were you running before this ?
 
X5

my buddy has a transducer that mounts to his bow that he can rotate and see what’s out there at all angles. boggles my simple mind

a few degree off isn’t gonna make a lick of difference. ultimately you just want to find bait and the bottom.
 
X5

my buddy has a transducer that mounts to his bow that he can rotate and see what’s out there at all angles. boggles my simple mind

a few degree off isn’t gonna make a lick of difference. ultimately you just want to find bait and the bottom.
Yeah I didn't end up changing it, between the new transducer and getting that elite fs7 unit replaced by lowrance, its a whole new world down on the screen. Definitely something wrong with the lemon I had before, shipped it off to Edmonton and they sent me a new one back the same week after some initial testing, pretty good customer service on their end.
 
Definitely not an expert, just a fishing bum with a boat and have played with transducer location for a while. Biggest issue I face is getting rid of turbulence across the transducer. The height relative to the bottom of the hull, and the angle of the transducer relative to 'level with the world' are the critical factors. Just slightly below the hull, and angled slightly downward toward the back of the transducer works best for me. Avoids as much of the turbulence influence as possible. The result is that my sonar is shooting on an angle slightly forward of the boat. Exactly how much? Dunno. Doesn't really matter. I'd rather have the depth reading a bit forward anyway.

The only thing I'd worry about with your angled mount (angled away from the centerline of the hull), is turbulence.
 
Good indicator of level is what the fish arches look like. Ideally the fish arches look like upside down bananas. If you've only got the front of the arches or the back your angle is off.
 
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