Installing a Sounder
by Gavin C.
| Materials and Tools |
|---|
| 1 metre of 50mm velcro (I bought 2 metres just in case) |
| 1 x 3amp in-line fuse |
| cable wrap (spiral) |
| cable shrink wrap |
| length of red and black 5amp wire |
| soldering wire & soldering iron |
| power cable connections |
| "Gel Bond" or similar glue |
| "Stanley" knife |
| some foam rubber (approx 25 - 30 mm thick) |
| sandpaper |
The Sounder
The sounder I purchased is a Lowrance X49 from Springwood Marine.
My main concern was trying to minimise -- or avoid all together -- drilling holes in the hull, or permanently gluing the transducer to the hull. I achieved this through using good old velcro. Read on!
The Transducer
The transducer is secured inside the hull directly below the compass mount and accessible through the small middle hatch.
I have cut a piece of foam rubber to fit the transducer so it will sit snug on the hull and is also able to be removed.
Inside the hull I glued (using Gel Bond purchased from Coles) the hook half of the velcro to the bottom. I have glued it such that the transducer can sit in the middle. Before gluing I roughed the surface with some sandpaper.
Then it's a simple case of velcroing the piece of foam rubber containing transducer to the hull and ensuring it's reasonably level and flat.
The Display Unit
The display unit was a similar issue. I glued down two long strips of the hook velcro across the compass mount and a second smaller piece on the hatch cover and just behind the seat for the cables to be secured.
The display unit is secured (not 100% firmly but enough for kayaking) to the hull.
The Cables
The next issue was what to do with the cables. Once again I was not happy about drilling more holes into my hull. To take it through the hull would mean a 19mm hole to allow for the plugs. That's a big hole to plug. I toyed with taking them through the hatch cover but wasn't happy about that either. I realised I had a rod holder set into the hull which I did not use often. This was my answer.
I cut the lower part of the holder off which allowed the cables to go through easily. I cut another piece of foam rubber to fit into the rod holder, drill a hole in the middle and cut a slit in it to put the cables through.
Once this is inserted into the rod holder it compresses and acts as a plug. It may not be 100% water proof but it will keep most of the water out.
The Battery
The unit is powered by a recycled security system battery. I recharge it with a normal 12V battery charger.
For the battery I found an old bumbag and placed it inside, secured the power leads, zipped it up and secured it to the rear scupper tubes with the belt clip.
and finally...
To finish it off, I cut a slot into the foam rubber seat so the cables are protected. The transducer can be secured and left inside the hull with the cables for transport to the water. From start to power up it took me 4min 20sec first run.
and.........IT WORKS!
