Hi All,I just purchased a Lowrance...

[Remnant]

Hi All,

I just purchased a Lowrance hook2 fishfinder. It has a new transducer. I have 86 Sundancer with swimboard.

Anybody know the best placement for the transducer? There is an old Garmin gps and another fishfinder over ten years old. Is it best to remove old wiring and just install from scratch?

(Or just call a professional)

[wingless]

Follow the instructions for the transducer and for the instrument.

Important points are placement to ensure good water flow, wiring routing to avoid electrical interference and proper filling if the hull is cored.

There are very few "professional" installers whose posted work images look acceptable to me.

[Remnant]

Thanks, should I remove the old wiring and transducer??Not sure what you mean by filling or if that model has a cord hull.

[wingless]

This document has information on fiberglass repairs, including drilling a hole in a cored hull and patching a large hole, such as for a transducer.

https://www.westsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/Fiberglass-Manual-2015.pdf

Note that the absolute BEST option is to reuse the existing transducer hole. Use the existing hole, even if a different transducer must be purchased.

The second best option is to leave the existing transducer in-place, even if it isn't being used, w/ an additional transducer placed in a proper location.

The last option is to hire an experienced fiberglass person to remove and properly patch the existing transducer hole. This is a safety critical operation that MUST be properly implemented because the boat could sink in a blink if that repair fails.

[Remnant]

Thank you Wingless, I'm always amazed at your knowledge on all these subjects and others! Well done.

[tolatron]

I have always mounted mine inside the boat. I glue (epoxy) the transducer w temp to the inside of the hull. Works perfectly and never had any issues.

[Remnant]

I know there are two views on the hull placement, you doing the shoit through method. Some swear some water has to pass over the transducer. I prefer yours if it works well. What kind of boat are you in and does it work well at higher speeds?
Thanks for the information.

[Kevin7]

I recently installed one using the Sternmate no-drill system - it works very well. The website gives good directions on where/how to best mount. http://www.sternmate.com/

[Remnant]

Thanks, I was just reading about that. I'm going to check that out as a possibility. I'm trying to do this without taking out of the water and some are placed in the hull , seems to be some question of how much heat they produce and if they must be in the water???

[Kevin7]

I don't think they need to be in water because of heat, but because they need the contact for the sonar to work.  I did have mine out of the water for the installation, and I've bounced all the way across Lake Michigan and back with no problems, so I can vouch for the strength of the Stern Mate.  Good luck!

[Remnant]

Thanks!

[tolatron]

Shoot through the hull installs. I have done this on several boats, from a 23 ft open bow to my 300 Sundancer. All worked well at speed. In fact in my opinion worked better then stern mounts. Always had clear water and never let me down.

[Kevin7]

I believe the install depends on the transducer type.  Remnant received a new transducer with his fishfinder.  Unless it is specifically made to be a thru-hull model, I thought it had to be installed externally.  But maybe I'm wrong.