by David Peck » Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:32 am
Hi Michiel,
All Dennis has said is correct. However, I fitted my transducer in the bows just in front of the water tank. The reasons for this location were as follows;
1. The bows of the boat reach the shallows first (but not always!) and enable you to slowly nudge into/over sandbanks. Where I sail (Thames Estuary) the water is very shallow and muddy – you cannot see the bottom in depths as low as 100mm!
2. This location is well away from any electrical interference from the engine.
3. The location is above the level of the bottom of the skeg where excessive water collection could rise above the tube and float the oil out to the surface. This amount of water collection is, however, unlikely unless you leave your boat afloat unattended for long periods of time. The echo sounder would still work as any liquid (including water) will act as an acoustic coupling between the transducer and the hull but oil will not evaporate away.
The installation is, of course, more difficult as you have to feed the wire through more bulkheads. Incidentally, if you do not want to become addicted to “chewing gum” you can use Plasticine to find a suitable location on the hull surface.
It should be noted that echo sounders do not work much below 1 metre! This is really annoying in very shallow water! Nassa Marine is supposed to be working on an improved version but so far, have not introduced anything.
Regards
David Peck
CC94 Whisting Rufus