How to install a fishfinder on an aluminum boat

Otherwise youll need to get a wire fish and start from scratch to. These fishfinder mounting kits come with everything you need to mount and power your fish finder.

Attaching downriggers on a small boat.

How to install a fishfinder on an aluminum boat. This is the easy part of how to install fish finder on aluminum boat. Once you drilled all the holes a run bead of silicone sealant around the base of the binnacle mount and each hole. You will also require put the binnacle in place and before running the bolts through give each a.

In todays video Junior installs a Garmin Striker 4 fish finder on our aluminum jon boat without drilling any hol. How to Install a Fishfinder on a Jon Boat. This video covers the instillation of my fish finders by Bucks Island Marine in Gadsden Alabama.

I used to do this on my own but I always seemed to mess som. If you mount it on the transomstarboard to make up the ledge difference. Just screw right into the transom.

Mark the board drill your holes on the back of the board put a think ring of Life Seal around the screw holes then just attach your transducer to the starboard. Use the Life Seal on that too. Must I drill holes in trasnsom of aluninum boat to install depth finder On my last bass boat an aluminum semi V flat bottom Grumman I attached a piece of white nylon to each side of the transom with bronze bolts and sealer.

I then attached any add on accessories to those. That way I had only four permanent holes. You might want to consider installing a starboard plate use bolts not screws generous with sealant at holes the back of starboard and then seal around the edges.

Once this is installed you can screw your transducer to the board. This will allow you to move or change transducers down the road without having to put new holes in your hull. Position Your Mounting Plate then Make Drill Marks.

To me the best position is at least half an inch from the bottom of the boat. Hold the plate in that position with one hand. Then using a cordless drill and bit make drill marks on your boats transom with the plates mounting holes as your guide.

I wanted to install a fish finder on my old 1957 14 V-bottom aluminum boat but I didnt want to drill any holes in the hull because the hull is in excellence shape. So what I did was make a mounting bracket out of ¾ plywood and mount it. You might have to splice two wires together to get the right length you need when installing a fishfinder on your boat and the neatest way to secure the splice is with shrink tubing.

Once the splice is done and tested pull some shrink tubing over it and seal with a heat gun. You can also use electrical tape but its not as neat. If not and if your boat had an old fishfinder with a transom mount than wont be re-used cut the transducer off the end and use the old wire to draw the new one through the wiring chase.

Otherwise youll need to get a wire fish and start from scratch to. Because permanently installing a transducer to your aluminum boat can often mean puncturing and sealing the hull for installation youll want to be very careful before you make any decisions. In terms of placement of this transducer generally you want to mount it on the transom of the boat ie.

The very back where the hull is flat and away from any place of contact your trailer. For this type of installation of the transducer the boat has to be on land. Never install a thru-hull transducer when the boat is still in the water.

As soon as you have determined the right location for installation of the transducer drill a test hole of approximately 6. I did this moving my transducer between kayaks and aluminum boats for years. Make a small bowl affix to the inside of the bottomw of the hull at the lowest point that will not be affected by air such as near the strakes and fill in with water.

Once you have a solid idea of how you plan to install your fish finder youll need the right hardware. Stainless steel is the way to go because youll need protection from all the elements. Make sure you take the mounts with you so you can ensure you get the right size screws washers and nuts.

Here are the steps that will help you in fitting your fish finder properly. Finding the Perfect Place for the Transducer. This may be the most critical of all the steps in the fish finder installation process.

More often than not a transom mount transducer is very easy to install on to a boat. These fishfinder mounting kits come with everything you need to mount and power your fish finder. The Garmin Echo 150 set up perfectly on my float tube with Float Tube Fanatics Fish Finder mounting system.

Attaching downriggers on a small boat. How about building a box of plywood. Remember you dont want to rely on the fiberglass to take the stress of the downrigger you need to back it up somehow usually with plywood.

When I had an aluminum boat I built plywood boxes and secured them to the gunnal and the center bench seat. Install Terminal Block as Breakout Point. If you get your boats switch panel fully wired more on that here then youll have an easy to install wiring harness coming off pre-installed with heat shrink labels and ring terminals.

This is meant to land on a terminal block like this one. Ensure that you install the inline fuse as close to the battery as possible and keep it on the positive lead. You must choose the correct wire gauge which will help you to have the best vision on the fish finder.

Most boats have only one fuse block but in case there are two you need to connect them accurately.