Yeah, it's more fish finder questions

So, I went and did it.

I got the Garmin EchoMap 54CV and am working on setting it up (hopefully before mid July)...It'll be my first fish finder.

I've been going over old threads and have found a lot of tips and ideas. So far, I've set up my battery box (Pete style) and am pretty happy with how that turned out (thanks Pete!), though my 10aH battery just barely fits in it.
I do have a few questions, or things that I'm a little unsure about, which I'll put in a numbered list below. I'm fairly dextrous but have a pretty limited understanding of electronics and wiring/electricity. This is going in my older Hobie Revo. (no built in transducer space). I'd be grateful to hear  opinions/thoughts about my questions and what I'm planning. Hopefully, if all goes well, I'll share what I ended up doing and how it works out.

1) NMEA cable. I'm assuming I don't need it. I don't have any other devices that it would work with. So, should I just cut the cable kinda short and seal it off? Just fill up the fitting on the head unit with D. grease? Is there anything I'm missing here?

2) Should I cut inline fuse off and rewire so the new "waterproof" fuse holder (see pics) is inside my battery box. Seems like the wisest choice. The fuse holder that came with it is pretty cheesy. Would it be bad to have two fuses? I'm guessing it's just another place for water to possibly infiltrate.

3) This thing came with a big ol' honkin transducer (pics). I was planning to try the foam block and water setup in the front hatch mostly because it's pretty reversible. If that doesn't work I guess I'd try a transducer arm over the side. Any better ideas for dealing with this huge thing? I thought it was going to be pretty big but...damn!

4) Planning to get the Hobie thru hull grommet to run the wires, Any better ideas?

5) Garmin apparently doesn't like Mac/Apple computers for updating firmware but I have always used Macs as they are a standard in my line of work. I can order a SD card for $30.00 from Garmin but am wondering if anyone has come up with a work-around for this. I'm wondering how it would effect the usefulness of other features. I'm guessing not that much.

Still working out the mounting to the kayak part. I'm currently thinking of doing the board that goes along the right side (last pic-from internet search) but maybe a bit longer and attaching the fishfinder beside the seat and downrigger a bit further down towards my knees. rod holder would mount vertically in the mesh pocket on the left side. Hopefully, the transducer in front hatch and battery box in center hatch with velcro to keep it from sliding around.

Pics below and thanks for any help!



 

Think about re-entry when you're mounting components to your hull - it's wise to keep an area clear so you can hop back into your seat from either side without getting snagged up on accessories.

One inline fuse would be sufficient. In the box is best - that way it doesn't get hit by other things around the box when you're loading and unloading. 

Yes, you can cut the NEMA cable if you're sure you're going to keep it for kayaking and not try to sell it later.

Wow - big 'ducer!  I think the thru-hull foam mount is probably the best option since you don't have a plate underneath.  That's a lot of foam, but I think it should work.  Having that transducer hanging over the side is just asking for problems - like snagging surface debris and forgetting it is deployed in shallow water or rocks.

I used to have a Revo.  I found that using a stationary mount for the head unit isn't the best solution for the limited amount of space available on a Revo.  On my OK Tridents, I use a RAM ball and an extension arm so I can keep the head unit outboard just enough to keep it out of my way, or swing it completely inside the cockpit for protection when needed.  I like the ball-and-arm mount the best.

pmmpete is The Master of attaching stuff to Revo's so let's hope he chimes in.

(1) NEMA cable.  I cut mine, then I dab a bit of liquid electrical tape on the cut end, use heat-shrink tubing cut an inch too long over that - the extra length should extend past the end of the cable, then fold that inch back over and secure it all with another piece of shrink tubing.  If water gets in through that, I deserve the headache.  (This isn't an original idea of my own, I read about it here in one of the older fish-finder threads)

My Lowrance unit also has a separate socket for the NEMA cable.  Look to see if Garmin sells a plug to seal the socket.  Lowrance doesn't, so I dabbed some dielectric grease in the socket and sealed it with a bit of Gorilla tape.  (This ones mine!)

(2) I can't see the fuse holder inside the packaging but if you're not sure about it, good, waterproof fuse holders are cheap.  Go for peace of mind.

(3) Someone recently solved the "What do I do with this honking big Garmin transducer?" question but I can't find the thread.  I recall it being a clever solution and worth a Search to find it.

(4) I just used a Wilderness Systems thru-hull wiring kit on my T-13 and I like it a lot more than I like the Hobie thru hull system I used on my T-11 - the WS rubber plug is easier to work with and a lot more substantial - EXCEPT the WS system requires a 1-3/8th inch hole.  I didn't like drilling a hole that big.

(5) No guess on the Apple issue.  Got a friend with a PC?   

The 10AH battery: if you use some Extreme Outdoors Velcro on the battery and the inside of your battery box, there's no need for the padding to hold the battery in position and you can reclaim some space. (Hey! Where'd you find a yellow box, BTW).  Note of caution: I use four, ~1" strips of the Velcro in a cross-hatch pattern (#) to hold the battery, otherwise it's darned close to impossible to get the battery out of the box.  Learned that the hard way.  (The Velcro is another an idea I picked-up here).

Hope any of this helps.  Installing a new fish finder, even on a boat you've had a finder on before, is always a challenge.  Good luck!

Thanks for the replies.

I don't think about re-entry nearly as much as I should so I appreciate that reminder.

I'm thinking the thread about garmin transducers might have been this one: http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=20305.msg214995#msg214995 though I think my transducer is little bigger than his. It was one I had seen before and I overall liked the idea but was just a little unsure about the mess I would make with that much silicone. That and the unpleasantness of trying to remove it later if it didn't work out the way I wanted.

I laid my transducer in this space today and if I back it away from the nose a bit it actually lays in there pretty flat and I think it will still leave enough space in the front hatch for my "crab bucket". I may try the same thing but using vaseline and see how that works.

Thee are a couple of old comments about grease eventually being able to penetrate the transducer and damage it.  I don't know how that's possible, but there were comments.

GOOP marine sealant releases from a kayak hull easily.  Never had a problem getting all the GOOP off when I am replacing an old foam puck.  Just saying.

Maybe using duct seal putty to create a water bath will work for that transducer.  Lots of folks swear by it and it's apparently very easy to remove but I've never used it and can't comment on it.

If you search for fish finder installation threads, there's lots of different ways folks have installed their transducers.  You might want to search the NCKA forum, too.  I think using duct seal putty to create a water bath is even more popular down South.

The closed cell foam puck/Goop combo will work with that puck just fine.  Just gotta use a big piece of foam, and most of a tube of Goop.

Very cool downrigger setup!!

I used the duct seal method shown in this video. It worked well for my sonar/downscan unit. Just top the reservoir with water when you launch, it only needs 1/4" of water in the bottom. Note that side scan will not work in hull.
The transducer was not affected by the duct seal over a 3 year period.

The closed cell foam puck/Goop combo will work with that puck just fine.  Just gotta use a big piece of foam, and most of a tube of Goop.

+1.  I recently installed a Humminbird Helix with an oddly-shaped (but nowhere near as large as the Garmin's) transducer in a foam puck water bath.  I found a soft foam roller made for yoga exercises on Amazon that gives me all the foam I'll ever need for odd-sized transducers - just look for the soft ones because hard foam is... uh, hard to work with.  DAMHIK. 

The closed cell foam puck/Goop combo will work with that puck just fine.  Just gotta use a big piece of foam, and most of a tube of Goop.

+1.  I recently installed a Humminbird Helix with an oddly-shaped (but nowhere near as large as the Garmin's) transducer in a foam puck water bath.  I found a soft foam roller made for yoga exercises on Amazon that gives me all the foam I'll ever need for odd-sized transducers - just look for the soft ones because hard foam is... uh, hard to work with.  DAMHIK.

I find those foam rollers for yoga at the local Goodwill on occasion.  I've got one rolling around in the garage now along with many other chunks of closed cell foam I have found along the way.

Making progress:

Made a mount for the FF and decided to put it close to the seat. Wires go to the back, so (hopefully) out of the way. I know it's a little close, and the danger of elbowing it is fairly high (though I have been sitting in it and kind of like it there + I'm tall, so my elbows are above it. Also toying with the idea of a 1.5" RAM ball mount that would allow some repositioning of the head unit.  Battery is in the rear hatch. Haven't done the transducer yet (too chicken) but I'm planning to give it a try with foam and goop tomorrow.

Not sure about the downrigger. I may wait a bit and see how I like the FF the way I have it. If I do set it up, I'll probably make a larger but similar mount and put it up near the mesh pocket on the right (with rod holder in the left mesh pocket).

Hope to get it set up for the last day of lingcod here (June 15th) and go out and play...

Pics:

Update--

Transducer:
I tried cutting up a foam kneeling pad from the garden store and it was a nightmare. The foam is a little squishy and with the compound curves in the bottom of the kayak because of the length of the transducer, I eventually said screw it and bought a brick of duct seal. Made a well keeping DS clear of the transducer bottom, pinched it closed in a couple of spots, filled it with water and it worked great. It took a whole block of Duct seal to go around that transducer and the walls are a little small and thin in some areas. I've since bought another brick and may add to it. I still need to make a little platform to sit over the transducer so I can continue to put my crab bucket in that hatch. Still want to get a RAM mount for the fishfinder head unit. I think the ability to reposition it slightly might make a huge difference (as I think others have suggested).

Downrigger: Installed a couple of Yak Attack T-tracks that I've had around for a while (one on either side of the cup holder). They have the backing plate that the bolts go directly into (all gooped up). Built a platform out of starboard which tightens down with knobs. Seems pretty sturdy but I'm debating whether or not to add a third support or attachment point (either inside the cup holder or just a "rest" on the outside of the yak--since most of the stress will be downward on that side). I haven't used it yet. Rigged up the downrigger with some paracord backing covered with electrical tape. It's only maybe a half inch or so of thickness but it keeps the line from rubbing on the bottom of the downrigger, which is occurring because of the shortened rod. Oh, and if you're cutting that rod, wear gloves (must be fiberglass)! I made an extra wrap around the pulley/line counter, which someone here suggested at some time to help keep the line from jumping out of the pulley. I was afraid it might get tangled in there but, so far, I haven't seen any evidence that it will be a problem. I know there's a bit of a problem with re-entry in case of a spill but I'm thinking that with that fold down, soft seat on my model revo., I could probably re-enter from that area, or just go across to the other side. Need to do some testing, I suppose. I like the downrigger mounted this way because I can easily remove it to pull crab pots.

Rod Holder: In the one pic, you can see the scotty bracket mounted inside the mesh pocket on the left side. I've got the extender and it seems pretty sturdy and should be tall enough to be out of the way for pedaling. Again, easily stowed for pulling crab pots.

That's it for now. thinking of heading to Bainbridge tomorrow or Friday to give it a test and see if I can entice any of the resident coho in the area to come home with me...

Oh yeah, and that's 80# power pro braid on the downrigger. I have an 8 lb ball, not sure if I wan to to get a six and see how that works. At least for a backup weight in case this one gets lost. What weight ball do most of you like to use from your yak?

Nice looking Andy, sure like that downrigger!
I've got plans to make a wooden mount similar what you've done, mostly because I have the wood and realize it might not last, I just like working with wood.  I will be putting a long single gear track splitting the drink cup from which bolts will come up from the gear track.  I'll have a support piece that goes down to the drink cup that should help reduce strain on the gear tracks.  PMPete laid out a diagram that came pretty close to what I was planning, and a hybrid of both will get a shot.
Good luck at Bainbridge, I tried Pt Defiance Tuesday morning and caught a few shakers and even with jigs, couldn't avoid the dogs. 

Andy,

That looks like a pretty clean setup. Did you make the fish finder base plate?  Have you taken it out on the water for a test ride yet?  When I first mounted my fish finder in my Outback, I tried it close to the seat as you have it, but the first time I had to paddle, I kept hitting the fish finder with my  paddle stroke.  I ended up moving it forward so I wouldn't smack it with the paddle.  If you do any kind of surf entry and exit, you will need to do some paddling.