finn17

Good info...Thanks!

It's encouraging to know that they are on the ball, but wouldn't informing them of every kayak launch and landing be a bit excessive???

I wish! There is a row of garages under those particular floor tiles, so it must be picking up cars...???

Well, the plan was, to whack it on when I am near my mark and take it off as soon as I have finished fishing. The transducer would be stowed safely away before I started heading for shallow waters. The big advantage I see in a kayak over a boat with regard to this sort of suction mount is the ability to pop the transducer on and off whilst out on the water.

The fishfinder was £149 quid, which I thought was a bit of a steal for a colour, dual beam instrument. The Portable kit consists of the box and wiring, mounts for the fishfinder, an 8 D cell battery holder (no batteries) and a suction cup mount for the original transducer. The transducer and wires all store in the case for transport. That was £40. I bought both from www.marinescene.co.uk

This stuff is so useful to a newbie....ie me... Is there anyway that this could be a 'sticky' or something? I've logged all this into my 'favourites' but another well-meaning, ill-informed newbie will be along in a moment or so:D

Thanks for the advice...

Do you find the suction cup is up to the job? That's my main doubt about this particular set-up. Don't worry, this will be securely clipped to my yak....

I posted this in another thread but thought it warranted it's own discussion place.. I am new to the sport but was very attracted by the idea of deploying a fishfinder on a kayak. I bought a Garmin 160C and looked into all the articles about powering, transducer mounting etc.... I then discovered that Garmin do a portable option..here's mine: It comes as a mounting station with an 8 'D' cell battery facility, ..12V Gell cell can also be used. As a part of the kit is a transducer mount linked to a suction cup. The transducer and cable all fits into the casing when not in use. Great for those with multiiple yaks or who need a portable device??? Sorry if this is stale news..I did do a search first..

I haven't tested this yet...but this seemed to be a viable alternative to permanent mounting. It's a Garmin 160 with the optional extra of a portable kit. The box will contain the transducer and cable..which is attached to a suction cup..and incorporates either 8 D cell batteries or a 12V Gell Cell. Tell you what it performs like when I get a chance to test it...

A very compelling argument...Good luck Mark...keep us up to date!

I'm not an expert, but the thought of a two year old, or even a four year old, as a passenger in a SOT fills me with dread. I am sure a more seasoned person can give you more helpful advice..... On a more helpful note, I looked at a Prowler 13/15 and eventually ended up with a Tarpon 140 Angler. Very impressed so far. My choice was made more by availability more than preference however. I don't think you will easily find these yaks discounted from new as it appears demand can't keep up with supply...you may be lucky with a second-hand one however. EBay has a selection....

That's amazing... A problem I never knew even existed.... Presumably you'd have to keep the two separate...*snigger* ... the average mackerel might find a new lease of life if you inadvertently tried to force him into your poop tube....

I can't remember the exact technical reasons...I will post again later if I do... But, the lubrication it provides tends to be temporary and worse, it will disolve certain greases. Now fishing reels need to be both oiled and greased, at certain points, there is no substitute for thin machine oil or proper grease and WD40 will wash both of these away. It also reacts badly with neoprene, rubber and wood. Wood shouldn't be a problem for the average yakker but .....It's also highly flammable as most young boys have discovered... It's great stuff, it's water repellent qualities are superb, but it is no substitute for proper lubrication.... Rumour has it that it is a first class fish attractant and I have seen several people spray their baits with the stuff.. @Ped: aren't we talking about fixed spool? I certainly was..

That looks intriguing... You could presumably also design it to carry kit initially as well....?

Shimano's have a great reputation. I have been using them for years. I also swear by Abu, so I am surprised to hear of your difficulties. I wouldn't dream of doing a full strip down after each trip, but I always do an 'easy' disassembly and drop into a bucket of freshwater...give all the bits a good swirl and then put them under a running tap. I tend to be quite liberal with the maintenance sprays as well, but be careful with WD40 as it can cause as many problems as it solves. Great at repelling water but not an ideal lubricant.

Ah...I thought that was what you meant...but thought I'd probably look a fool if I said as much I have just bought Garmin 160C and may well give your method a try. Ta!

Thanks for the advice everyone. ..

Hmmm...interesting post. Can you enlarge a bit about the mastic you used as there seems to be a gazillion types available. Cheers... Steve

It came today, a nice patriotic red, white and blue one It is certainly a quality piece of kit from what I can see. I won't be fitting it for a week or two as it involves drilling holes in my new yak and, although I am happy to do that, I want to double check everything first and ensure my yak is okay before I potentially invalidate the warranty.

Bloody luxury! Some of us have to work 26 hours a day 8 days a week!!!

Ahhhh.... SDD you should have ended your statement with question marks as opposed to exclamation marks??? I think I misunderstood..this is a question and not a statement? Well, to be honest...if I knew the answer, which I don't...I wouldn't post it on a public forum....

Am I being overly dense, or is this post lacking a photo/link or something???

I've got a Garmin 160C but I have just ordered the 'portable' kit. It uses 8 'D' batteries which must have a bigger mass than that of a small motorcycle battery!!! At least it will allow me to move it from boat to boat however... I was contemplating making a small(ish) kayak friendly power unit with ..perhaps the possibility of a solar charge...fitted into a waterproof box with cigar lighter sockets for easy plug-in of accessories..I still think I am on the right path, but need to re-think my components.

Thanks SDD! I will certainly give it a try...I suspect I could probably run a 12V out-board as well though, so perhaps I wont have to paddle at all?