Confession, sort of!

[SeaDooDavid]

Hi guys

 

Thought I would give a run down on my mastic mounted transducer in the yak, for anybody who may be considering using this method!.

 

Basically, I installed my transducer by squidging a LARGE blob of mastic (normal cheapie stuff!) onto the floor of the yak, squidging it down, spreading it around the top of the ducer a bit to make it secure and then weighting it down until it dried (24 hours at least). This all went swimmingly well and the picture on the finder was second to none!. This was just over a year ago and it has just come loose!. I followed the advice off someone from here and cut the bottom off a whole tube! a bit wasteful but has NO bubbles in at all!!!.

 

Not bad I thought considering it has lasted a year and worked VERY reliably indeed. I noticed a drop in picture quality immediately and checked when I got home. When I tugged gently on the ducer, you could feel it give!. So I peeled it off Sccccchhhhhhhhhlop and off it came!. Then it was time to pick off the mastic :(that was the worst bit and it took AGES! but all came off cleanly without ANY scratches etc!.)

 

I have re-installed using the same method only with a bigger blob and a bit longer curing time (48hrs) and tried it today~~~Superb!.

 

Just thought I would let anybody know who is contemplating using this method of the longevity of this method (about a year I would say) and reckon these are the pros / cons of such a method:

 

Pros

Non permanent

VERY easy to do without the worry of error (peel off, do again!)

Easy to remove with no damage at all

Perfect picture

will flex with hull

 

Cons

Stinks to high heaven when curing (pungent chemical smell)

easy to remove but a bit time consuming (took about an hour of constant picking / rubbing)

will work loose after about a year (my newer, sturdier attempt may last longer!)

48 hour wait until yak is ready (yep 48 hours no yakking, fret, fret ha ha)

 

Thought I would be honest and look at cons as well as pros so anyone can evaluate which method they prefer!. Anybody got similar stories of other methods? (epoxy, vaseline / water method etc)

 

Cheers

 

SDD~~~~~~~

[finn17]

Hmmm...interesting post.

 

Can you enlarge a bit about the mastic you used as there seems to be a gazillion types available.

 

Cheers...

 

Steve

[SeaDooDavid]

Hmmm...interesting post.

 

Can you enlarge a bit about the mastic you used as there seems to be a gazillion types available.

 

Cheers...

 

Steve

 

Hi Steve

 

I used the cheap, clear bathroom mastic available at every hardware type place / B&Q etc. Not marine specific or any kind of fancy stuff, just the plain old bathroom stuff!! I tried this deliberately expecting it to come off in a matter of days but it didn't!! I suppose if you use a marine quality type (chandlers) or the goop brand stuff then you would get a lot longer sticking period I suppose. It only cost me 99p a tube ha ha so no loss after a full year good quality finder pictures!

 

Cheers

 

SDD~~~~~

[finn17]

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!

[richi]

done the same with Sikaflex adhesive sealant, works perfect, probably a bit more permanent than normal mastic

[SeaDooDavid]

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!

 

Ha ha Finn17 thats what I thought about admitting I used cheapo stuff, but thought I would be honest so people would get a fair evaluation!

 

Richi

I will try sikaflex next time (next year?)

 

Let us know how it fair sup pal!

 

SDD~~~~~~

[yakerbass]

Hi guys

 

Thought I would give a run down on my mastic mounted transducer in the yak, for anybody who may be considering using this method!.

 

Basically, I installed my transducer by squidging a LARGE blob of mastic (normal cheapie stuff!) onto the floor of the yak, squidging it down, spreading it around the top of the ducer a bit to make it secure and then weighting it down until it dried (24 hours at least). This all went swimmingly well and the picture on the finder was second to none!. This was just over a year ago and it has just come loose!. I followed the advice off someone from here and cut the bottom off a whole tube! a bit wasteful but has NO bubbles in at all!!!.

 

Not bad I thought considering it has lasted a year and worked VERY reliably indeed. I noticed a drop in picture quality immediately and checked when I got home. When I tugged gently on the ducer, you could feel it give!. So I peeled it off Sccccchhhhhhhhhlop and off it came!. Then it was time to pick off the mastic :(that was the worst bit and it took AGES! but all came off cleanly without ANY scratches etc!.)

 

I have re-installed using the same method only with a bigger blob and a bit longer curing time (48hrs) and tried it today~~~Superb!.

 

Just thought I would let anybody know who is contemplating using this method of the longevity of this method (about a year I would say) and reckon these are the pros / cons of such a method:

 

Pros

Non permanent

VERY easy to do without the worry of error (peel off, do again!)

Easy to remove with no damage at all

Perfect picture

will flex with hull

 

Cons

Stinks to high heaven when curing (pungent chemical smell)

easy to remove but a bit time consuming (took about an hour of constant picking / rubbing)

will work loose after about a year (my newer, sturdier attempt may last longer!)

48 hour wait until yak is ready (yep 48 hours no yakking, fret, fret ha ha)

 

Thought I would be honest and look at cons as well as pros so anyone can evaluate which method they prefer!. Anybody got similar stories of other methods? (epoxy, vaseline / water method etc)

 

Cheers

 

SDD~~~~~~~

 

Thanks for that post sdd, most helpful

[spanner]

My original installation was with Devcon epoxy. Worked great for 14 months but it peeled off on the drive down to the recent tope meet in Wales. Maybe a combination of 8hrs on the road and the heat but where it came off was 'tacky'. The epoxy was mixed properly as it came from a dual tube dispenser.

 

As a quick fix I used some marine silicon adhesive that Starvin gave to me. It lasted 3 days and fell off on the fourth. Howver, it got a whole 10mins curing time before I set out on the water on the 1st day.

 

Now I've used Richi's method, ct the bottom off a small Klip-It tub that is just the right size for thetransducer and fixed that with Devcon again. The tranducer cable passes through a small hole in the lid and has a piece of foam on thelid to maintai contact with thehull. I also fill it water. So far so good, and it seems to work just as well, but I have only had it shallow water so far, 90ft max.

 

At least this way it is easy to re-glue the tub, if and when the epoxy gives up, and silcone/duct tape will always provide a basic backup.

[codshead]

I used a marine mastic sealant to fix my transducer , it was crap, terrible picture, unreliable depth read out and came off first time out. Changed to epoxy adhesive, works great now. In the handbook it tells you not to use silicone based adhesive's . It may be down to different models , cos I know a few of you use silicone, and have no trouble, I run a Cuda 128 , which in reality is only an entry level sounder, so it may have something to do with the qaulity of components used.

[finn17]

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...