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to loosen the screws and slide the transducer up or down.) If you
frequently lose bottom signal lock while running at high speed, the
transducer may be coming out of the water as you cross waves or
wakes. Move the transducer a little lower to help prevent this.
If you cruise or fish around lots of structure and cover, your transducer
may be frequently kicking up from object strikes. If you wish, you may
move the transducer a little higher for more protection.
There are two extremes you should avoid. Never let the edge of the
mounting bracket extend below the bottom of the hull. Never let the
bottom – the face – of the transducer rise above the bottom of the hull.
Shoot-thru-hull vs. Transom Mounting
Typically, shoot-thru-hull installations give excellent high speed
operation and good to excellent depth capability. There is no possibility
of damage from floating objects. It can't be knocked off when docking or
loading on the trailer.
However, the shoot-thru-hull installation does have its drawbacks.
First, some loss of sensitivity does occur, even on the best hulls. This
varies from hull to hull, even from different installations on the same
hull. This is caused by differences in hull lay-up and construction.
Second, the transducer angle cannot be adjusted for the best fish
arches. This can be a problem on some hulls that sit with the bow high
when at rest or at slow trolling speeds. Follow the procedure listed in
the shoot-thru-hull installation section at the end of this lesson to
determine if you can satisfactorily shoot through the hull.
TRANSOM TRANSDUCER ASSEMBLY AND MOUNTING
The best way to install the transducer is to loosely assemble all of the
parts first, place the transducer's bracket against the transom and see if
you can move the transducer so that it's parallel with the ground.
1. Assembling the bracket. Press the two small plastic ratchets into the
sides of the metal bracket as shown in the following illustration. Notice
