Transducer placement for a 1978 18'

KOS · #1 07-19-2010, 07:58 PM

I'm trying to determine the best place to mount a transducer on the transom of my 18' seacraft. What location has worked well for others? I'm concerned that the strakes may cause turbulence and I would hate to have to re drill holes in a new transom. How far do I need to be from the strakes and prop to be clear of any turbulence that might cause interference?
Thank you.

uncleboo · #2 07-20-2010, 04:49 PM

I will take a picture and some measurements on mine tonite. I put the ducer for my Garmin 541s in, basically, the same place the old depthfinder was and haven't had any problems. There is some spray coming from it, but, not causing any problems.

uncleboo · #3 07-22-2010, 09:13 AM

Mine is mounted 20" from the centerline of the keel to the centerline of the transducer. I followed the instructions regarding the height at the bottom of the hull.

RS · #4 07-22-2010, 10:50 AM

Uncleboo's might be in a great spot, but the only way to know what will work for your boat is to have someone run the boat while you look over the transom for clean water .

One thing that messes with a good installation is the splash back from the lower unit. It differs for different motors and motor heights.

KOS · #5 07-22-2010, 08:56 PM

Thanks for the picture and advice. I picked up the Garmin 441S and it comes with the same transducer in the picture above. I was hoping to mount it about 6 inchs to the left of where you mounted yours but that may be too close to the strake. Good idea to try and take a look at the general area while running the boat.

sidelock · #6 07-06-2018, 08:28 AM

I just picked up a Garmin Chirp 74 SV for my 18 SF that came with a CV51M-TM transducer and was wondering if any special consideration should be given with regards to mounting location because of the side scanning feature.
Is the location in uncleboo's picture the best place to mount it or is there a better location for my specific transducer ?

uncleboo · #7 07-06-2018, 11:39 AM

Sidelock, I've been looking at those. Can you give me the dimensions? I want to flush mount it in the instrument panel, but, don't know if there's room. Looked online for dimensions but couldn't find them. Thanks.

sidelock · #8 07-06-2018, 06:10 PM

If you have the original console it will not fit. It requires a 9 1/8'' X 4 15/16'' cut out and the overall dimensions are 9 3/4'' X 5 1/2''.
I removed my windshield when i got the boat and run without it so I'm mounting mine on top of the acrylic visor with a 1/4'' aluminum plate on the underside of the visor for extra rigidity. I just hate having to drill a 1'' hole in the console to route the transducer wire.

uncleboo · #9 07-09-2018, 02:17 PM

Thanks for the reply. I got the dimensions on a 64cv and it will fit. Will be tight, but, will work. My last one, 541s, started blanking out in the heat. I was determined to flush mount the next one.

sidelock · #10 07-09-2018, 08:28 PM

Don't forget to take the plugs coming out of the back of the unit into account. They stick out quite a bit !