One for the Machinists, Metalurgists, Scienctists or those who just know

[Bigscot]

I am wanting to mount a depth finder on an aluminum john boat but don't like the idea of drilling holes below the water line to mount the transducer. I picked up some aluminum epoxy putty and am planning on epoxying a piece of aluminum square tubing to the stern and then mounting the transducer. My question is does anyone have any experience with this putty? Will this work? Is something better to use? Or is there a better way to do this?

Thanks,

Bigscot

[yondering]

Not much experience here with boats or depth finders, but I do know there are some very good epoxies available now, designed for use on aluminum. Check the McMaster-Carr catalog online. We use some green stuff (which you probably can't get, it's industrial stuff) to bond aluminum pieces on the cabs of our semi trucks. Done right you shouldn't have any issues.

Edited to add- surface prep is at least as important as the epoxy itself! Also, most of these epoxies or acrylics are removable with the application of heat.

[Tomhorn]

I used to fish the Northwest Territories in Canada a lot and made a removable mount that I just attached to the stern of the boat as it was not my boat. another nice thing about it I could raise the transducer up out of water when we got into shallow rocky areas.:drinks:

Mark

[Old Ironsights]

No experience at all. OTOH, here is a good trick:

Epoxy your transducer mount... BUT - drill a small hole in the mount and attach a teather line from it to an above-waterline hardpoint. That way if it DOES break off you don't lose the fool thing.

Old-Skool Military Laynard training..... doncha know.

[redneckdan]

JB weld will work, biggest thing is surface prep.

[JIMinPHX]

There are some really incredible foam backed double adhesive tapes on the market these days. They used to use some of them to hold body panels in place on cars while they got spot welded in place. Now they just use the tape & call it good with no spot welds. I’ve used that stuff in all sorts of applications. You would be amazed at how strong & durable it is.

[Slowpoke]

I attached the transducer mount to a small piece of oak with screws and stuck the oak to the stern with genuine 100% GE silicone calk, the year was 1990.

It' still there today.

good luck

[357maximum]

Depending on finder quality and transducer / boat design...you can shoot through the hull.....epoxy it right in the bottom of the boat in other words......on an aluminum boat as long as you have a flat spot perpendicular to level you will notice no to very little difference with the higher end units....my lawrence shoots right through and shows not problems and only shows depth differential (it lies) in less than 3feet of water.

[Bigscot]

I have never used jb weld. Didn't think about it or the double face tape. Don't want to shoot through the hull as I am too club footed and the john boat is so open at the back and that's where my foot goes when riding and the gas tank and battery are back there too. It will get knocked to hell in no time. I had though about gluing a piece of pressure treated and mounting to that but was not sure how durable it would be.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Bigscot

[montana_charlie]

I, too, like shooting through the hull.
In a typical jonboat I would mount it just aft of the center seat, with a 'shield' screwed to the rear vertical wall of the seat so the transducer is covered by something fairly substantial.

It doesn't even need to be epoxied in place. If the tranducer sits in a shallow well (formed from epoxy, perhaps), and the well is full of water, the depth finder will read through the hull just as it would out in the lake. Just make sure the transducer is held down snug against the aluminum by a clamp, or something.
CM

[redneckdan]

for temporary, take a plastic bag, fill with water and put the transducer in there, set it on the boat hull facing down. Even if the hull has ridges it will work.

[dakotashooter2]

Or get thick flat a piece of steel or aluminum wide enough to hold the transducer and as long as the transom is deep. Mount the transducer to the bottom of the piece and attach the mounting piece ONLY above the water line. If the piece is thick enough there should be very little deflection and if there is, a small piece of rubber near the bottom will dampen the vibration.



:castmine: