Depth Sounder Installation for CD-25

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Jim Kingrea

Depth Sounder Installation for CD-25

Post by Jim Kingrea »

I just bought a 1980 CD-25, will take delivery this week-end (Eagle Mountain Lake, Ft. Worth, Tx). I need to install a new depth sounder but am not sure of the best place to put the stick-on transducer. I have not had a chance to explore the boat yet, is there a place under
the vee berth to install the unit or is there a better place?
kevin aubuchon

Re: Depth Sounder Installation for CD-25

Post by kevin aubuchon »

Jim Kingrea wrote: I just bought a 1980 CD-25, will take delivery this week-end (Eagle Mountain Lake, Ft. Worth, Tx). I need to install a new depth sounder but am not sure of the best place to put the stick-on transducer. I have not had a chance to explore the boat yet, is there a place under
the vee berth to install the unit or is there a better place?
Mine was installed on the port side, inches aft of where the keel goes from forward sloping to horizontal. It is probably 1 foot away (to port) from the keel.

kevin aubuchon



kaubuchon@primary.net
Jim

Re: Depth Sounder Installation for CD-25

Post by Jim »

Put the transducer in a glad bag with water and wet the outside of the bag. move it around on the inside of the hull util you get a good reading. that's it! don't glue the transducer on permanently: buy a short length of PVC tube into which will fit the transducer. cut it at ~45 degrees or so that it sits upright on the insdide of the hull. 3-4" tall should do it. "glue" it in place with a polysulfide compound, let set, and fill with water (not oil). put in the transducer and that's it. you lose 25% in depth sensing but who cares over 200'. suck out the water for winter storage.



james.jamieson@yale.edu
kevin aubuchon

Re: Depth Sounder Installation for CD-25

Post by kevin aubuchon »

Jim wrote: Put the transducer in a glad bag with water and wet the outside of the bag. move it around on the inside of the hull util you get a good reading. that's it! don't glue the transducer on permanently: buy a short length of PVC tube into which will fit the transducer. cut it at ~45 degrees or so that it sits upright on the insdide of the hull. 3-4" tall should do it. "glue" it in place with a polysulfide compound, let set, and fill with water (not oil). put in the transducer and that's it. you lose 25% in depth sensing but who cares over 200'. suck out the water for winter storage.
You have done this and it really works? Its sounds great. One less hole in the hull. I wish I had heard this before mine was installed. Do you know of any written material about this method? Thanks for the insight.

regards,
kevin aubuchon



kaubuchon@primary.net
Jon Larson

Re: Depth Sounder Installation for CD-25

Post by Jon Larson »

Kevin, In my CD22, I had installed the depth sounder transducer by sticking it on a patch of silicon sealer and working the transducer up against the hull as tight as I could. It worked acceptably well, though as the earlier poster said, you do lose some at the higher depths. It was also removable with some prying....and no gush of water into the hull.

Jon Larson
kevin aubuchon wrote:
Jim wrote: Put the transducer in a glad bag with water and wet the outside of the bag. move it around on the inside of the hull util you get a good reading. that's it! don't glue the transducer on permanently: buy a short length of PVC tube into which will fit the transducer. cut it at ~45 degrees or so that it sits upright on the insdide of the hull. 3-4" tall should do it. "glue" it in place with a polysulfide compound, let set, and fill with water (not oil). put in the transducer and that's it. you lose 25% in depth sensing but who cares over 200'. suck out the water for winter storage.
You have done this and it really works? Its sounds great. One less hole in the hull. I wish I had heard this before mine was installed. Do you know of any written material about this method? Thanks for the insight.

regards,
kevin aubuchon


jon9@ix.netcom.com
Jerry

Re: Depth Sounder Installation for CD-25

Post by Jerry »

kevin aubuchon wrote:
Jim wrote: Put the transducer in a glad bag with water and wet the outside of the bag. move it around on the inside of the hull util you get a good reading. that's it! don't glue the transducer on permanently: buy a short length of PVC tube into which will fit the transducer. cut it at ~45 degrees or so that it sits upright on the insdide of the hull. 3-4" tall should do it. "glue" it in place with a polysulfide compound, let set, and fill with water (not oil). put in the transducer and that's it. you lose 25% in depth sensing but who cares over 200'. suck out the water for winter storage.
You have done this and it really works? Its sounds great. One less hole in the hull. I wish I had heard this before mine was installed. Do you know of any written material about this method? Thanks for the insight.

regards,
kevin aubuchon
I can attest that Jim's method does work (on my CD30). For the transducer housing, I used a PVC pipe end cap (shaped to fit the contour of the hull) with a screw-on plug to keep the liquid in place. Instead of water, I use windshield wiper fluid that won't freeze or evaporate. If there's any reduction in the depth sounder's performance due to mounting it inside the hull, I sure can't tell.
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