# Transducer Placement Twin OBs/Trim Tabs



## Budman (Aug 21, 2004)

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, but I couldn't find my particular setup anywhere.

I have a 25' deep V hull with twin 150's and Bennett trim tabs on the outer edges of either side. My transducer for the Lowrance LMS 332c is placed to the starboard side of the starboard motor, but before the trim tab. Problem is, I cannot mark at any speed and definitely not on plane. I have to slow down to idle just to check marks and as you can imagine, this is very time consuming to just find fish. Someone recommended that I place it in between both motors, but I'm thinking that with the deep V this will be too far down the transom to work effectively. Has anyone had experience with this setup or am I stuck with this not working?


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## Workdog (Jan 10, 2007)

I've got a 23' Grady Gulfstream with twin 150s and trim tabs, 20 degree deadrise and 9'3" beam.. I always had problems with transom mounted ducers. Maybe too much hardware on the transom. This winter I put in an Airmar B60 tilted element flush mount thruhull transducer. It works very well. I can mark fish at least to 25 mph, and mark bottom as fast as my boat moves.


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## Budman (Aug 21, 2004)

Workdog, this looks like a really nice transducer. Do you mind telling me where you bought it? I see it on Amazon.com for $245 which is spendy, but if it works well I am interested. I'm kind of weary about cutting through the hull especially since I do not know if my fiberglass has a core filler or not. The non-core install looks pretty straight forward per the instructions on the website.

Also interested in other opinions on the matter if anyone has any suggestions.


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## Workdog (Jan 10, 2007)

Budman said:


> Workdog, this looks like a really nice transducer. Do you mind telling me where you bought it? I see it on Amazon.com for $245 which is spendy, but if it works well I am interested. I'm kind of weary about cutting through the hull especially since I do not know if my fiberglass has a core filler or not. The non-core install looks pretty straight forward per the instructions on the website.
> 
> Also interested in other opinions on the matter if anyone has any suggestions.


I got mine from By Owner Electronics http://www.boemarine.com/products/c...cturerID=f21e9ecc-9f3a-46d5-a373-6848a30c659d 
They run for $177-$220 depending on the application for a 600 watt ducer. Talk to Jim and he will sort it out for you to make sure you get the correct plug end. Good company with good service. I installed my own. Buy the hole saw from Lowe's, make sure you're not going to drill through a stringer by drilling the pilot hole from the inside, then drill the big hole from the outside. I used 3M's 5200 to seal it in, but many say to use 4200 fast set in case you ever want to remove it in the future. You need to make sure it is in a place on the hull that gets undisturbed water, not aft of a strake or water pick up. Dry fit it to ensure the ducer head lays flat on the outside of the hull. Any bump in the fiberglass on the inside could cause the outside to fit uneven when you tighten the nut down. I used a dremel sanding disk to sand uneven fiberglass inside my hull. It comes with a rubber washer, but many installers say not to use it. If you got a deep v, 20-24 degree deadrise, get the 20 degree tilted element. Good luck.


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## Budman (Aug 21, 2004)

Thank you much! I really appreciate the advice as it might save me a lot of headaches. This looks to be the way I will be going.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

I agree I have a 9.9 kicker and 250 main outboard on a 94 inch beam with a stepped hull transom I went with a shoot thru hull ducer performace is killer and the only way to go if you have a glass hull. i can mark fish flawlessly at high speeds including bait. Small and large fish.


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