Through Hull Transducer

[PNWPederson]

I will be having my boat hauled out so I can paint her the first week of April. It's a new to me (since October 2024) boat (1970 GB). I will be upgrading the electronics on the boat and when I do that, I will need to upgrade the transducer.

When she was pulled in August for the survey, I saw two fairings (as shown in the below picture) for a transducer and a transducer/speed paddle wheel. What I have that is displaying the depth is a Raymarine ST60 Tridata. The white transducer (I'm assuming it's a transducer) is further out on the port side of the boat. The black transducer/paddle wheel is more towards the center of the boat.

Here is an image looking down into the engine compartment of those two transducers.

As you can see, the transducer that would be the white faced one, towards the top of the image, doesn't have a wire going to it. I believe it has been broken off or cut off. Maybe it's not a transducer. Any thoughts would be welcomed.

The other transducer/paddle wheel, shown where the red battery wire makes a turn towards the top of the image, does have a wire going to it. This is where I believe I get my depth soundings from. You can also see a bolt just above it that I believe holds the fairing block in place.

My question is, do I have to replace the whole unit (fairing and transducer) or can I just pull the transducer out and replace it with an upgraded transducer into the existing fairing? As the existing fairing is painted in place and sealed, I would prefer not disturbing it if at all possible. Any help or guidance would be warmly welcomed.

 

[Greg QS]

Honestly the white transducer looks like a broken off transducer. Remove and plug with a new transducer or glass it in. I had a weird on in my boat that looked similar. The transducer was broken off. Scary stuff. How boats sink!

If you are installing a new transducer use a new faring block. Most likely you will need to destroy it to remove the old transducer. The extra bolt you see is part of the transducer and used to keep the transducer in line with the boat. It keeps the transducer from spinning if there is a strike from debris in the water.

 

[PNWPederson]

Honestly the white transducer looks like a broken off transducer. Remove and plug with a new transducer or glass it in. I had a weird on in my boat that looked similar. The transducer was broken off. Scary stuff. How boats sink!
View attachment 162724
If you are installing a new transducer use a new faring block. Most likely you will need to destroy it to remove the old transducer. The extra bolt you see is part of the transducer and used to keep the transducer in line with the boat. It keeps the transducer from spinning if there is a strike from debris in the water.

Thanks for the info. That's what I was thinking, but I was hoping that since I was going with Raymarine electronics and it's a Raymarine transducer, just slipping a new transducer into the fairing would be slick.

 

[GB32Seattle]

I will be having my boat hauled out so I can paint her the first week of April. It's a new to me (since October 2024) boat (1970 GB). I will be upgrading the electronics on the boat and when I do that, I will need to upgrade the transducer.

When she was pulled in August for the survey, I saw two fairings (as shown in the below picture) for a transducer and a transducer/speed paddle wheel. What I have that is displaying the depth is a Raymarine ST60 Tridata. The white transducer (I'm assuming it's a transducer) is further out on the port side of the boat. The black transducer/paddle wheel is more towards the center of the boat.

View attachment 162722

Here is an image looking down into the engine compartment of those two transducers.

View attachment 162723

As you can see, the transducer that would be the white faced one, towards the top of the image, doesn't have a wire going to it. I believe it has been broken off or cut off. Maybe it's not a transducer. Any thoughts would be welcomed.

The other transducer/paddle wheel, shown where the red battery wire makes a turn towards the top of the image, does have a wire going to it. This is where I believe I get my depth soundings from. You can also see a bolt just above it that I believe holds the fairing block in place.

My question is, do I have to replace the whole unit (fairing and transducer) or can I just pull the transducer out and replace it with an upgraded transducer into the existing fairing? As the existing fairing is painted in place and sealed, I would prefer not disturbing it if at all possible. Any help or guidance would be warmly welcomed.

 

[GB32Seattle]

The paddle wheel goes to a knot meter - basically a generator that spins from the water motion.

 

[Comodave]

I am assuming that it is a wooden boat, 1970 GB. You can buy what is known as a tilted array transducer. Then you don’t need a fairing block. The transducer sits basically flush to the hull but the element inside is tilted so it looks straight down. You will need to know what angle the hull is in that area and buy the transducer that fits that angle. Doesn’t have to be exact but just close. I know Raymarine sells them because I have put them in our last 4 or 5 boats. Much simpler than using the fairing blocks. Also not as likely to get damaged if you hit something underwater.

 

[Tjohn]

I have mounted my new transducers in a ball of toilet bowl wax on four different boats, all four have worked perfect. You must have a solid glass hull, cored foam or wood messes up the signal. The original plan was to experiment with different positions and then make them permanent but I never got around to making them permanent. My current boat has had its wax job in place for 12 years. Total cost was $1.50

 

[PNWPederson]

Thank you all for the assistance. There was a second transducer on the starboard side I hadn't caught, but saw while getting into the engine compartment tracing wires. I didn't see it on the haul out survey either, but when I looked back through the survey photos I took, I saw it. It's a flush mount through hull. I've ordered a Raymarine CPT-S transducer with 20 degree deadrise to go in that spot. I measured a 17 degree deadrise there.

 

[Comodave]

Thank you all for the assistance. There was a second transducer on the starboard side I hadn't caught, but saw while getting into the engine compartment tracing wires. I didn't see it on the haul out survey either, but when I looked back through the survey photos I took, I saw it. It's a flush mount through hull. I've ordered a Raymarine CPT-S transducer with 20 degree deadrise to go in that spot. I measured a 17 degree deadrise there.

That should work fine.