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Fitting a fishfinder to a scupper pro
Having swapped my previous yak, a fully kitted out Manta 11, for a Scupper Pro with just 2 flush mounted rod holders I hadn't intended rigging it as a dedicated fishing platform. Mainly because I enjoy just going out for a paddle and exploring the coast and didn't want to 'overload' the SP with things that might 'get in the way'. But I chanced upon a second hand fish finder at a very reasonable price and too good to miss.
Having parted with my hard earned cash I set about deciding where and how to fit the 'new' fish finder. I wanted to be able to easily remove the whole thing when I wasn't using it for fishing, not just the head unit but the mount as well. This threw up a couple of challenges. If the mount was fixed to the yak it would mean unfixing it every time it was to be removed, then having to try and temporarily seal the holes. I needed to come up with the simplest solution which made removing the whole unit fairly easy with the minimum of tools etc.
Another thing I had to consider was how to route the cables for the transducer and the power lead because I wanted to be able to leave them stowed away in the hatch when not needed, therefore leaving a hole in the deck which would require sealing somehow.
So, thinking cap on, a chopping board and a plumbing box full of bit's and bob's I decided upon the following idea:
To reduce the amount of holes I had to drill in the yak, and subsequently seal, I chose to use the existing brass threaded inserts just in front of my centre hatch. pic 5/6To begin with I made a couple of backing plates using the good old chopping board. The first was to position the FF in a place I felt comfortable with and the other was to secure the mount to. This option uses only 2 fixings to secure the mount to the yak.
I had no option but to drill a hole for the cables to come through. In order to get round the problem of sealing this hole after removing the FF, I used a straight threaded brass plumbing connector.
This allowed me to fit it to the yak using a large flanged nut on the inside with plenty of sealant. The cables pass through the fitting and when not in use can be pushed back inside the yak. The fitting is the right thread to take a stop end which I can screw on when the FF is not installed. The stop end forms a water tight seal
Well, sorted out the transducer and battery box today. Set the transducer in some foam which is siliconed in place inside the hull. The transducer is then sealed in place within the foam pad.
The battery is set into a piece of foam inside a plastic box and the box then sits inside a 'tray' of foam inside the hull.
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This article was written by Jimbob. 2nd May 2009
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