Which is best - Airmar 600w Transom or In Hull?
Submitted by Braxi on Wed, 2011-08-24 04:07
Just looking at getting a 600w tranny for a HDS8 for my GPS and backup sounder. Looking at the In hull as they dont require any bolting to the boat and are not going to cop anything hitting them in the water. The GPS should be good enough to pick up the speed of the boat so only the temp would be missing compared to the transom mount. Any ideas?
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Cant fish from home...
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
transom definitely for a
transom definitely for a 600W. If you can afford it go the 1kw 260 in hull - picked mine up for under $900 from the states - simply awesome once I got it set up right.
Braxi
Posts: 202
Date Joined: 11/12/09
I was saving the 1KW for a Furuno
Yeah,
Im going to use the Lowrance for the GPS and backup sounder and then when Ive saved up enough get a Furuno 585 with a 1KW Tranny for the full time sounder. I was going to just get the HDS8 m but it makes more sense to spend the extra $100 and get the sounder function.
Cant fish from home...
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
Too easy - get the 260 from
Too easy - get the 260 from the states with the plug and play cable. that way you get to use the 1KW with the lowrance, then when you buy the furuno all you need to do is put a furuno cable on. Check out Blue heron marine. I believe Allboats do them as well for a pretty good price, but when i tried there were no wet boxes in stock so I went overseas. Oracle has just done exactly this with the same thing in mind. using the 1 KW with his big Garmin to see how it goes, and if it is still not good enough he just needs to buy the 585
crasny1
Posts: 7006
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Sorry to pinch a little off the post
Always been a transom mounted tranny man. Ie never had a through hull.
Now still a bit of a sounder novice when it comes to the techno side.
Apart from the obvious what exactly is a wet box?
can someone explain that a little or even show a photo.
Keep it clean fella's! LOL
Neels
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Its a liquid-filled box
Its a liquid-filled box against your hull. The tranny is placed in it and it shoots through your hull. The idea being, you cut the box to match the deadrise, like the inset image.
No below-waterline holes, more or less the same medium as the water itself, tend to get less turbulence as there is nothing sticking out. Lucky Tim's reads at great speeds.
The tranny itself, you can't see in this image, but its just like the ones you mount on the transom, just it sits inside the yellow box.
http://fishwrecked.com/forum/sounder-pics-added-installing-airmar-r199-back-baron-sportsman
crasny1
Posts: 7006
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Cheers Till
Sweet and simple explaination.
Neels
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
SAS
Posts: 14
Date Joined: 05/04/10
The wet box works
The wet box works exceptional especially at high speeds and in deep water, I fitted the R399 in the back of the 255 Conquest with Furuno Nav Net 3d 9 months ago although I built a fiberglass wet box and didn’t use the one Airmar provided with the transducer as I was warned that eventually with the weight of the transducer the box can break away from the hull because the adhesive does not stick to well to the plastic also it made for a much neater installation..........Big tranducer and big job though!!
fisho-ron
Posts: 2539
Date Joined: 26/09/09
hey jamiethis is the latest
hey jamie
this is the latest model and the price is reasonable, im think of getting one just checking on postage cost?
if anyone is running one with a hds i would like to here your thoughts on the differance between the 600 and the 1kw?
so far only tim can offer any advice.
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till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Its certainly a nice tranny,
Its certainly a nice tranny, there is also a wide version available, its a few more bucks.
I think Tim had a few problems with that seal between the plastic of the box, and the fiberglass of the hull, so maybe if you're feeling keen you can make a glass wetbox and use just the top half of the airmar one?
I really can't fault Tim's advice on swapping one of the Lowrance units out for a Furuno FCV-620 with one of these on it. If you are thinking about doing that, even a little bit, buy the transducer with the plain cable, and the special pigtauil that goes to the right lowrance model, you could later swap that for a pigtail that youes to furuno.
Tomcat
Posts: 614
Date Joined: 24/02/11
Tranny
Agree with what Simon said but a p66 works ok on lowerance and there cheap
Paul G
Posts: 5215
Date Joined: 12/12/07
I made my wet box from 225mm
I made my wet box from 225mm pipe fitted the tranny to the lid and fitted it in the same way that you would fit a bought wetbox. filled it with salt water.works a treat and cost $150.
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Cammos
Posts: 606
Date Joined: 30/06/09
I fitted a P79 to my
I fitted a P79 to my southwind with a HDS7. I am 98% sure I don't have the angle correct, just waiting to get a diver under my boat in 5/10/20/30/40m to see. If its not I will be going to have a peek at Paul's to make my own as well. Otherwise I get good readings up to 27 knots roughly and then I get bottom contour but no colour above that. Sadly there is a step in the hull about 18 inches short of the transom which causes turbulance on a transom mount, so I decided to try this way. A friends Whittley has a HDS5 with trannie mount 600W and he gets awesome images at all speeds, but I console myself in knowing that his $90k boat rides like a pig compared to my $30k boat.
wangler
Posts: 607
Date Joined: 26/04/08
try to mount it
before the step in the hull between the rakes and with the transom mount, fix it to the step between the rakes
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Cammos
Posts: 606
Date Joined: 30/06/09
Thanks, yes it is mounted
Thanks, yes it is mounted before the step and between strakes, the image is good, but I wonder what ground I am sounding in 100m depth, could be up to 30 or 40m out depending on the error of the angle. I still have the old trannie mounted so can change leads in the unit to get a comparison.
fisho-ron
Posts: 2539
Date Joined: 26/09/09
camosi have the same tranny
camos
i have the same tranny in my southwind mate and reads good to 30+knts, like you said mate, all the troubles in the world with the transom mount becuse of the hull shape.
im still thinking of goin to the 1kw thru hull, but $840 landed at my door is the killer!!!
anyone got a second hand one they wana get rid of????
Tomcat
Posts: 614
Date Joined: 24/02/11
Tranny
There is a new 600 watt called p66hp6 there saying 20 times more power than p66