You know, the beeps, the bleeps and the creeps...
If you haven't heard, I am getting a bit weired about my Kayak (yes I know I capitalized it).
In hopes of continuing my success with the blogging, I have decided to document my latest upgrade. I also hope this is the most severe upgrade.
At the advice of my wife I went to the local dicks store and purchased a humminbird fishfinder. I'm not blaming her, just stating the facts. She told me to get one, and in the same breath asked if that was cheating.
So there she is. The new toy along with some of the tools and equipment required for installation and opperation. Some necessary additional purchases include the portable 6 or 12 amp battery along with online fuses. I wouldn't normally bother with safety features like a fuse, but I don't like the idea of sitting in a plastic bathtub with an ATV battery next to me. I also went to the hardware store for some epoxy and wire ties.
First came the dry set up. I found appropriate locations for all of the components and got in and out of the boat many times to be sure everything was in the perfect spot. Because the transducer (sonar) was goin inside the bow, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't kick it.
I also wanted to be sure the display unit wouldn't impeed my paddling or casting. It went in my line of site directly opposite the rod holder on the port side. This also included some consideration of how the cables woul be rub inside the boat.
The battery is nice and small. It doesn't wiegh too much either. I was surprised at how serious it was. I actualy had to poor the acid into the cells and verify the post charge specific gravity (no I did not do that, I just eyeballed it). I located the battery just behind me in the stern compartment and used some small angle brackets and foam to keep it from sliding around.
Now the entire unit is plug and play after securing the wires out of harms way. Before I finish, let me take a moment to tell you about the only problem I encountered. The instalation directions for inside hull mounting suggest a slow curing two part epoxy. The directions warned that inside hull mounting of the transducer was reccomended only for hulls that are solid fiberglass and less than an inch and a half thick. The kayak is about a quarter in thick, so I should be fine right? The issue arose because the plastic hull is so thin that it actualy has a good amount of flex to it. When transporting it and getting in and out the bottom of the boat can flex so much that it actualy becomes inverted. Because of this, I only got about 3 real trips in before the epoxy holding the transducer cracked and seperated from the hull makin it useless. I replaced that epoxy with a slow cure two part semi rigid boding agent from 3M. Yes, it is for automotive repair and I consulted with my local 3M rep before using it.
Everything should be 100% now. The finder has already helpe me identify bottom make up and structure as well as provide me with clues as to the suspended depth of the fish. I am very happy with it.
I would also like to add that the battery has powered the display for over 6 hours without showing signs of slowing.
Additionaly, during the test run I tossed my ultra lite around with 4lb test to catch a few pan fish and a big silly carp decided to eat my white micro tube. I got nervous while he dragged me back and forth across the lake and got a quick glimps of his over 2.5ft length before he snapped the line. I think I still shaking a bit from that.
No comments:
Post a Comment