Portable transducer mount

[Andy B]

make sure you use a marine grade silicone, there is a difference

Yeah the price usually
But he is right. Salt water will eventually break down normal house hold silicone.
If it's purely for sealing and not needed for bonding strength then Marine Fish Tank sealant is a lot cheaper than the boat stuff.
And it's kind to the fishies

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HA6-SILICONE- ... QEodv7u7vg

[The Gurnard]

Hi Pete..I know this is not the correct answer ..but...

Photo of my old seago Transom the day I threw it out..it was sixteen years old when I finally scraped it. The transom was solid..the PVC had reached the end of its life. It had more holes drilled in and through it than gorgonzola cheese. I never sealed any of the holes with anything. I painted it once to try to tidy it up..(cosmetic reason only). It even had the name of the boat it was tender to.. burned into the wood on the outer side ..no sealer..just a dab of paint. That transom would still be as solid as new if it was around today.

Photo of my Quicksilver transom.. screws all over it.. never sealed anything ..holes drilled through it too ..its solid..and 13 years old. I had to take that ply plate off a month or so ago..Paul B was there..so will possibly testify there was no rot in the six screw holes that held it on. He watched me try to get it off so we could put his OB on the boat.

My F Rib now has three holes ¼” diameter drilled right through it. I did seal the wood on it..with some varnish as I had some handy . I am willing to bet that it too will outlast the PVC.

It would be different if the transoms were kept the boating season on the water..and the holes were under water all that time. They spend the vast majority of their life in a dry environment..either under a cover or in a shed.

Therefore I would say epoxy is far better than what I use..so your transom should last forever if you use it ..but your PVC wont.

My opinion only ..based or trail and error... I know its not the correct answer. ..and I'm not suggesting you do it.. but just posting this for info only

The shops will say you should use Sikaflex or similar at 15 quid a wee tube..go figure

[Martin]

Donny has a mound of experience, knowledge and life long living over me so i certainly aren't about to argue with his finding or experience, but as he says himself its not the correct way of doing things.

Myself, after spending £3k plus on a boat would not risk leaving the transom open to the elements whether sea or rain, Perhaps i'm a fool with more money than sense ( i have no money btw) but i need my frib to last, i would expect a great big bogoff from f-rib HQ under a warranty claim had i fitted something to the transom without sealing it up.

I don't want to cause upset or an argument but i do feel a need to create a balance of the opinion so you have a take from two different approaches to make your decision.

[Pete]

Thanks Donny Did you add the out board plate in the bottom picture, it looks quite beefy!

[The Gurnard]

Thanks Donny Did you add the out board plate in the bottom picture, it looks quite beefy!

I suspect the guy I bought it off (a mate I knew so I was lucky knowing the history of the boat I bought it off) added it Pete .. the 25HP has big clamps and he had the outboard fixed with bolts as well. I did the stainless fittings both inside and out..plus pump and transducer brackets .. I also made all the consul etc on the inside ..five years ago..made of cheap B&Q ply..painted with house external paint. It will all last to the end of the boat's life.

I do agree with you Martin..that its best having something to seal it with..my reply was a long winded way to say I (and a lot of others I know) think epoxy is fine. Do you disapprove of Epoxy ?

I honesty didn't seal any fixtures r..and gave the ages of the boats.The seago was a cheap wooden transom too. As mentioned..its only for info..and certainly not a recommendation nor did I do it for stirring things up ....its just fact. The photos are there..and you have seen the quicksilver too..its in great nick. I made all that clear in my post

[Martin]

I do agree with you Martin..that its best having something to seal it with..my reply was a long winded way to say I (and a lot of others I know) think epoxy is fine. Do you disapprove of Epoxy ?

I honesty didn't seal any fixtures r..and gave the ages of the boats.The seago was a cheap wooden transom too. As mentioned..its only for info..and certainly not a recommendation nor did I do it for stirring things up ....its just fact. The photos are there..and you have seen the quicksilver too..its in great nick. I made all that clear in my post

I don't have an opinion in so far as which products Donny, Epoxy is a general term leaving an opening for misunderstanding perhaps?
Whether a resin, plastic or cement its a polymer based product with many uses from soluble to waterproof dependant on the working environment it's design use is. As you know i've just spent time creating a bow box made from resin
I was merely creating a balanced offering to the folk that read the forum that may have no experience whatsoever of boating, products or names.
We are an open forum for the world to see without being a member, We have lots of visits from all age groups, some maybe new to the boating scene like myself 3 yrs ago or they may be boaters of many years experience like you and your family.
Trying to offer a balanced read for folk is surely what the forum is all about.
Is there a 100% right way to do something, i don't know... I'm not an expert

[The Gurnard]

Hi again Martin..this was Petes question..hope that clarifies epoxy in this context

Quote pete "Do you know if using two part Araldite is OK for use on boats etc? I may be layering the chopping board if my plan works!"

I'm no expert either ..but I can offer my experience which I did..thats all..I do realise many people have fears of making holes in transoms.. the point I am trying to make is..it is an unfound fear

[Stray]

I do realise many people have fears of making holes in transoms

When I put the launch wheels on the F-rib transom I used a couple of pieces of wood as temporary spacers, that was a year and a half ago. When I took them off at the weekend there was no sign of water ingress in any of the bolt holes. As the new plastic cutting board spacers are permanent, I've used Sikaflex to seal the bolt holes. As they are not submerged when on the water, I wouldn't expect any problems for years even if they weren't sealed.

[The Gurnard]

Thanks for confirming that Stray..

I guess the point I was trying to make clear to everyone is seal the holes with proper sealer and there is no need to mess around with clamps and such once you find the ideal position. Unless you like messing around not drilling things and I do realise some don't want to because they want to keep their boat pristine.

Some people IMO go to extremes..I know a guy who has to put his kayak on a tarpaulin..even on a sandy shore .. in case it gets scratched. It doesn't make him wrong..in the same way it doesn't make me wrong drilling the transom.

I did go to the extreme to try to prove the point..but I do stand by what I said..I didn't seal anything...my boats will die of PVC and glue failure before the transom dies..( one already did.) I would have sealed the holes if it was going to be submerged in water long term. I do advise folk to seal their holes even if its not going to be submerged ..but I also advise folk to drill when required ..its nothing to be scared of

[The Gurnard]

For completeness to my input on this thread .. I thought I should add how I mounted my transducer on the F Rib. I did faff around with it on a clamp and stick until I found the best position. Once I found it..I had no problem drilling a 6M size hole right through the transom. I sealed the wood with varnish. The transom wood is not hard marine ply..it appears to be a soft white wood..so easily soaks in the varnish and will be well sealed. Its well above water line so unlikely to be submerged under water..and although I use the boat a lot ..the majority of its life is in a dry shed. (My opinion only)

The transducer is fixed to the boat with one 6M bolt and wingnut.. it comes off in seconds..is rock solid at plain speed ..and fully adjustable. I can change transducers at a later date..and no further holes need drilled in the transom. I don’t think it looks “tacky” either..but that could be a matter of opinion.

I also use the inside part of the bolt. It can be used to have rod holders..selfie stick mount..or even a flagpole fixed to the transom.. life is very easy for me .. all because of one hole.

If F Rib provided that hole..I suspect everyone would love it and have all sorts of novel fixings attached through it. So I do find it a little odd when folks look shocked at the thought of drilling a transom ?


On another note ..

Pete..perhaps this photo will help you decide if Araldite is suitable for boats.

When I got the FRib..the fibre glass edge above the plastic transom plate protruded and prevented the outboard sitting flush on the plastic plate. Some folks spent a lot of time making lovely PVC padding mounts to fit behind the plate so the Outboard was flush. I took the easy route and cut the fibre glass edge off. I sealed that edge with Araldite epoxy..here is a photo of it after a year of good use. Im confident it will look the same after 10 years of use. I doubt my quick and dirty fix will shorten the life on the transom in comparison to those that didn’t cut it. ..but ..that has yet to be proved

However Im not so sure the Araldite glue will bond well to the PVC board you have ?..so make sure the surfaces are well roughened and degreased to give it a chance. Araldite is advertised as waterproof and as far as I am aware a recommended way to fill a hole in a wooden transom..is plug it with a wooden dowel soaked in araldite.

I wouldn’t use araldite to seal screw holes though.. simply because it will be difficult removing them at a later date if you wanted to take the screws out. Guess Im stating the obvious now.. so I will leave it at that.