Humminbird Side Imaging Forums
Other Interest => DIY - Side Scan Sonar and towfish => Topic started by: SGann on February 25, 2010, 07:51:56 PM
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My towfish is complete and tested. More pictures are at http:www.stevengann.com (http://www.stevengann.com) in the "My DIY Sidescan Sonar Towfish" Album.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_uXRc3tGbgdA/S4cN7R9U7_I/AAAAAAAACdw/-Y19ZyVRSAM/P2250003.jpg)
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Welcome to the forum Stephen!
That's one good looking fish, I really like the set up.
I'm looking forward to see pictures and recordings you made with it.
Regards / Harry
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Stephen, Very professional looking fish. How did you do the slots and slicing? I had lots
of trouble making straight slices for fins on mine. Any tracking problems at all? I haven't had a
chance to try mine out yet.
bob baldwin
bryan, texas
997c SI
1197c SI
AS GRHA GPS
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I go by Steve. ;)
I cut mine with a hacksaw blade with one end raped with masking tape. I wanted the cuts to be very narrow as the aluminum was thin. All other cuts were done on a table saw.
No tracking problems so far.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_uXRc3tGbgdA/S4cN67AnTNI/AAAAAAAACdk/OE-4ccnuHBs/s800/P2010030.jpg)
I also cut slots in the cap to stiffen things up. I can remove the screw on the end cap and slide out the fin assembly to store it more compactly.
You can see more pictures at http://www.StevenGann.com (http://www.StevenGann.com)
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Thanks Steve - I realized my mistake right after I hit post. My apologizes. I used a band saw to make the slots with poor results. I finally got it fininshed, but it's not near as pretty as yours. I will try again using your technique. Thanks again.
bob baldwin
bryan, texas
997c SI
1197c SI
AS GRHA GPS
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Nice towfish Steve.
I’ve split 10-foot length of 4 inch PVC by using an L-shaped jig the same length as the PVC on a band saw. I used MDF since it is so flat and can be cut very straight. A little hot melt glue to keep it in place along with a rip fence and a few helpers and it worked great. The same could be done here but on a much smaller scale.
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Thats a good idea too, Greg. I knew my first attempt would be a prototype, so maybe I can do better next time with these ideas. At least I painted it yellow - that has to .count for something.
bob baldwin
bryan, texas
997c SI
1197c SI
AS GRHA GPS
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I had a good exchange of info from Deltadiver Topic: My DIY HB Towfish (http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=310.0).
Don't let the pictures and yellow paint fool you. Close look at mine will reveal many of my mistakes.
Love to see pictures of your fish. I am a tinkerer at heart and would love to see pictures of everyone’s. I saw one where the guy just bolted the transducer to a downrigger ball. That should get it down deep but I don’t think that it will do much for the wave action.
I built mine as a prototype as well but hey, if it works it no longer a prototype.
I am intending to build another one with adjustable dive plains to see if I can reduce the led weight.
Then extend the cable to go deeper. May even look at adding a video cam.
Everything I do is a prototype.
Anyone seen this wing added to the sports scan and Yellow Fin?
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_uXRc3tGbgdA/S4gB3DpWV_I/AAAAAAAACjQ/cUv5Oaju9vY/s800/sportscan_deploy_01.jpg)
Can't find any info in the online manuals referring to this wing. This looks like a retrofit of what I want to do with dive plains.
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There are several companies that make wings, but they are way too expensive. It seems like there would be a market for inexpensive accessories for the hobbyist as well. There is a company near me that makes a fish for the Humminbird (The Tank) but I don't know of any accessories for it. They mainly cater to the SAR and diver crowd. Couldn't hurt to ask them.
http://www.shorelinecompanies.com/#/__The_Tank_-8-354.html (http://www.shorelinecompanies.com/#/__The_Tank_-8-354.html)
bob baldwin
bryan, texas
997c SI
1197c SI
AS GRHA GPS
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I had a good exchange of info from Deltadiver Topic: My DIY HB Towfish ([url]http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=310.0[/url]).
Don't let the pictures and yellow paint fool you. Close look at mine will reveal many of my mistakes.
Love to see pictures of your fish. I am a tinkerer at heart and would love to see pictures of everyone’s. I saw one where the guy just bolted the transducer to a downrigger ball. That should get it down deep but I don’t think that it will do much for the wave action.
I built mine as a prototype as well but hey, if it works it no longer a prototype.
I am intending to build another one with adjustable dive plains to see if I can reduce the led weight.
Then extend the cable to go deeper. May even look at adding a video cam.
Everything I do is a prototype.
Anyone seen this wing added to the sports scan and Yellow Fin?
([url]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_uXRc3tGbgdA/S4gB3DpWV_I/AAAAAAAACjQ/cUv5Oaju9vY/s800/sportscan_deploy_01.jpg[/url])
Can't find any info in the online manuals referring to this wing. This looks like a retrofit of what I want to do with dive plains.
Yep,
I had one of those.
Depressorwing is making it go just al little deeper.
Because the sportscan is heavy when leaded up, the depressorwing can easily damage the towcable.
hendrik
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Steve,
I did look over the SportScan (http://www.sea-viewdiving.com/diving_equipment/sonar/imagenex/sportscan.htm) and the wing along with a lot of other configurations (I liked the three fin designs). If you're just looking for ideas you can try running towfish depressor wing (http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=towfish+depressor+wing&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=) or towfish dive wing (http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=towfish+dive+wing&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=) through your web search engine of choice. You might be able to rig up a Z-wing (http://www.alltackle.com/z_wing_planers.htm) to work or you can also try running a fishing down planer (http://www.alltackle.com/sea_striker_planers.htm) below your fish. I mounted the plane from one on top of my second prototype (http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=458.0). It worked to a degree, but it occasionally made it veer out to the side. I've gone to either a 2 pound down rigger ball on a removable mount below the towfish or a 4 pound down rigger weight attached several feet above the towfish in rough water. But ~~ I'm just using the towfish on a short tether to get better captures (and mine will probably be permanent prototypes too).
Darrell
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Hi Steve,
I hope you take this as a compliment, but I am duplicating your towfish. It is relatively easy, small profile and looks pretty cool on top of it. I have the body, the fins, and both caps made. A good start. Can you please answer my 2 quick questions?
1. How do you get the lead in the nose? Being PVC, obviously it will melt the PCV if I melt it in. Cutting it would be difficult.
2. What is your thoughts for putting the transducer in the rear? If it is directly below the cable connector, there would be less movement, but then it would not help with the waves, correct? What about the front? Is there any advantage of the rear over front or vise versa? Any problems with turbulance or the nose being slightly down?
Curiosity question...did you mount the underwater camera?
Thanks for the help,
Steve
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The led in is the nose. Not very pretty but I took a cardboard tube that easily slid into the body wrapped it with aluminum foil. I buried it in sand vertically and pulled out the cardboard tube, and filled it with led. I did this three times with about six pound pounds of led each. Then I pealed off as much foil as possible. I keep it in place by drilling a shallow hole through the PVC and into the led then putting in a pop rivet to hold it.
I placed my transducer back, close to the fins and it seems to work well. The nose moved up and down some with the waves but the tail tracks much flatter.
I have the camera and the housing. Just haven’t had time to mount it. I’ve been side tracked by a rebreather project.
I originally made the fins out of aluminum, but I may change to PVC as the aluminum has scratched my boat and bends occasionally. I have found that I can easily make PVC “PLATE” from PVC pipe. By taking a 20 inch section of 2 or 2.5 inch PVC and slitting it down one side, and heating it to 375 to 400 degrees in the oven it becomes quite rubbery. Using gloves I lay it flat on the concrete and place a smooth board over it and weight it down with several scuba tanks until it cools. The result is a very stiff and flat PVC plate or board. This stuff is very stiff and very strong.
www.StevenGann.com (http://www.StevenGann.com)
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Sir; Tryed the PVC in the oven trick! WORKS GREAT. No SCUBA tank used 25' Searay on trl. :) Roddy
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That should make them flat. :o
What kind of project did you use it for?
I have found the stuff useful for a lot if stuff.
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That should make them flat. :o
What kind of project did you use it for?
I have found the stuff useful for a lot if things.
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Sir: Towfish fins? Small may work! Good day Roddy
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made my towfish from 2"pvc
made mount from ground bus
made fins from lexan
cut all on table saw
glued with marine epoxy
mounted transducer on bottom
extended cable 75'
FLAWLESS
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made my towfish from 2"pvc
made mount from ground bus
made fins from lexan
cut all on table saw
glued with marine epoxy
mounted transducer on bottom
extended cable 75'
FLAWLESS
Did you tested towfish in the water? Any recordings?
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made my towfish from 2"pvc
made mount from ground bus
made fins from lexan
cut all on table saw
glued with marine epoxy
mounted transducer on bottom
extended cable 75'
FLAWLESS
Hi Tim
Good work :)
To my knowledge, and my own experiments can pvc not glue with epoxy. Epoxy adheres only, but connect not with pvc. For this you need special pvc cement, but wants only connects pvc with pvc. ???
mvh
Rüdiger