Topic: Another kayak installation

[bigkahuna]

Thought I'd chronicle the installation of my new 798ci hd si into my Perception Tribe 11.5 kayak.  Step one was to install the transducer.  Fortunately the Tribe has a bolt on wear pad at the tail end of the keel.  Made an easy spot to mount it.  Hopefully it'll be deep enough otherwise I'll have to come up with another plan.



Next project is to mount the display.  That cup holder has a ID of just over 3" and looks like the perfect spot to mount it.  Looked all over for some 3" OD pipe this morning but didn't find anything, so I'm putting my thinking cap back on...



I should add that one of the things I'm going to try to do is to not drill any new holes into the boat.  This installation will likely be temporary and the HB will end up residing on another boat eventually and I don't want to leave any holes in this one later on.

[sonar2000]

Looks good Bigk.  Yep no unnecessary hole in a water craft..
Our kayaks have rudders so we elected to go with the thru the hull. Why I dont know as we mostly use the gps.
Nice kayak you have. 
Chuck

[bigkahuna]

I found something at my favorite hardware store that I thought I might be able to use to mount the HB display into the kayak's cup holder.  It's called a "Dollar Plug" and I found it in the plumbing section.  It's meant to be used to stop off a 3" ID pipe, but I'm using it as the basis for my base mount.  Here's what I got at the hardware store for $3.50:



All the parts are made from mild steel so will rust so I had to fabricate some new parts from plastic (I had some scrap 3/8" ABS), aluminum sheet, and a stainless steel bolt.  And voila:





I've already mounted the HB base to this and it works perfectly, unfortunately the camera's battery chose to die on me.  The next step is to get a battery, put it in a water tight box, and finish the installation.