Author Topic: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It  (Read 47315 times)

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Offline SternSaver

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Hey Guys,

Member, w2f4 posted this thread about a great new product, the Stern Saver here...
http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=3738.0

The Stern Saver is the worlds first glue-on King StarBoard (HDPE) transducer mounting system. It forms very strong bonds with aluminum and fiberglass boats so you don't have to drill holes below the waterline to mount your transducers. He asked me to post this b/c he thought you all could benefit greatly from a product like this. The Stern Saver is completely changing the way transducers are installed on boats. The cool thing is, it can be used to seal and conceal existing holes as well as provide a fresh mounting surface to drill and re-drill into, without ever putting a single hole in your boat, which can cause big problems down the road. Our specially formulated adhesive forms a permanent, 2000 psi bond with aluminum and fiberglass. The Stern Saver comes with everything you need to install it and takes less than 15 minutes. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about the product. I am happy to answer them.

Scott Johnson

To see a video of how it works click here...
Stern Saver Mount



For more info on this great product click here...
www.sternsaver.com

Also, now available at...
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Stern_Saver_Mounts/descpage-STRNSV.html
and
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SiteSearchView?PopularCat=No&Ne=69&beginIndex=0&langId=-1&storeId=11151&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&N=377+4294963767+4294955248&Ns=Manufacturer%20Name%7C1&catalogId=10001&omniTag=Brand%3ASTERN+SAVER&viewTaskName=SiteSearchView


Offline Ggw2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2012, 08:57:39 AM »
I just purchased a Bayliner 185BR and a 798ci hd si finder. I ordered one of these stern savers yesterday. The backend of the boat is pretty much identical to the photo shown here with the stern saver mounted at the horizontal step on the transom (white boat) and at tacklewarehouse website. Is this a good place to mount the SI transducer or will it get turbulence in that area of the boat?
Any thoughts would be appreciated,
Gerry

Offline SternSaver

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2012, 03:53:52 AM »
Gerry-Great question. The boat in both pictures is the same boat and happens to be mine. I will admit, this was really not the best mounting location for the transducer, but it was the only spot available on my transom because of where my trailer bunks are, trolling motor etc. With that said, it works great even at speeds of 20+ knots and I have not had any problems with it. But, if I had the choice to mount it aft of a smoother, more consistent part of the hull, I would because it would only be better. You can mount the Stern Saver in any orientation that you like. Some people angle it to match the deadrise angle of the boat and some install it level like I did. Please let us know how the installation goes. Your comments or feed back would be greatly appreciated. Good Luck.

Scott

Offline Ggw2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2012, 10:15:47 AM »
Scott, thanks for the reply! I will probably mounted it further to the right along the deadrise. The trailer bunks are even with back of boat so this should not be a problem. I will put it lengthwise along rise. Should I put it exactly even with bottom of boat or slightly above even?
ps: just for info - can the block be cut shorter where one is using just 4 epoxy holes on the block or must it be used as is ?
Again, Thanks
Gerry

Offline SternSaver

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2012, 12:31:56 PM »
Gerry-I would mount it slightly above even by 1/8" or so. Your transducer mounting bracket should have enough offset to get the skimmer slightly below the bottom of the hull the recommended 1/4". You can cut the block if you would like, four contact points will hold it on just fine, but six is of course better. We can only guarantee the product if it is left unmodified, however. The adhesion is incredibly strong so I wouldn't worry too much about it falling off.  If you want a smaller one, we do make custom one's as well...any shape or size.

Offline Ggw2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2012, 01:21:57 PM »
I probably will not modify the block but was just wondering what you thought :). I will offset it a little up from the edge of the boat as you
mention. Transducer should have more than enough play to adjust down to 1/4" as you mention. Thanks for all your input and advice!!
Gerry

Offline Ggw2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2012, 12:18:12 PM »
Scott, one more question as I didn't see anything about it in the instructions. We went over today and actually saw the boat for the first time since
buying it the first of month - strange huh! The boat is in one of their storage buildings and it is still spring here in the Northeast USA. Temperatures are
not overly warm in the building. I need to get the block installed this coming week so they can put the transducer on and start prepping the boat.
Could you tell me how warm it needs to be for the epoxy to set? Or what is the lowest temp that I will be ok at. The transducer would not be put on the block for probably at least 4-5 days after putting the block in place...
Thanks again for any help,
Gerry

Offline Ggw2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2012, 09:12:50 AM »
Scott, are you out there? Question about temperature (above) for mounting...
Gerry

Offline sonar2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2012, 10:03:19 AM »
Gerry, you ask a darn good question. And as you pointed out the website does not answer your question.

I searched epoxy in several different ways and could not find anything on application temperature.
There were several references to curing time and temperature.
but not what you are asking..

I will do some more research and see what else is hidden in the search engines for epoxy.
Hopefully the sales person who posted this ad will get back on and answer to you..

There are some good guys here on the forum who are knowledgeable of epoxy.  They may also chime in with an answer..

Chuck
« Last Edit: April 03, 2012, 02:58:06 PM by sonar2000 »

Offline Ggw2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2012, 01:47:36 PM »
Chuck, thanks for the research. Did some myself and it seems that from what I am reading that anything below 60 degrees F is not good. Best if in upper 60s and 70s. Since the weather here is below 60 for the foreseeable future this puts a bind on things and I may not be able to use the sternsaver after all :(.
Gerry

Offline ITGEEK

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2012, 02:15:49 PM »
I know that no one wants to drill holes in their boat, but
what happens if the transducer gets bumped.
Will the whole shabang just break loose?

I'd rather drill the holes and seal them with 5200 and
know it's permanent.

Offline Ggw2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2012, 02:33:06 PM »
According to the maker, it's suppose to be a pretty much permanent bond that will not break loose if the install instructions
are followed correctly.
Gerry

Offline sonar2000

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2012, 03:01:46 PM »
Gerry, that is what I found for most of the epoxy mixes out there.  "not below 60 F".

We generally try for a bit warmer and use 72 F as our low temp for application..

I will keep on looking...

Chuck

Offline xSilmarilSx

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2012, 03:03:20 PM »
For my application, I prefer using a 3/4" UHMW plate bolted to the transom, sealed with 5200 and then bolt the transducer on the UHMW..

Nothing beat mechanical fasteners.

Offline ITGEEK

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2012, 11:43:25 AM »
Right on xSilmarilSx.
I wouldn't trust epoxy on it's own.
Especially in an area that may get stressed/flexed by water pressure.

If the epoxy isn't cured just perfectly, I think heartbreak is just down the road.
If it does fail, then you'll have to scrape and/or chip away the old epoxy to start over.
It it's bolted, it aint going nowhere.

Offline SternSaver

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Re: How Mount a Transducer to Your Boat w/o Drilling Any Holes In It
« Reply #15 on: April 10, 2012, 04:16:32 PM »
Gerry,

Sorry, I missed your question about epoxy bonding in cold weather. The rule of thumb is 60 degrees F and above is best, but it will bond below that temp. Here is a guide on cold weather epoxy bonding.
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/cold-temperature-bonding/

You could tent the area and use a space heater to keep the area around the stern warmer. I also recommend that you warm up the epoxy syringe and hull surface a bit before installation. The glue is very viscous and it's helpful to soak the syringe in a cup of warm water (90-100 degrees F) before breaking the seal and dispensing.

One great thing about the Stern saver is if you bump your transducer and strip out the screws, you can just re-mount the screws, but use a bigger diameter screw or just move it over a 1/4", and re-mount. No big deal b/c your not putting new holes in your boat. If you bump a transducer directly mounted to your hull and sealed with 5200, you will likely have stripped screw holes in your hull material or the sealants' bond with the hull material will be compromised, potentially causing a leak. I just saw a guy at the ramp yesterday with a ducer barely hanging off his transom b/c it got hit. Let's just say, he will be fixing that by putting a Stern Saver on and re-mounting. It is also great for sealing and concealing any existing holes in the transom.

As for screwing HDPE to your boat, it completely defeats the purpose of attempting to go "screw-less", which makes it useless. It's the holes caused by mechanical fasteners is what causes leaks and expensive repairs. The only reason people were screwing HDPE to their boats is b/c there was not an effective way to permanently bond it with glue, until the Stern Saver was developed. The adhesive we use forms up to 2200psi bond strengths, far overkill for a 1/3 lb block of HDPE. To knock it off you will have to destroy your transom in the process. You can, however, cut them off with a pull saw if you have to, but it's not really easy.


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