Topic: 798ci image detail question - kayak mount

[kayakangler]

I would like your input on the image quality/detail from my new 798ci that I've mounted on the stern of my kayak.  I don't think my images look as sharp/crisp as others, but I'm not as experienced at viewing SI.  I mounted the transducer above the bottom of my hull for protection, but wonder if any turbulence from the hull might impact my images.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Greg

[RGecy]

I would say you might get more turbulence/image distortion from paddle strokes.  I would make sure the transducer is adequately down in the water and there are no bubbles coming off the hull to distort the image.

I know there are quite a few others who have mounted them on Kayaks.

[homestea]

I have a new 797c2i mounted on a temporary mount on the rear of my kayak and i was getting somewhat similar results.  You should try and slow down the scroll speed and you will get clearer pictures (this helped immensly for me).  As a side note, I try and keep up a speed of 2.5-3 mph while paddling, also remember to try and paddle gently enough to avoid the bow of the kayak from swinging directions which results in a wavy distorted bottom view in some cases.  Also try turning up the range on the unit to about 100ft per side as this seems to provide a clearer picture on my set. Let me know what happens! good luck!

[kayakangler]

Thank you very much for your replies.

I had left the chart scroll speed on 'default' which I believe is 10, as I do recall it moving pretty quickly on the screen.  Great suggestion to slow it down - I'll give that a try.

Also thanks for the speed/paddling tips.  I can see my paddle 'eddies' in the open water column of the SI image, which shouldn't be a problem.  I was travelling from 1 to 4 mph, but will try keeping the speed steady and see if near 3mph looks better.  Good point about minimizing side to side Yak movement by paddle strokes.  I noticed more 'wavy' bottom when I had tried mounting the transducer on the side with a suction cup bracket, which definitely would go up and down more than the back.   And I'll experiment more with the range. 

Thanks again,
Greg

[kayakangler]

I discovered I had adjusted the chart speed to 10 (the manual indicated better detail the higher the chart speed).  You're right - slowing the chart speed down to 2-4 helped the image quality alot!   Thanks for the advice - I'm real pleased with the results of mounting the 798ci on my kayak.

[homestea]

Those images have much better detail.  Another thing i think that made the first images a bit blurry looking was the weed coverage on the bottom.  I too have been using my kayak mounted 797c2i in a very weed infested pond and I think this degrades the side imaging signal because it basically creates lots of sonar shadowing and blockage that the SI cannot penetrate well.  I think you will see even clearer images in lakes and ponds with little to no bottom structure (weeds, grass, trees, etc). I will post some of my images from my kayak setup soon.

[Jolly Roger]

Amazing pictures for a kayak!
Never thought that it is possible to get such clear images.

Happy hunting
Harry

[homestea]

here are some pictures that i took yesterday from my kayak mounted 797c2i! Unfourtunatly there is not much structure on the bottom of the small pond I was at.

[kayakangler]

Thanks for the nice photos to compare.  Looks like your kayak mount is also working well!

[Mental]

Could one or both of you please post how you mounted yours to you kayak? I've got to do mine next weekend and would like some ideas...

Cheers, Mental

[homestea]

My transducer is mounted to be removeable with bungie cords.  I will take some pictures of it after work!

[RGecy]

Since we were talking about Kayaks, I thought this was pretty funny.

Here is an online article about the Humminbird 997 from Kayak Fishing in the Pimp My Kayak category!

Now the article itself is not whats funny!  Its the "Pimp My Kayak" category that cracked me up!

http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/kayak-fishing/humminbird-side-imaging-sonar/

[sonar2000]

It does appear that your transducer is not deep enough in the water.  I have experienced this problem with our portable system.  Generally about 6 inches in the water seems fine.  a foot is even better.  With a kjayak this may not be the best but see if you can get it a little deeper.  Chuck

[homestea]

It does appear that your transducer is not deep enough in the water.  I have experienced this problem with our portable system.  Generally about 6 inches in the water seems fine.  a foot is even better.  With a kjayak this may not be the best but see if you can get it a little deeper.  Chuck

are you referring to kayakanglers pictures or mine (homestea)?  Thank you!

Also I will try and post some pictures of my kayak setup today as i said i was going to several days ago. sorry for the delay.

[homestea]

here is my kayak mounting setup:




as you can see, its a fairly low budget way of making a mount, but it is effective if you dont want it pemanently mounted. The mount consists of a light gauge stainless steel sheet bent to hold a scrap of styrofoam (epoxied in place to steel) the styrofoam was cut to the profile of the kayak stern, and i used adhesive hooks from the bath section at walmart (waterproof) and a 2 small bungies also from walmart. total cost was less than $15 for everything.  enjoy!

[RGecy]

homestea,

Very nice setup and very economical!  Thanks for the picts.

Robert

[Jolly Roger]

Excellent idea homestea!

Indeed a very low budget mount and easy to install.

Respect / Harry

[Mental]

Thanks Homestea, I went for something a bit more permanent...

Read about my install here: http://www.kayakfishingnz.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=865

Still to get it wet...

Cheers, Mental