Depth sounder

[Les Hewett]

I've just bought a Bay Raider Expedition and would like to fit a depth sounder. Does anyone have any experience of the best location for transponder? In hull / through hull?
Thanks

[Graham W]

Some BR depth transducers are of the "transom-mounted" kind but instead of being fixed to the transom, they are screwed to a wooden block in a gap just ahead of the centreboard.  Properly adjusted, the bottom of the transducer then sits flush with the boat's underside and is reasonably well protected from bumps and scrapes.  Photo of my grubby installation below.

There's not a lot of space down there, so choose your transducer carefully.  Some of the more recent CHIRP-type transducers are too long to fit.  Mine is one of the cheapest non-CHIRP kinds but does an adequate job.

[Sea Simon]

My cheapish Nasa Clipper depth sounder (chosen for low power consumption, see below) shoot thru hull is under the floor boards, just ford of the front end of the ballast tank. Stbd.

I perhaps offset to stbd side, outboard, too much? Could be better deeper, ie closer to centre line? But seems to work well enough.
I did it so that the transponder and wiring was always beneath the floorboards, and protected even when the "footwell" is open.

BTW, this sounder will run off a 5Ah cordless drill battery, via 12v stepdown/adapter thingy (complete with USB socket, and LED lamp) daily, for over a week...and it wasn't flat then.
Not beautiful, but small, light and very effective. It all lives inside the cabin, in a "waterproof" terminal box, of the type sold for outdoor Christmas lights etc.