Hi all,
I'm a weekend cruiser & couldn't be bothered installing a proper depth finder. I would however like to know water depth for when I'm dropping anchor for a swim or some lunch.
Does anyone have experience with the cheap portable floating sounders that you toss overboard to provide you with a reading? Are they worth it?
Many thanks,
steadyEddie
Select to expand quotesteadyEddie said..
Hi all,
I'm a weekend cruiser & couldn't be bothered installing a proper depth finder. I would however like to know water depth for when I'm dropping anchor for a swim or some lunch.
Does anyone have experience with the cheap portable floating sounders that you toss overboard to provide you with a reading? Are they worth it?
Many thanks,
steadyEddie
www.westmarine.com/buy/plastimo--hand-lead-line--8502098
I have a leadline on a large plastic fishing reel.
Make your own if so inclined.
About 1 kg is a good size.
Good value for money. 70USD.
I glued one in hull and it's pretty accurate.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1311.R9.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xhawk+eye+.TRS0&_nkw=hawkeye+depth+finder&_sacat=0
Select to expand quotegwiongwion said..steadyEddie said..
Hi all,
I'm a weekend cruiser & couldn't be bothered installing a proper depth finder. I would however like to know water depth for when I'm dropping anchor for a swim or some lunch.
Does anyone have experience with the cheap portable floating sounders that you toss overboard to provide you with a reading? Are they worth it?
Many thanks,
steadyEddie
www.westmarine.com/buy/plastimo--hand-lead-line--8502098
I have a leadline on a large plastic fishing reel.
Make your own if so inclined.
About 1 kg is a good size.
Englesia problema? He is asking for floating sensor /transducer not lead weight, please ,
no further comments, you are cheep fun my friend.
+1 for Hawkeye. Simple, inexpensive, and no reading/interpreting chart graphs. Great at night.
I have one of those floating transducers. It reads reasonably accurately in still water, but any current, boat speed or waves and it's all over the place, plus it drags at an angle so gives an inaccurate reading of some spot where you are not... just what you don't need when you're setting up to anchor, maintaining control at slow speed etc.
Select to expand quotesteadyEddie said..
Hi all,
I'm a weekend cruiser & couldn't be bothered installing a proper depth finder. I would however like to know water depth for when I'm dropping anchor for a swim or some lunch.
Does anyone have experience with the cheap portable floating sounders that you toss overboard to provide you with a reading? Are they worth it?
Many thanks,
steadyEddie
I'm sure they would do the job. These days a real sounder is so cheap and easy to install there is no reason to not really do it. The Hawkeye mentioned above is one way. I have a couple of these in my sail room to replace an old digital one when I feel the urge. I also have one in my yacht tender that has it's own battery and it's a brilliant piece of kit. Some people think they are old technology and replace them with rubbish stuff. Keep an eye out, you can get them dead cheap or free!
www.ebay.com/itm/Lowrance-2000-2260-flasher-fish-and-depth-finder-Real-Time-sonar-NO-CORDS/173217132817?hash=item28548bb111:g:mLkAAOSwslRaqYak:rk:2:pf:0
So these hawkeye things are literally as simple as gluing it somewhere in the hull and pointing it down? It will read through the hull? Forgive my ignorance but if its that easy and cheap I would give it a go. I have always been put off this kind of gear because of the investment required. Does the sensor need to be in full contact with the hull i.e. no air gap?
Select to expand quoteFelixdeCat said..
So these hawkeye things are literally as simple as gluing it somewhere in the hull and pointing it down? It will read through the hull? Forgive my ignorance but if its that easy and cheap I would give it a go. I have always been put off this kind of gear because of the investment required. Does the sensor need to be in full contact with the hull i.e. no air gap?
I have similar to what Cisco has, it's a simple fishfinder/depth sounder mounted in the cabin near the door.
The transducer can be tested for depth before you install it permanently. Simply put it in a plastic bag filled with water and place it level inside the hull where you want to install it. In my Top Hat it's forward of the front bulkhead a little to Starboard under the v-birth. This places it away from the keel. Set the face of the transducer level, then turn on the unit.
To check the depth, just drop a sinker line to the bottom and measure the line to the height of the transducer. It should be close.
If the depth reading on the unit is close enough to the sinker line, you can use silicone or, as I did, Epoxy glue. Clean the hull carefully with metho, then just glue it in place, making sure there are no air bubbles in the glue/silicone, as that will effect the readings. All it really needs is a (not too thick), airless medium to sit in, that allows the clicks to go through and be heard.
My transducer is about 400mm lower than the waterline. My keel is 1.4m from the water line, so I set the depth alarm for 1.6m, just to give me time to back out if it goes off. It's been in place for about 5 years now and the only thing it doesn't give me is water temp. Not that that's a problem.
