Hummingbird Fish Finder Mount on Hobie Sport using a RAM mount

I finally got around to installing a fish finder on my wifes Hobie Sport.  It takes me forever to commit to where I'm going to put stuff and how I'm going to do it. It really sucks to drill holes in the wrong places!

I had a RAM hummingbird kit kicking around for quite a while just for this purpose. I also had a 5 Amp battery and a bunch of hardware. This stuff had been staring at me for long enough, time to get to work.

I chose to put the transducer between the Mirage well and the sail mast socket for a through hull setup. I wiped this spot with rubbing alcohol first, then I simply covered the transducer bottom with a thick layer of silicone and stuck it in place. It took a good couple days to fully harden. Why didn't I use Goop? This is a high stress area due to the sail and drive, Goop is known to react slightly with the plastic and cause quite a bit of heat, I didn't want to take any chances that I'd damage the hull, and last thing I'd want to find out is that no warranty since it was exposed to a chemical (Goop). Plus on my old Quest I used silicone, it's good for over a season, and in fact the last application lasted two seasons and was still going strong.

Sorry, forgot to snap a picture, lot's of pics out there on the intrawebs of this sort of thing, so I won't bother for now.

Here's the mount I'll be using, it has 1" ball.

I made a spacer out of an Ikea cutting board, this will save me from drilling a separate hole and coming up with some sort of fitting for the wires.

I then drilled out the kayak for the mount, I put the mount just ahead of the 'Down' rudder pull. This keeps it out of the way of the tackle tray and pulling the rudder down. Notice I drilled a big hole in the middle, this is where the plugs will pass through. Also be careful with drilling the holes and hole placement, you don't want to fray the rudder lines which run close by. Stick to the shortest bolts possilbe (only stainless of course), I used 1.25" x 10-24.

I then grooved the spacer, the spacer will go between the mount and the kayak, and the wires will run along the groove.

Here it is all mounted and siliconed up, Note: don't use silicone, stick to goop, silicone does not seem to want to stick to the wire at all. On my other setup I used goop and it worked fine, however I like the fact that silicone is easy to remove so I wanted to give it a try. If I ever sell the boat or move the fish finder I just remove the spacer and leave the ball mount for other gadgets.

Here is the fish finder mounted. The hummingbird RAM mount does not come with any hardware, the fish finder only comes with traditional screws. 0.75" 8-32 stainless machine screws and lock washers are the perfect length for mounting the fish finder base to the hummingbird RAM plate.

I bought a weatherproof 12v trailer plug and pig-tail kit from Wally World. I soldered this to the battery and the power line for the fish finder. The battery terminals were given a couple coats of Goop to make them waterproof, you could use liquid electrical tape like I did on my other fish finder battery also. I put heat shrink tubing on the power line solder joints and then added a big blob of Goop to add strength and make sure the heat shrink is sealed up. Since the battery is sealed this makes for a nearly water tight setup, the only thing left to do is to protect the battery from bumps and bangs. I did this by once again breaking out the Goop and gluing some hunks of foam pool noodle to the battery.

The end result shape is perfect for riding in the center hull channel of a Hobie Sport or Outback.



Here's the plug I used from Wally World;

Tested it out yesterday on an outing and it worked great.

Mission accomplished!

YakDreams

Archive: good first day out in 2008 07-01-2008

so back in late March Dr. tells me 'no more kayaking' I held off til now ...I couldn't take it any longer.

After debating selling my yak this past week, with my wifes encouragement, I went out! I wasn't prepared tho, I forgot some stuff, some stuff wasn't working the best after 8 months of outdoor sub-zero storage.. but all in all it was a fantastic trip, the weather was perfect, the lake quiet, despite a bass tourney going on.

I forgot one of my rods so since I had my heavy rod I started out targetting Muskey in unfamiliar territory, my local lake, but at a new launch point. I wasted a couple hours before I moved to the other side of the lake and rigged for plastic. I got action right away with the plastic, landed about half a dozen LMBs, first LMBs I've caught from the yak, and a couple aggressive decent sized rock bass (8" twister tail). This was a great trip, because I've hardly caught a thing on this lake til now.

First cast with the plastic I got this guy, got a few more similar;

Further down the bank I landed this guy, at first I thought I'd hooked a small muskey, he put up a great fight with a couple trips under the yak, eventually he pulled me into the grassy bank. He passed the 18" mark and he was fat, the angle of the pic doesn't do this guy justice (must build camera rig!), his tail is in the footwell, and his girth is as big around as the knee beside him.

Here's another typical;

Hopefully a little physio will keep me fishing, I can't wait to go back out, my best kayak outing yet, bonus that it's local.

good to be back.

YakDreams

Archive: My biggest Yellow Perch 08-20-2007

Well I've been completely striking out in the yak. I'm so new to the water I'm taking the yak out on that I'm too busy exploring, and I'm not finding 'the spots' ...so after 5 hours striking out in the yak, I took to shore to a fun little harbour that always is full of suprises. The water turned extremely cold the last few days in comparison to what it was a week ago, and out came this guy, the perch are usually finger sized at this spot, 13.5" ..my biggest in the 30 years I've been catching them.

(sorry about the poor quality cell phone pic in near dark conditions)

I'm back, well sorta, a new blog, a different theme, and a new kayak!

My first blog didn't last long. It was more general than the new blog, I ranted about technology and the I.T. industry, as well as provided some knowledge sharing, on top of the fishing and kayaking....well I'm done with all that. This time around it's 98% fishing and kayak fishing. But why you must be thinking? I just grew tired of having a beef and having to rant about industry developments, I have to deal with this stuff enough in my day job, other aspects of technology have grown tiring too, I'm not even going to start on that, I'm just done. I just want to put in my time at my day job, do a good job too, go home with a clear conscience and focus on fun and family outside of work.

I'm sad that I seem to have lost most of my old blog. I had wanted to do it all on my own, I built the hardware, setup the static connection, the network, linux, raid, middleware, apache, wordpress ...and the list goes on. I spent quite a bit of time working on images and layout, only to have the box fried in a lightning storm. I still have one of the harddrives, I'm hoping someday I'll find the time to recover some of the images as I can use them here. Fortunately most of my fishing reports are also posted on a few forums so I should be able to recover those.  Over time I'm going to re-create all my past reports to keep the content flowing, and keep them on my personal site for the rest of time. Maintaining this blog will be much less time consuming, I'll be able to focus more on content, which was the driving force in the first place.

As far as the new kayak, after 4 years I've finally took the plunge and bought a Mirage drive boat, a Hobie Outback, I've just started rigging it, as well as my wife's 2 year old Hobie Sport which has remained stock up until now, be sure to check back for reviews and rigging of these two kayaks.

That's all for now, stay tuned as I have lot's to come.

YakDreams

Two new Hobies announced yesterday at iCast

You know at first I thought, hmm these are a bit of a gamble, but not so much anymore. After reading the full release,; instead of yesterdays rumours I'm confident these are winners. Not only will they suit current Hobie Sport owners looking for a step up in speed and maneuverability, they will also make a great 2nd kayak for someone that has a bigger heavier boat and is looking for something that is light and portable, easy to take into hard to reach places and can still carry a fairly decent payload.  I certainly wouldn't hit the big waters with one of these but they sure would be fun on our small lakes and rivers. The only other downside for me would be stability, however I think it's nice that Hobie has come out with a smaller sleek pair of kayaks, the small Revo might even convince a few paddle fanatics to give the pedals a try.

see copy of official news release below.

YakDreams

Oceanside, California – July 13, 2011 – Hobie Cat’s popular Mirage Revolution 13 and Quest 13 now have little brothers, the Mirage Revolution 11 and Quest 11. With the same angler-friendly design, these shorter, lighter models cut through the water like knives through butter. They will be sure favorites for small to mid-size anglers looking to stalk fish with compact, lightweight and maneuverable fishing kayaks.

The Mirage Revolution 11 is powered by Hobie’s patented MirageDrive® pedal system while the Quest 11 accommodates those who prefer to paddle. Fitting a niche that has long gone unanswered, they are first of their kind integrating the feel of longer touring kayaks with shorter more maneuverable river kayaks. They are proudly made in the U.S.A.

Both boats are fast and nimble, track straight and have a sharp turning radius. The cockpit areas include a large front hatch for storing plenty of gear as well as a center eight-inch round hatch. Two molded-in rod holders make trolling easy. Hobie’s Livewell can be added into the trunk areas and can accommodate additional rod storage and live bait fishing. These kayaks will be favorites among anglers looking to fish shallow, fast moving water. But it does not stop there…they are equally as proficient in calm water and ocean waves. There is no learning curve on either boat. They do not use gas and they go places that powerboats cannot like rocky shallows, up narrow creek channels and over prop-snagging vegetation.

A series of fishing-friendly accessories makes it possible for anglers to customize and fit their own preferences. Hobie’s Livewell has a high-flow, self-priming Attwood pump, a six volt sealed gel cell battery, adjustable drain and the capability of holding up to eight gallons of water. A Plug-In Hobie Trax “2” Cart with pneumatic wheels provides for easy rolling of heavy loads over rough terrain or soft sand. Turbo Fins can increase boat speed by over ten percent. New from Hobie….the first ever Horizontal Rod Holder Kit that lets anglers in any kayak, Hobie or otherwise, store rods along either or both sides of their vessel. These are only a sampling of what is available.

Both kayaks are offered in a variety of color choices including Caribbean Blue, Red Hibiscus, Golden Papaya, Ivory Dune, and Olive. They are constructed of seamless rotomolded polyethylene hulls and are designed with open-deck construction. Two-piece paddles with fiberglass shaft and deluxe, padded back-support seatbacks are included with both models. They are easily transportable in the back of a pickup truck or on a roof rack. And, of course, both boats meet the National Marine Manufacturers Association certification requirements for flotation.

HOBIE MIRAGE REVOLUTION 11 The defining feature on the Mirage Revolution 11 is Hobie’s patented MirageDrive. The self-centering padded pedals are connected to two underwater flippers, much like penguin wings; and are locked and unlocked from the kayak with the Click and Go system. Steering is controlled via oversized fingertip steering handle on the left side, making it easy to cast, hook, and land fish while maneuvering to that secret spot.
Length: 11’ 6”
Width: 29”
Hull Weight: 47 lbs.
MirageDrive Weight: 6.6 lbs.
Capacity: 300 lbs.
Additional Standard Features: Oversized forward hatch. Two eight-inch Twist and Seal hatches. Two mesh-covered stowage pockets. On-deck receptacle with cap for optional accessories post or sail mast, dive flag, or nav-anchor light. Deluxe padded seatback with lumbar support. Two molded-in mid-boat carrying grips. Gear bucket. MSRP: USD $1749

HOBIE QUEST 11
Length: 11.1’
Width: 29”
Hull Weight: 47 lbs.
Capacity: 300 lbs.
Additional Standard Features: “Easy Open” hinged hatch with access to large forward storage area. One eight-inch Twist and Seal hatch conveniently located in front of the seat. Aft room for second eight-inch optional hatch for additional storage. Adjustable foot braces for paddling leverage. Two mesh-covered stowage pockets. Two molded-in mid-boat carrying grips. Gear bucket. MSRP: USD $949