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I am mounting a Garmin 4V GPS/depth finder on my new boat. I am unsure just how critical the location of the transducer is. (I am using a stern saver for mounting.) Garmin recommends mounting 15” from the motor and not at a hull point that may cause turbulence interference. Given the small size of the transom and the tie down location. I am asking for advice.

Is the recommended 15” distance just to ensure there is not a turning radius issue or another problem? Is moving to the right of the tie down strap too far to the right?

(Note: no matter how I try I cannot upload the jpeg or png file (less than 100k), so I am unable to share the photo which is important since it will be difficult for the unfamiliar to understand how little area is available.)

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Not sure why?
You already have uploaded 5 photos to your personal page in the past.

BEST way for naming photos.


If you cannot figure out why, then send me ONE photo and I will take a look at it.

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Soup:

I own a 150 Super Sport (2015). 60hp Merc.

I mounted my transducer just to the starboard side of the motor, not very far, about straight down from the rightmost part of the transom motor cutout. Looking online at 130 Super Sport transoms, it looks like if your cable came just over the transom at the cutout, straight down past the drain thru-hull, it would be in about the same spot as mine.

This spot is maybe too close to the motor, against the manufacturer's advice? You have a little room to move rightward (to starboard) but you can't go to that next chine. Just on the other side of that chine is where the trailer bunk supports the hull. Plenty of opportunity with that bunk to screw up your transducer.

I ran my transducer cable through the bundle of cables, steering cable, and fuel lines that runs from console to motor.

I do not have the same depth finder, but mine works very well.

I am attaching a link to a pic of my transducer mounting. It does not show exactly what we're talking about but I can't give you a better pic--my boat is an hour away at the dealer's storage yard for the winter. But if you look to the extreme right of the pic, you can see the hull flatten out for the chine where the bunk of the trailer sits just to the right of that.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yrAvSUh5FiG...5FiGCw45b2

I hope this helps. I am assuming your motor and mine rotate the same direction and etc. The boats are quite similar, and if I had yours, I would probably mount exactly the way I mounted on mine.

BTW, I glued mine with 3M 5200. It is a custom cut piece of marine "board" (all plastic). I used the "torch" procedure to help the board accept adhesive. That thing is ON THERE. I don't know how different the stern saver is from what I used. My mounting screws don't penetrate my hull, which is what I really wanted to avoid. The whole installation seems pretty tough. Two seasons and no problems.

Hope this helps,

Bill

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Great feedback...thank-you. I believed that area would work as long as my motor won’t hit it. Like you said, once you glue on the mounting plate...it is permanent.

As far as my photo upload issue, it may be because I am using an iPad. I’ll try on my desktop later.

I taped the Stern Saver here in the attached photo...not much space, so I think this is where I will have to mount it.

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Soup, you absolutely do NOT want to mount it where you have it taped on in the photo - that area will experience a lot of turbulence and, in any event, be out of the water at speed.

If it were me, I would mount it directly below the scupper hole shown in the picture; that will be in the water even if you are planing. It probably violates the 15 inch manufacturer's recommendation, but that's not a hard and fast rule - not like it's going to work fine at 15+ and suddenly fail at 14. If it will fit, you could even run the transducer cable through the scupper hole for a cleaner installation.

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I appreciate your thoughts and I am leaning your way. The location shown is 15" and the location you recommend (and I am leaning to) is only 8" away from the motor mount. I checked and the motor will not strike the transducer, so I decided to mount it where you recommend.

I figure if it does not work well, I am out the cost of the stern saver and the permanent unused stern saver (which won't be visible in the water and I may want it in the future for something else.)

Thanks

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Soup:

I agree with Tedious. Just to the left of the strap in your picture is where I'd locate it. But I have a bit more room there ...

Our sterns/transoms are very similar, just the size is different.

The suggested distance from the motor ... there's a lot of different places that are "motor" from which you could measure. The important one would be any part of the motor that causes turbulence that would interfere with the sonar signal. At high speed, everything causes turbulence, but many depth finders can't keep up anyway. At slow speed (upon arrival to the fishing grounds or while trolling) the real turbulence is the prop wash, only. At slower speeds the boat is relatively non-turbulent and the other parts of the motor also glide through the water. From prop to transducer ... probably more than 15".

It would be nice to have others chime in here. On my boat, the location seemed perfect and theoretically correct. I tried it and it worked. That does not make me an expert.

As for the mounting of the transducer, proper, to the boat. According to manufacturer's instructions, I ran a straightedge along the bottom of the boat and my transducer was supposed to be lined up with that edge, which also represents a perpendicular. I was surprised at how different the correct mounting height and angle was compared to what I "eyeballed" as being correct.

For my transducer, the key was to mount so that the unit itself was not mega-turbulence inducing and that it was shooting straight down into the drink.

I like your idea of tape as a temporary measure. You could tape a yardstick or something to your bottom to get that height/angle right.

Finally, a glued on block that serves no purpose is always better than a hole through the hull!!! Plus, gentlemen shouldn't be checking out your stern so closely ...

Bill

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One more thing ...

Perhaps you could tape the transducer in place before gluing anything? Then test it! Really good duck tape ...

Try before you buy.

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I completed the install of the Garmin 4V today and took the boat out for a test. The unit performed well at slow speeds up to about 15mph (once planed). The depth seemed to work at plane at 30mph. I declare this a success for my purposes.

I have annotated photos uploaded to my personal page to share my installation.

Regret: I wish I installed the Stern Saver block vertically and more centered to where the transponder need to be.

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That sounds like my experience. I can get depth when running hard, but no fish. Once I slow down, fish appear, and more and more clearly as I get down to a trolling speed.