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The transducer on my 2019 G21 appears to have failed. Instead of replacing the transducer (part cost >$300), I am considering installing a seperate LCD screen depthfinder (as used in bass fishing). I can get a much more informative dept finder for not much more than the replacement trans.. My plan is to use an in-hull transducer (leaving the current td in place). Has anyone done a similar modification? Also, in-hull transducers requres the hull being 'solid' fiberglass not sandwich construction. Can someonce confirm if a 2019 G21 hull is "solid" of "sandwich".Thanks
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Let's start with this first.... It's your boat so you can do anything you want to it. Now that, that is out of the way. be careful with any "mods" that include butchering the dash or drilling mounting holes that can be seen IF you care about resale on your boat. Your boat isn't a bass master fishing boat so unless you're looking to scare off buyers later that are looking for a completely stock or completely stock looking boat be careful with what you do. I've personally walked away from what would have been a great boat due to poorly implemented "Dad mods". I my case it was a fish finder screwed through the vinyl brow of the dash. Again, to be clear, it's your boat so have at it.
With that all out of the way, I can't speak to your boat but I added an additional depth sounder to the stock mounting location where it was a factory option. I didn't have any issues with mine. I doubt they laid up your model hull any different than mine. Be careful with the installation as performance will suffer if you don't get it right. -
I totally agree with bturner. It's very doable, but IMHO, unwise. You have a nice, $120K boat--your choice, but I would not half-*** some solution.Comment
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I was thinking of adding a seperate one on my 2009 230. All I have is a little guage at the center bottom of the tach and it is very hard to see. My problem is where to place the guage although I have toyed with finding a place for a small chart plotter with depth sounder for those trips away from my home waters. That being said, drilling a hole to add a seperate transducer is the easy part. Finding a location for the readout or screen is the big challenge. Just make sure to review the placement in the hull. You need to have the correct position/angle in clean non-turblent water.Comment
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To clarify, an in-hull transducer does not require any holes be drilled in the hull, nor will the mounting of a small LCD require any holes/modifications to the boat.
An in-hull transducer is 'glued' to the inside of the hull (easily removeable with no visible signs). Also, I plan to utilize a clamping device that will be attached to windsheild to mount the depth finder LDC. I am going to leave the current 'defective' transducer in the boat (maybe it will miraculously fix itself).. The potential issue is the in-hull transducer does not function properly if the hull is a sandwich technology....
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You currently have a "shoot-thru-hull" transducer, so I'm pretty confident that you'll have no problems with another one. There's nothing special about the factory transducer that would make it work any differently that whatever Lowrance/Humminbird/Garmin/etc. you go with. It really just needs a solid surface to transmit sound waves through. Up here in MN, it's common to set your icefishing transducer on the surface of the ice, and provided it's nice, clear ice (i.e. not a lot of bubbles), they work just fine shooting through a foot or more of ice.Comment
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I have never seen a shoot thru the hull transducer. Do they work well?Comment
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From Garmins Website:
Garmin's GT15M-IH 8-pin in-hull transducer makes it easier to find deep fishing spots in freshwater, thanks to CHIRP sonar that'll let you maintain depth accuracy, even when your craft is moving quickly. Got a fiberglass bass boat? Installing this transducer in the hull will help you avoid transom-mounted issues caused by cavitation bubbles. It packs 600 watts of power so it can read down to 1,900 feet in freshwater, and it'll work in saltwater, too. Pair it with select Garmin transom-mount transducers and an adapter cable so you can maintain depth at high speeds and scanning capabilities at trolling speeds.
It says pair with transom mount for depth at high speeds? Does the in-hull only work while sitting still?Comment
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I 've had them on various boats going back probably 30 years. Never had a problem with any of them. They've changed quite a bit, at least with the one I installed last spring. The mounting cup is now manufactured so you can dial in the proper angle to match the deadrise of the hull. On this one you also use basically antifreeze as a medium for the seal between the transducer and the hull whereas previously, you used to glue them in with epoxy. The new one never misses a beat, it reads well even at full speed. Then again it's not like this is a "go fast" boat where you're trimming the boat to get as much hull out of the water as possible.Comment
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Also, you're not looking for the sensitivity to ID fish.Comment
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