: Has anyone installed a thru hull fishfinder in a strip built kayak? how did
: it work?

: River Rat

I installed one in my "fishing yak" about 5 or 6 years ago and have used it extensively ever since. It is my belief that a transducer can not shoot through a wooden hull, although I have not extensively tested this theory. I cut a small window in the hull of my stripper in tha area behind the seat and glassed in a "pane" of 1/4-inch polycarbonate (Lexan). The edges were beveled to help relieve my anxiety about the possibility of catastrophic failure. I use a 7 amp-hr battery and it has lasted through 6-day fishing trips without recharging. The part I don't like is the coil of extra transducer cable. I used marine goop to anchor the transducer to the Lexan and surrounded it with a "wall" of pvc to protect it a bit. I think I would use the "hole-in-foam" method if I were doing it again. Like others have said, there is much information about transducer installation on kayak fishing web sites, and a variety of techniques. Overall, I am happy with the results and seem to get accurate readings.