EdRitchie Posted December 26, 2014 Posted December 26, 2014 I've been kayak fishing for little over a year now and I'm loving it. Looking to get a fish finder but not break the bank. Bass Pro has a Lowrance Elite 3 X for $99.99 . Price point perfect . Was wondering about mounting transducer. Glueing it to bottom or does it need to be in water ? Any info about this unit would be greatly appreciated,99.9% sure I'm going with this unit. Thank you Ed Quote
Super User Felix77 Posted December 27, 2014 Super User Posted December 27, 2014 Should work with the ram mount for the 4 series. Great starter fishfinder. 1 Quote
EdRitchie Posted December 27, 2014 Author Posted December 27, 2014 Found these cool magnet mounts for the transducer. Great idea would love to try these. http://www.fishfindermounts.com/ Quote
Super User Sam Posted December 27, 2014 Super User Posted December 27, 2014 Ed, wait for the January or February BPS sale and try to get the unit less than $100. Also, if you can find a local kayak fishing club call the president and ask him what he thinks about installing the unit on your kayak and how to do it. The guy may want to help you with the installation. The transducer needs to be in the water to work. Ask about that, too. Good luck and don't fall out of the kayak!!!! 1 Quote
EdRitchie Posted December 28, 2014 Author Posted December 28, 2014 Keep reading articles that a $100 unit isn't worth getting.Guess I have to decide , electronics or new baitcaster LH retrieve . Quote
PNWdude Posted December 29, 2014 Posted December 29, 2014 The transducer needs to be in the water to work. Ask about that, too. Are you sure about this? I've seen a few install videos for kayaks on Youtube (Austin Kayak and Hobie for example) that place the transducer in the hull and say that as long as it's flat on the bottom it will work fine. Keep reading articles that a $100 unit isn't worth getting.Guess I have to decide , electronics or new baitcaster LH retrieve . I'm also in the market for a fish finder for my kayak. I considered this same unit as well, but after researching more, came to the same conclusion that I would rather spend more and get a unit with more features (GPS, Multi-Window Display, DownScan Imaging) to help future proof it a little longer. I'm more than likely going to end up getting the Lowrance Elite-4 HDI. Quote
atcoha Posted December 31, 2014 Posted December 31, 2014 I have the elite3x. Have it on the trolling motor on my jonboat right now. Have not rigged it up on my kayak yet. I use my kayak for inshore/bay sight fishing mainly for specks and redfish. For $100, I am happy with it. It shows what I need in a $100 unit. I knew what I was getting. If you want bare bones, features that work, this is it. If you are looking for more features, keep looking, and dig deeper in your pocket. I have the ram mount for mine. Makes it easy. Quote
Super User flyfisher Posted December 31, 2014 Super User Posted December 31, 2014 Only certain types will not work in a thru hull application and from what i understand those are basically the side imaging versions. I have a $100 humminbird pirahnamax and have no complaints. it shows me depth and temperature even in a thru hull application fine. I am looking to potentially upgrade next year though and get a SI unit. Quote
Super User flyfisher Posted December 31, 2014 Super User Posted December 31, 2014 Found these cool magnet mounts for the transducer. Great idea would love to try these. http://www.fishfindermounts.com/ I saw these before. The concept is cool but the price is steep and their website drives me nuts...maybe it is because i am using safari but the header takes up 2/3 of the page making it hard to see anything... 1 Quote
EdRitchie Posted December 31, 2014 Author Posted December 31, 2014 I saw these before. The concept is cool but the price is steep and their website drives me nuts...maybe it is because i am using safari but the header takes up 2/3 of the page making it hard to see anything... Yes a little pricey ,maybe able to make something similar though .There web site is the worse I've seen , tried diffrent browsers same results Quote
Super User flyfisher Posted December 31, 2014 Super User Posted December 31, 2014 I do really like the idea though....i mean a magnet mount is pretty awesome, if they could make it with some sort of shock absorbing capability, it would be even better though. Quote
Super User buzzed bait Posted December 31, 2014 Super User Posted December 31, 2014 only the side imaging won't work with the thru hull application. getting the transducer in the water is ideal, but the right method on a thru hull will work well. all you need to do is go to lowers or home depot in the electrical or havc area and ask for duct seal. just google duct seal transducer on google and you will see how to do it. i did that for over a year with my first kayak and a garmin echo 150 and it worked like a charm. i now have a lowrance 4x HDI that i have on a ram mount that sticks in the water. best part of the duct seal is you can move it, remove it, whatever and no holes no drills no mess no glue none of that. pretty certain you'll thank me later on if you go this route. as for that model fish finder, i am no help. i just read customer reviews until i'm blue in the face and make a decision based on the experiences of others. good luck, enjoy the new depth finder no matter which way you go. 1 Quote
Super User DogBone_384 Posted December 31, 2014 Super User Posted December 31, 2014 I have last year's 4X, which looks like this year's 3X, now that the new 4X has down imaging. I paid $119 for it because I didn't want to spend a lot on a kayak fish finder. I used a scupper mount in my Lure 11.5 & made my own mount for my 128T using a 3" pvc plumbing flange. It shows depth & stucture nicely. I got a Pelican case just big enough for the battery and control head so they're together & protected when not in use. For short money, it's a great unit. Quote
Super User buzzed bait Posted December 31, 2014 Super User Posted December 31, 2014 Ed, it's worth asking, what model kayak do you have? Quote
EdRitchie Posted January 1, 2015 Author Posted January 1, 2015 Ascend A10, new to kayak fishing . I have seen the duct seal ,but I really don't have any flat spots any where in the kayak. Also don't want to have my fish finder to be worth more than my kayak. Thank you for all the input keep it coming. Ed Quote
Super User buzzed bait Posted January 1, 2015 Super User Posted January 1, 2015 Ascend A10, new to kayak fishing . I have seen the duct seal ,but I really don't have any flat spots any where in the kayak. Also don't want to have my fish finder to be worth more than my kayak. Thank you for all the input keep it coming. Ed the kayak i had the duct seal in was an ascend fs10 which is essentially identical to your model. behind the seat, around the tankwell area is where i placed mine and it worked like a charm Quote
EdRitchie Posted January 1, 2015 Author Posted January 1, 2015 I'm concerned about the inside of my hull. From what I've seen on Google the FS 10 is flatter on the inside than the A10 . I will try and post pics . The transducer you want flat as possible .....? Correct Ed Quote
atcoha Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 Check out those "bendable arm" type mounts. The base mounts to a rail or ram type base plate, transducer connected to arm you can bend off to the side and into the water...and conveniently removable. Just a thought, my jackson kayak does not have round holes, and I thought about doing this with it... Quote
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