Side imaging kayak

[Montanaro]

Hey fellas, Ive a feelfree lure 11.5 kayak with lowrance elite 3x with transducer through scupper hole that tucks into hull slightly.  Ive gotten efficient in reading and using it and I am considering a Helix 5 SI.

However Im afraid the mounting options are limited as the hull may block the transducer and Im not big on a swing arm mount as it adds weight and encumberance.

Anyone have any experience with si kayaks?

[J Francho]

I have the YakAttak arm, it's very light, and I don't have to worry about damaging the TD when putting in/taking out.  Not to mention, I can move the unit to other boats with slide tracks.  SI/DI/CHIRP all work great.

[Montanaro]

Do you believe si is a useful tool for your kayak? I mostly fish small waters but want a better understanding of them and having self charting abilities/gps

[J Francho]

If you have the means, I would not hesitate to use SI.

[Jrob78]

5 hours ago, J Francho said:

I have the YakAttak arm, it's very light, and I don't have to worry about damaging the TD when putting in/taking out.  Not to mention, I can move the unit to other boats with slide tracks.  SI/DI/CHIRP all work great.

I use the YakAttak arm also.  It works great.  I would also highly recommend SI on your kayak.  I have a 798si on mine and would hate to lose SI capabilities.

[Tracker22]

Mounted between the skid plate and the yak. Easy manufacturing. Works great. 

[Jrob78]

One of the things I like about using the arm is you can set it up in front of you instead of behind you.

[Goose52]

Different kind of boat but the same solution.  I highly recommend a "deployment arm" for SI transducer mounting. As John said above, you can easily raise the transducer when launching or landing the boat, as well as shutting down the sonar and raising the transducer if you are in a bunch of slop that would foul the 'ducer.

I've been using my deployment arm for 7 years now, most currently on a Helix 10. You can see the arm raised on the right side of the sonar in the photo below.

Regarding SI on small watercraft - why not? It's just as helpful on small boats as on bass boats...

[Jrob78]

2 hours ago, Goose52 said:

Sweet set up!

[Goose52]

29 minutes ago, Jrob78 said:

Sweet set up!

Thanks !   It works, gets me off the bank...

[MDRookie]

4 hours ago, Goose52 said:

Different kind of boat but the same solution.  I highly recommend a "deployment arm" for SI transducer mounting. As John said above, you can easily raise the transducer when launching or landing the boat, as well as shutting down the sonar and raising the transducer if you are in a bunch of slop that would foul the 'ducer.

I've been using my deployment arm for 7 years now, most currently on a Helix 10. You can see the arm raised on the right side of the sonar in the photo below.

Regarding SI on small watercraft - why not? It's just as helpful on small boats as on bass boats...

Sheesh.. I thought I had a lot to set up. I ventured into this forum to find info on a picking a fish finder for my canoe. Thanks for showing the deployment arm as I was thinking of mounting it to the trolling motor but seems like a PITA. Nice rig...

 

[Montanaro]

Regarding the deployment arm...are they ram mount compatible?  The feelfree has adjustable mounts that accepts ram which would be ideal for me

[Goose52]

6 hours ago, Montanaro said:

Regarding the deployment arm...are they ram mount compatible?  The feelfree has adjustable mounts that accepts ram which would be ideal for me

Mine is not Ram attachable directly - it is designed to be bolted to a "sideboard" (some of which might be Ram compatible).

[Montanaro]

What brand swing arms yall recommend?

[J Francho]

On 11/17/2016 at 9:55 AM, J Francho said:

I have the YakAttak arm

 

23 hours ago, Jrob78 said:

I use the YakAttak arm also.

There's two votes.....

[Turkey sandwich]

8 hours ago, Montanaro said:

Regarding the deployment arm...are they ram mount compatible?  The feelfree has adjustable mounts that accepts ram which would be ideal for me

I was going to make this suggestion.  I have a Lure 13.5 with the sonar pod, so I don't need it, but  I have used the Ram mount for rigging my sonar to my dad's 16' aluminum V and it's worked fine.  

[Montanaro]

I read something online that the sonar pod doesnt extend far enough for SI transducer to work properly...regardless Im not in a situation to trade in my lure for a new  (if i did id ratger have the new propulsion system)

[MIbassyaker]

Did you find a satisfactory solution to this, @Montanaro?

 

4 years later, I have the same question: I'm looking at adding side imaging to a feelfree lure 11.5, but not sure if I should mount the transducer on the pod or get the swing arm.

[Dens228]

I can only speak of the pod for a Bonafide SS127........I've read so many posts on FB forums that you need to have a two inch spacer between the pod and transducer to get SI to work.  I also read a bunch that said you didn't.   I didn't and the transducer ends up being less than 1/4 inch higher than the two keels running along either side but those keels are also a few inches out to the side of the transducer.  I want it that way as I fish a lot of places where I go through a few inches of water between main bodies as well as a lot of places with submerged and semi-submerged stumps so want that protection.   

It was explained to me that the SI doesn't shoot straight out the sides but at a downward angle.  By my calculations that beam is running fine and is not blocked by the keel.   My experience on the water shows that.   Just to be sure a friend of mine has the exact same unit.  He runs his on an arm since his kayak doesn't have a pod.   When we are side be side we get the same picture and same quality.  I have people online tell me this isn't possible.......lol    I tell them to mount theirs in whatever way they feel is required. 

[schplurg]

Another option. Homemade with scrap aluminum.

 

Add a length of paracord and the transducer can be raised and lowered no problem. Then again, if the yak clears the obstruction so will the 'ducer. Can be raised or lowered too if I drill a few more holes. Mounted to existing rudder mount holes. I think I lowered it some since this photo.

 

 

[J Francho]

Looks clean.  Was it a single piece of extruded L channel that was cut?  I'm trying to envision what it started as.

[CountryboyinDC]

@MIbassyaker, I run side imaging on my pedal drive kayak with the entire graph setup contained in a Yak Atrack Cellblock. It allows me to take the whole thing off easily and can be mounted on any kayak with 9" of track or so.

 There are 2 things I might consider with your Lure before using this setup.  1. Will the mounting of the entire fish finder setup interfere with the normal function of my kayak?  With my Jackson Coosa HD, the kayak listed noticeably and the contraption interfered with my forward paddle stroke (sweeps, rudders, and every type of draw were okay, though) severely.  With my pedal kayak, neither of these issues shows up, the kayak is much more stable and the rails are farther forward the seat.  2.  Does using the pod allow you to remove the head, transducer, and battery while fishing?  I know that my SI transducer is huge, and while it would mount on many pods,.you wouldn't be able to take off the pod with everything mounted from the deck side.  This is important to me because I get gunk on the transducer fairly regularly, and I can reach the transducer to remove it.  Also, I pull my kayaks in shallow several times while fishing to tie on a lure or to fish a given area thoroughly without anchoring.

The matter of how deep the transducer needs to go may be a matter of trial and error, as @Dens228 found. I know from error that it can be in too little water on a swing arm.  At first I got some artifact, which I fashioned a baffle to try to do away with (didn't help).  When I put it on my pedal drive, I could only see to the keel of my boat on the side opposite of the one I mounted the transducer.  I bought a piece of 1/2" aluminum round stock cut 4" longer than what came with the swing arm (18" was stock,  if memory serves), and both the side beam hitting the hull and the artifact disappeared.  

I personally prefer the Ram ball mount to what Yak Attack uses, but again there are differences among users there.  I simply don't care for the connection point Yak Attack uses (I realized this after using Omega rod holders for a couple of months), and find the Ram to be utterly reliable and trouble free.

 

[MIbassyaker]

Good info, all -- thanks. I'm running with a rudder on the back of the Lure 11.5, and it improves tracking so much I can't imaging doing without it now. So rear mount, which would otherwise be an ok solution, is out. I'm leaning heavily toward a side mount. I'm expecting the transducer will need to go deep enough that being able to pull it out of the water easily will be a big benefit, as I fish a number of places accessible only by really shallow connecting waters.  Of course, I'm not going to be able to test out anything by trial-and-error for a few months yet...

[Smalls]

On 1/3/2021 at 9:09 AM, MIbassyaker said:

Did you find a satisfactory solution to this, @Montanaro?

 

4 years later, I have the same question: I'm looking at adding side imaging to a feelfree lure 11.5, but not sure if I should mount the transducer on the pod or get the swing arm.

It depends on what transducer you're running. Some need a small spacer, others don't. 

 

I'm running a Big Fish, so basically the same pod as you. I love the pod deal. Having to pull it up while beaching is a minor inconvenience compared to the benefits of having an all in one place for your  graph/transducer/battery. 

[Dens228]

I just lowered my transducer under my Bonafide pod with a spacer to see if I was missing some clarity last season.  The pod is constructed so that it can pivot up on the front hinge. 

I am going to screw two eyelets on kayak so that I can lift the front of the pod up and slide a pin in to keep it up high enough to protect the transducer when I launch and land.