Garmin to Minn Kota- not so good?

[jbmaine]

Hi all,

 I'm putting together all the bits and pieces for my new boat, and might have run into a snag. I bought a Garmin 73 ecko map chirp cv to go on the front of my boat, and I was going to use the universal transducer on a Minn Kota ulterra trolling motor. I called minn kota to confirm I was getting the right adapter cable and was told down scan wouldn't really work. The universal transducer in the trolling motor was only for your more basic fish finders. So I'm thinking I'll need to mount the Garmin transducer externally on the trolling motor, but where will the cable go to be out of the way when the trolling motor stows and deploys? Has anyone of you run into this, and if so what did you do?

                                                                 Thanks      Jim

[moguy1973]

No fish finder can use down scan or side scan with the universal transducer in the trolling motor.  It was designed to only use 2D sonar.

 

This video is for a Terrova but it should be the same to run the transducer cable for the Ulterra:

 

 

[Further North]

That will not work on an Ulterra - there is a toothed belt that rides in the notch in the shaft.

 

There are several solutions available for this situation, some commercial, some fabricated on the spot.  Do a search and you will find them.

[moguy1973]

2 hours ago, Further North said:

That will not work on an Ulterra - there is a toothed belt that rides in the notch in the shaft.

 

There are several solutions available for this situation, some commercial, some fabricated on the spot.  Do a search and you will find them.

Why would Minn Kota do that?  I guess they don't care that people would want to use an external transducer and they would need a way to route the cable to the TM prop housing?

[moguy1973]

This place makes outrigger plates that allow you to mount the transducer separate from the trolling motor.  Might be an option so you don't have to worry about the cable issue.  They even have special mounts for the Garmin GT transducers.

 

http://fishingspecialties.com/

[jbmaine]

Guess I was assuming the built in transducer would work. my bad. so how are others with an ulterra doing this. I'll welcome all ideas. Maybe I'm not asking this right but a search didn't bring up much.

                                                         Thanks

                                                                 Jim

[12poundbass]

34 minutes ago, jbmaine said:

Guess I was assuming the built in transducer would work. my bad. so how are others with an ulterra doing this. I'll welcome all ideas. Maybe I'm not asking this right but a search didn't bring up much.

                                                         Thanks

                                                                 Jim

Sent you a PM

[Megastink]

I just had this issue with my Echomap 73SV and my Minn Kota Maxxum 70lb. 

 

My boat desler had to make a custom mount that rides on the SIDE of the TM. It’s an offset mount. I’ll take a photo this weekend and send it.

[moguy1973]

1 hour ago, jbmaine said:

Guess I was assuming the built in transducer would work. my bad. so how are others with an ulterra doing this. I'll welcome all ideas. Maybe I'm not asking this right but a search didn't bring up much.

                                                         Thanks

                                                                 Jim

I just did a Google search for "mounting transducer on ulterra" and there was a bunch of threads over on B BC and other forums and a few Youtube videos.

34 minutes ago, Megastink said:

I just had this issue with my Echomap 73SV and my Minn Kota Maxxum 70lb. 

 

My boat desler had to make a custom mount that rides on the SIDE of the TM. It’s an offset mount. I’ll take a photo this weekend and send it.

His problem isn't going to be mounting the transducer.  His problem is running the wire down to the transducer since the Ulterra has motorized stowing and it seems there isn't a groove down the side of the shaft like the Terrova and the Powerdrive hasn to run the wire down.

[Further North]

4 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

Why would Minn Kota do that?  I guess they don't care that people would want to use an external transducer and they would need a way to route the cable to the TM prop housing?

The toothed belt is the drive belt for the auto-deploy, auto-stow and power trim...I'm guessing that's why Minn Kota would do that.

 

It's kind of important on the Ulterra. 

 

  

[jbmaine]

2 hours ago, Megastink said:

I just had this issue with my Echomap 73SV and my Minn Kota Maxxum 70lb. 

 

My boat desler had to make a custom mount that rides on the SIDE of the TM. It’s an offset mount. I’ll take a photo this weekend and send it.

Thanks I appreciate it 

                       Jim

[moguy1973]

11 hours ago, Further North said:

The toothed belt is the drive belt for the auto-deploy, auto-stow and power trim...I'm guessing that's why Minn Kota would do that.

 

It's kind of important on the Ulterra. 

 

  

That's not what I meant.  I meant why wouldn't they provide a means to get the wiring for a transducer down to the prop housing like they did with the Terrova.  With the new imaging technologies out there people are going to need a way of mounting a separate transducer from the universal one.

 

I understand they used that groove for the auto deploy.

 

[jbmaine]

39 minutes ago, moguy1973 said:

That's not what I meant.  I meant why wouldn't they provide a means to get the wiring for a transducer down to the prop housing like they did with the Terrova.  With the new imaging technologies out there people are going to need a way of mounting a separate transducer from the universal one.

 

I understand they used that groove for the auto deploy.

 

When I talked to Minn Kota they said a lot of people are asking the same question. Hopefully this will be a push for them to offer a solution.

                                 Jim

[moguy1973]

6 hours ago, jbmaine said:

When I talked to Minn Kota they said a lot of people are asking the same question. Hopefully this will be a push for them to offer a solution.

                                 Jim

Here's another solution from a company called Precision Sonar.

 

https://precisionsonar.com/

 

 

[Further North]

11 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

That's not what I meant.  I meant why wouldn't they provide a means to get the wiring for a transducer down to the prop housing like they did with the Terrova.  With the new imaging technologies out there people are going to need a way of mounting a separate transducer from the universal one.

 

I understand they used that groove for the auto deploy.

 

Here's how I look at it:  Adding another potential channel in the outside of the motor shaft has a chance of weakening the shaft...resulting in failures from impact...or who knows...even from driving down the road with 1,000 jolts every 100 miles...

 

THe engineers that design this stuff are pretty sharp, and though I've heard about Minn Kota shaft failures...I've never seen one, or talked to anyone who has actually experienced one.

 

I have to believe...scratch that...I know...the folks at Minn Kota know how their equipment is being used and want to take care of their customers.  There are other solutions out there that don't involve potentially compromising the trolling motor shaft.

 

What I've done...I didn't use DI off the front of the boat this year.  I wanted to see if I'd miss it.  I've run it off the transom mounted MEGA transducer when I felt like I needed to see it up front (18 feet's not that far, the sonar cone will likely pick up the structure it I'm more than a few feet deep, geometry tells me that).

 

That worked for me, though I'm considering one of the other solutions for 2018...but here's a critical bit of info: I seldom fish vertically...it bores me....it's a personality flaw I'm not proud of...but it is what it is.

[Further North]

4 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

Here's another solution from a company called Precision Sonar.

 

https://precisionsonar.com/

 

 

 I like that...but what's with the funky prop?

[12poundbass]

57 minutes ago, Further North said:

Here's how I look at it:  Adding another potential channel in the outside of the motor shaft has a chance of weakening the shaft...resulting in failures from impact...or who knows...even from driving down the road with 1,000 jolts every 100 miles...

 

THe engineers that design this stuff are pretty sharp, and though I've heard about Minn Kota shaft failures...I've never seen one, or talked to anyone who has actually experienced one.

 

I have to believe...scratch that...I know...the folks at Minn Kota know how their equipment is being used and want to take care of their customers.  There are other solutions out there that don't involve potentially compromising the trolling motor shaft.

 

What I've done...I didn't use DI off the front of the boat this year.  I wanted to see if I'd miss it.  I've run it off the transom mounted MEGA transducer when I felt like I needed to see it up front (18 feet's not that far, the sonar cone will likely pick up the structure it I'm more than a few feet deep, geometry tells me that).

 

That worked for me, though I'm considering one of the other solutions for 2018...but here's a critical bit of info: I seldom fish vertically...it bores me....it's a personality flaw I'm not proud of...but it is what it is.

I think what @moguy1973 is referring to is why didn't the engineers think of a way to run a cable or why  didn't  at least one person think someone  would want more than 2d sonar up front. Sounds like an awesome TM clearly somebody in the engineering department had to have thought of that? 

[Further North]

48 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

I think what @moguy1973 is referring to is why didn't the engineers think of a way to run a cable or why  didn't  at least one person think someone  would want more than 2d sonar up front. Sounds like an awesome TM clearly somebody in the engineering department had to have thought of that? 

I get that...maybe what we should step back and think about is maybe Minn Kota decided that doing so would compromise the integrity of the trolling motor shaft...and knowing there are already all kinds of effective solutions out there, they decided to not take the risk.

 

Maybe the best bet would be to ask Minn Kota rather than 2nd guessing them.  Odds are really, really good they've got good reasons for the decisions they made...it's called risk assessment and management...

[jbmaine]

Thanks for all the input everyone. It gives me a lot to look into.

                                                                      Jim

[bugbee77]

Honestly, I would get a sidevu garmin and put the transducer on the trolling motor. I've had no problem with the cable. Garmin has an auto speed for their charts that work amazing at low speeds. When I'm just fishing around on the trolling motor the sidevu, sonar and clearvu come up just fine whether I'm sitting still or moving.

[jbmaine]

Thanks,

 I've got sv for the console and cv for the bow.

                                      Jim

[JBara]

I mounted my Garmin transducer to my Ulterra. Small bungee cord keeps transducer cord from wrapping/breaking. Send an email for pics id interested.