Garmin Striker 4 portable kit questions

[kdubracing]

Looking at getting this to use on a kayak and have a couple of questions. It would be used on day trips with the wife mainly, so probably like 4-8 hours on the water. Appreciate any feedback on these.

1. How well does the suction cup transducer mount work? Or will I need to buy one of those arms to mount?

2. How long will the charge on the rechargeable battery last? Will I need another power source?

[JS Patterson]

The suction cup does not work for me. I mounted inside with Duct seal putty and shoot through the hull. The arm may allow you to get a better temperature reading though if you prefer that route. It also allows more flexibility to move the unit from boat to boat.  I have never had the battery die so it will definitely last more than 8 hours. 

Edited December 28, 2019 by JS Patterson
Correct

[kdubracing]

Thank you. What was the issue with the suction cup? Was there not a flat enough spot to mount? Did it not hold well? 

[jaimeastin]

I make all of my fish finders portable.  You just need a 12v battery.  In fact a lot of mine run on 8 AA batteries.  I also use duct seal for the transducer inside the hull of my kayaks.  Very easy, just kneed the putty good.  You will then use the transducer to mash the putty down inside the hull.  You do not want any air in the putty between the yak and the transducer.  

 

I also have a some fish finders super portable where I can sling them off the boat, off of my other kayaks, or on my float tube.  I have my transducer on a piece of pvc pipe, about 8 inches or so.  I have pool noodle on it.  It just hang the transducer over the side and it works just fine. 

 

No need to pay the extra $100 for a lesser model.  You can take any fish finder model with the features you want.

[JS Patterson]

It was duct seal that I use for shoot through hull. Please disregard the plumber putty statement, they are not the same. Install exactly as described by jaimeastin. The issue is partly because the hull is not flat and it comes off. Also because I will sometimes paddle my kayak over branches or rocks in shallow water and that would not work if the transducer was the deepest part of the hull. 

[kdubracing]

Got it. I'm mostly going to be in small lakes. I won't be in really shallow water much at all. I'm going to try to use the suction cup mount first and see what happens. Accurate water temp is important to me. 

[jaimeastin]

On 12/28/2019 at 4:05 PM, kdubracing said:

Got it. I'm mostly going to be in small lakes. I won't be in really shallow water much at all. I'm going to try to use the suction cup mount first and see what happens. Accurate water temp is important to me. 

That kayak hull is just as cold as the water.  My water temps have never been adversely affected.  Even on hot days, the kayak gets warm inside (sit inside models)m, but things are still pretty good.  What I like about having the transducer inside the kayak rather than the outside is there is less to fuss with.  I will kayak over branches and sometimes other shallow water... Even taking it in and out of the water.  Pretty much I just slap my fish finder on and start moving.  

 

No matter the case, just go fishing,  You will figure out what works best for you.  

[kdubracing]

On 12/31/2019 at 10:47 AM, jaimeastin said:

That kayak hull is just as cold as the water.  My water temps have never been adversely affected.  Even on hot days, the kayak gets warm inside (sit inside models)m, but things are still pretty good.  What I like about having the transducer inside the kayak rather than the outside is there is less to fuss with.  I will kayak over branches and sometimes other shallow water... Even taking it in and out of the water.  Pretty much I just slap my fish finder on and start moving.  

 

No matter the case, just go fishing,  You will figure out what works best for you.  

I've seen conflicting reports on how accurate the water temp readings are with mounting inside the hull. Of course, you get conflicting reports with anything. I'm not opposed to mounting inside the hull. It may be just as easy to go ahead and mount inside the hull and not mess with the suction cup. I mainly want the unit with the portable kit for the battery, especially since it seems people have good luck with this battery. 

 

Are there any other possible accuracy issues with mounting inside the hull? Other than if there are air bubbles in the mounting material.

[jaimeastin]

20 hours ago, kdubracing said:

I've seen conflicting reports on how accurate the water temp readings are with mounting inside the hull. Of course, you get conflicting reports with anything. I'm not opposed to mounting inside the hull. It may be just as easy to go ahead and mount inside the hull and not mess with the suction cup. I mainly want the unit with the portable kit for the battery, especially since it seems people have good luck with this battery. 

 

Are there any other possible accuracy issues with mounting inside the hull? Other than if there are air bubbles in the mounting material.

 

There are always conflict, correct.  I just don't think the temp difference has ever affected me.  They are always close enough.  Hotter days I can imagine the inside of the yak being warmer.  My transducers is just about submerged in duct seal.  It is in the deepest, most forward part of my kayak.  This way, if I am jigging, I can see the jig in relation to the fish.

Quote

How the transducer is able to identify a fish

A transducer is able to see a fish by sensing the air bladder. Each fish possesses an organ by known as an air bladder.  It is contains gas that enables fish to adapt to water pressure in various depths. The gas amount in the fish can be reduced or increased to control the fish buoyancy.

The air bladder has a different density than bone or flesh. This difference makes the sound waves coming from the echosounder bounce off the fish. The transducer will finally receive echoes. The echosounder recognizes these differences and shows it as a fish

https://www.fishingtik.com/how-does-a-fish-finder-transducer-work/

 

I have not used the duct seal method with a transducer that does down or side imaging yet... I am sure it would work find with down imaging.  I have one setup, where I just let the transducer hang of the side of kayak or float tube.  

 

Depending on how you want to do it... You can get a battery yourself.  Just add female quick connects and a battery... They are not expensive.  Most garmin units come with an inline fuse, but if it does not have one, you can add one.

• 7amp hour battery
• 15 amp Hour Battery

You can also use AA alkaline, rechargeable or lithium batteries.  Saves weight.  I do this on my float tube and a couple kayaks.  All you need to add is this AA Battery Holder and 9V Wire Kit and the batteries.  

 

Examples of my use on one of my kayaks

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwgDfPQlVqC/

 

Example of use on a boat

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwlmaLCFX-J/

 

Just saying there are options that don't cost extra.  The kits are nice packages that will work just fine.  I would be out of 4-500 if I bought a kit for each fish finder that I use on my smaller fishing vessels.  I have a video on youtube that shoes my inside hull transducer setup, I can find it if needed... But there are plenty of examples online.  

[kdubracing]

@jaimeastin Thanks for the info. The pool noodle setup is pretty sweet. 

[kdubracing]

Welp, I'm a moron. I was just looking through the Garmin info, and the portable kit and everything. I was thinking this came with some sort of smaller lithium battery or something, not a normal 12v battery like was linked above. Why I thought this, I don't know. It's definitely better to just buy the battery separately. If I duct seal the transducer in the hull, there's really no reason at all to buy the portable kit. Thanks for all the info above.