Kayak Fish Finder Location - up close and to the side or a bit further away out in front?

[immortl]

For folks with fish finders on their kayaks, where is your preferred location to mount the head unit? 

 

On one hand I'm thinking I can toss a larger 12" screen on a crossbar up front, just past the pedals on my PA 14.  That puts it a good bit away from me and interacting with it seems like maybe it would be a pain?  It has also been suggested that 'splash and crud' from the pedals may get tossed up on it.  Although that doesn't seem to be an issue in videos I've seen with it mounted up there (Kristine Fischer channel on youtube and a few others, but that's where I first got the idea)

 

On the other hand, off to the side up closer to the seat seems like it would work well and be easily interacted with.  In that case I think 12" would be too big and I'd try for the 10".  I've seen both locations in videos.  The HDS Pro 12" just came available today, the 10" is still not orderable, but should be soon. 

 

The correct answer would probably best be determined by taking the boat out and playing around in it and getting a feel for which I think would feel better to me.  The 'aaaaah, don't want to miss the purchase opportunity, everything still goes right out of stock and back ordered forever' part of my brain says to decide now so I can jump on whichever as soon as it becomes available which would be today if I decided on the 12".    

 

Thanks,

Joe

[Darth-Baiter]

i'm off to my right, just in front of my seat.  

 

it does get in the way sometimes when i paddle.  i know a big 12" would for sure.  my main thing is i need a big Darth-Baiter sized landing spot for me to schooch back in should i fall out.  i come in from the left.  

[Fishingmickey]

I've got the PA14 and the Garmin 93sv. I feel either left or right side with a "H" rail clamp is the best way to go.  I'm left handed and it goes on my left side.  Having the "H" rail clamp makes it easily removable for transport. In front is too far for me to reach easily.  If I was to ever go to two screens I could see having one mounted up front. It would be sweet to be able to run mapping or side scan on one and Panoptix on the other. 

     Kristine's set up is nice, but I suspect her eye sight and mobility is much better then mine.

Fishingmickey

[Kevhead19]

Same as above but flipped - I have a PA14 with a 7 inch unit. H rail Ram clamp, pivot arm and on my right side near the pre-cut cable exit. I retrieve and land fish on left hand side. It doesn't get in the way, I can touch menu sitting and still see it standing. 

 

If I had a larger unit I think I would keep same spot and just angle it more. I do mount my phone behind the pedals where the sail mount would go. It does get some debris on it but that is unavoidable in a kayak I feel.

[Choporoz]

I have 9 inch at my right knee.  Would probably have trouble adjusting to anything bigger...or out of comfortable arm's reach.

[drakesndrum]

Different boat (Bonafide SS127) with a Helix-7 mounted to the center pod.  Some days I wish I had a 9" screen, and maybe one I'll upgrade it.  Main thing is this isn't a bass boat, so space is a premium.  I'd say sit in your kayak with the screen at several different locations and see what works best for you.  Paddle stroke, rod storage, fish-landing all come into play.  Good luck!

[Bankc]

57 minutes ago, immortl said:

The correct answer would probably best be determined by taking the boat out and playing around in it and getting a feel for which I think would feel better to me.  

Yup.  Personally, I like mine on the left side, up close to me.  I also have 5" screen, which is plenty big at that distance.  I might could upgrade to a 7", but I really wouldn't want to go above that unless I had to.  But everyone's different.  

[casts_by_fly]

Do you only sit to fish?  If that's the case, then I'd probably end up on the right side rail by the seat with a PDL type boat.  I stand to fish though, so I swing mine from roughly that position (I can reach it leaning slightly forward while sitting) to a nearly vertical position about 2' further up the rail so it is about thigh height next to my leg while standing.  I would think putting it in the middle would mean in front of the pedals which is going to be a solid 4' away from you.  Seeing at that distance can be made up for with a bigger screen, but adjusting can't.  And I adjust mine a lot through the day.

[immortl]

Can one mark multiple posts as a solution?  I really appreciate everyone's input.  You've all reinforced the idea up closer to the side would be generally more useful/accessible and that's what I'm going to try first.  I'll be holding out for the 10" availability, no bait/gear monkey purchase today, although I am still twitching a little having the 12" within grasp...

[Fishingmickey]

One thing I would recommend is going with the 1.5" ram ball mount.

 

Hope that helps.

FM

 

 

[immortl]

1 minute ago, Fishingmickey said:

One thing I would recommend is going with the 1.5" ram ball mount.

 

Hope that helps.

FM

 

 

That helps a lot.  I have come across this mount in my searching and I just need to find it again and place the order.  I had already picked up 2 of the h rail flat mounting plates and some extra h rail (hard to come by) in case I want to put it up front. I'll hold onto those for now just in case.

[immortl]

So, do folks think the 1.5" ram mount would work well for the HDS Pro 10"?  Looks like the HDS Pro 10" weighs about 3.66 lbs.  Also came across this which is similar but is the 2.25" D size ball.  I could screw the flat ball mount portion onto  one of the h-rail base plates I have.  Then I'd still be able to slide it along the rail if I was to find I could maintain my balance and fish standing up.

 

 

[immortl]

Looks like the 1.5" mounts are good for 4 lbs.  Some reviews said their 9" units moved a little but most were satisfied. The 2.25" balls are good for 6lbs, I'm thinking the 2.25 unit mounted to one of the flat plates I have, which gives me a little extra in or out depending on how I put it on the H-RAIL.

[Fishingmickey]

I think you'd be better off going with the straight "H" rail 1.5" ball mount. I haven't seen any of the 2.25 Ball mounts made for the "H" rail.

     There is this one, but once it's mounted you would need a wrench to move it.

FM

[FryDog62]

Anything bigger than a 9 inch screen (or two units of any size) I say go with a center mount. Keeps the center of gravity low and the unit is out of the way of the side of the kayak which interferes with casting, landing fish at the side of the boat, etc.  

 

I did mount a single 10 inch screen on the side gear track once and thought it was quite heavy and wobbly. Would have put it on a center mount too. 

[immortl]

3 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

I think you'd be better off going with the straight "H" rail 1.5" ball mount. I haven't seen any of the 2.25 Ball mounts made for the "H" rail.

     There is this one, but once it's mounted you would need a wrench to move it.

 

FM

I saw that, but the ability to slide it back and forth on the h-rail easily seems more appealing.  Why not mount the 2.25" ball to the h-rail plate (already have 2 of them)?  I am wondering if folks have mounted a 10" head unit on a 1.5" ball and if so, has it held securely or does it slip a bit?  If it slips, then perhaps the 2.25" ball would be better?  The mounting plate I'd bolt the 2.25" ball to is this here.

 

3 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Anything bigger than a 9 inch screen (or two units of any size) I say go with a center mount. Keeps the center of gravity low and the unit is out of the way of the side of the kayak which interferes with casting, landing fish at the side of the boat, etc.  

 

I did mount a single 10 inch screen on the side gear track once and thought it was quite heavy and wobbly. Would have put it on a center mount too. 

I like the idea of center mount for out of the way and balance, but the catch is to allow for pedal use, that crossbar would be out past the pedals, the equivalent of pushing it out in front of the motor head in your setup.  Concern being it would be about 4' away, somewhat difficult to interact with.

[Zcoker]

I have my Garman mounted on the right side up a little ways where I have to lean in to switch it on. I keep both immediate sides of my kayak completely free of everything. That way, I have plenty of elbow room to net these big Florida everglades bass!

[Fishingmickey]

4 hours ago, immortl said:

I saw that, but the ability to slide it back and forth on the h-rail easily seems more appealing.  Why not mount the 2.25" ball to the h-rail plate (already have 2 of them)?  I am wondering if folks have mounted a 10" head unit on a 1.5" ball and if so, has it held securely or does it slip a bit?  If it slips, then perhaps the 2.25" ball would be better?  The mounting plate I'd bolt the 2.25" ball to is this here.

 

All I can say is try it and see. I'd love to hear how it works out. You could mount that 2.5" ball to the "H" rail plate and go from there.  I think it will be pretty difficult to "slide" the mount without unlatching it from the H rail. In my experience once that red clip is in place even with out the latching lever engaged the H rail mount doesn't slide well at all.  But you can unlatch completely then move it to where you want it and re-latch the clamp. The 1.5" ball H rail mount avoids having to use the plate and is IMHO a cleaner and more compact install. The 2.5" ball will give you much better gripping and less of a chance to have issues with the head slipping down.

Now is the flat plate bracket strong enough to handle the weight of the unit? There is really only one way to find out and that's give it a go, try it and see what you think.

Fishingmicky

 

[immortl]

18 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

All I can say is try it and see. I'd love to hear how it works out. You could mount that 2.5" ball to the "H" rail plate and go from there.  I think it will be pretty difficult to "slide" the mount without unlatching it from the H rail. In my experience once that red clip is in place even with out the latching lever engaged the H rail mount doesn't slide well at all.  But you can unlatch completely then move it to where you want it and re-latch the clamp. The 1.5" ball H rail mount avoids having to use the plate and is IMHO a cleaner and more compact install. The 2.5" ball will give you much better gripping and less of a chance to have issues with the head slipping down.

Now is the flat plate bracket strong enough to handle the weight of the unit? There is really only one way to find out and that's give it a go, try it and see what you think.

Fishingmicky

 

Agreed, I'm at the point where I need to try and see what works best for me.  I will update this and my other threads as I get the opportunity to install and test things out.  Free time is non existent currently due to several family medical issues, so my outlet is theorizing and planning while sitting at the computer in conference calls.  Once I have time to actually work on this stuff, I'll have some actual results and experiences to report back and I will do so.

 

Thanks,

Joe

[waymont]

On 3/6/2023 at 12:27 PM, Choporoz said:

I have 9 inch at my right knee.  Would probably have trouble adjusting to anything bigger...or out of comfortable arm's reach.

That graph looks like a small speaker!

[Choporoz]

43 minutes ago, waymont said:

That graph looks like a small speaker!

I really thought the BerleyPro shade would help more than it does.  Turns out that it shades screen when sun is high.  But that Garmin screen is really quite good when the sun is high.  Wouldn't say it was a waste, but not near the necessity I thought

[waymont]

51 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I really thought the BerleyPro shade would help more than it does.  Turns out that it shades screen when sun is high.  But that Garmin screen is really quite good when the sun is high.  Wouldn't say it was a waste, but not near the necessity I thought

Ah, so that's a shield around the screen. Got it. thx

[Dye99]

I fish out of two different Yaks. Bonafide ss127 and a wilderness ATAK 140.

Both of which have pods which Ive found to be beneficial for mounting my Hummingbird helix 7s. It lets me take them out and lock them up in the truck while the boats are on the trailer if I go in a store or parked in a lot.

 

Ive considered going to a helix 9 but space is tight, and the 7 DI has done me really well for what I use it for. 

 

 

[immortl]

18 minutes ago, Dye99 said:

I fish out of two different Yaks. Bonafide ss127 and a wilderness ATAK 140.

Both of which have pods which Ive found to be beneficial for mounting my Hummingbird helix 7s. It lets me take them out and lock them up in the truck while the boats are on the trailer if I go in a store or parked in a lot.

 

Ive considered going to a helix 9 but space is tight, and the 7 DI has done me really well for what I use it for. 

 

 

I"ve seen those center pod deals for those kayaks, at least I think I have.  You can mount two screens in the middle, sort of stacked above and behind each other.  Those look like they'd work pretty well.

 

For now I have 2 possible solutions to try.  I picked up the 'C' sized 1.5" h-rail ball mount, arm, and mounting plate to try and I also was finally able to pick up some h-rail to run across the cockpit area out in front of the pedals.  I'm going to play around with those options and see what works best for me. 

 

One of these days I'll get some time to actually start putting this pile of parts I've acquired together, test them, and report back.  Family members' health continues to improve, then I was hit with shingles this week.  Grrrrr...  I don't have time to be sick myself, this shingles stuff has to go.

[Dangerfield]

I've got my Garmin 9" mounted on the vacant rudder control spot for my Wildy Recon 120 HD. I picked up a YakHobby X-Puck and mounted a Scotty Fishfinder mount to it, so it's very close and off to my left, steering on the right. Still need to figure out the ideal set up when I get on the water.

If I paddled, it would absolutely be in the way but there's no option for rail mounting with the pedal drive up front.