Transducers & Sensors for Furuno Fish Finders
Furuno offers an extremely
wide range of matched, high performance, high speed transducers for
its various depth sounders. There are transducers for virtually every
type and size of boat -- sail boats, large power boats, trailerables
and more. There are also separate sensors you can install that will
read your boat speed and the surface water temperature. Fact is, our
selection of transducers is so broad that it is impractical to list
them all here. For a complete run-down, you should see your Furuno
dealer. He can recommend the best type of transducer for your boat;
he'll make sure it matches your Furuno sounder; and he can help you
install both your transducer and your sounder. For do-it-yourselfers,
installation instructions are available for all Furuno transducers.
To help make your transducer selection easier, we have provided a
general guide to the basic types of Furuno transducers along with
a brief description of where and how to install each.
TRANSOM
MOUNT TRANSDUCERS
As the name indicates, this style of transducer mounts on the transom.
The best mounting location is at the bottom of the transom with the
face (bottom) of the transducer on a nearly horizontal plane, as shown
in these two diagrams. Installation is best accomplished while the
boat is out of the water.
The objective
in mounting this style of transducer is to keep the face of the transducer
in the water -- whether the boat is at rest or underway -- while minimizing
the amount of transducer protruding below the bottom of the boat --
as illustrated here.
It is important to minimize the turbulence and aeration around the
transducer. Consequently, you should avoid locating the transducer
along strakes, behind thru-hull fittings or other hull irregularities
that may disturb the water flowing across the transducer face.
Transom mount transducers are often used on trailerable boats, as
the location does not usually interfere with the trailer bunks, rollers,
struts and other objects on a boat trailer. This style of transducer
is also used on boats that cannot easily accommodate a thru-hull fitting
on the bottom of the boat.
THRU-HULL
TRANSDUCERS
When properly installed,
this type of transducer offers better performance and fish detection
than any other style. As the name implies, it does require drilling
or cutting a hole in bottom of your boat. For this reason, installation
should be undertaken while the boat is in dry dock.
The location of the transducer depends on the type of hull, as shown
in these diagrams for displacement and planing power boats as well
as fin keel and full keel sail boats.
When mounting on a deadrise angle -- such as shown on a full keel
sail boat -- a special "fairing block" is required, so that
the face of the transducer lays on a horizontal plane.
As with
any other transducers, thru-hull types should be mounted where they
will be continuously immersed in undisturbed water. Objects than can
disturb the water flow around a thru-hull transducer include strakes,
fittings, keels and propeller wash.
To eliminate potential leaks, it's essential to apply a liberal amount
of a quality bedding compound -- one that can stand up to continuous
immersion -- around the transducer's stem and fittings on both the
inside and outside.
"SHOOT THRU"
TRANSDUCERS
This
type of transducer fastens inside the boat hull, transmitting and
receiving signals through the hull material, as shown in this illustration.
This works only through fiberglass and is how "shoot thru"
or "in-hole" transducers get their name. This style does
not require cutting a hole in the bottom of the boat. As with other
transducers, location is critical to performance. Typically, a flat
section in the aft bilge area is the best spot, although you may need
to experiment to find the best location. The latest in hull transducers,
the P-79® allows you to compensate for the boats dead-rise angle.
Not all boats are
well suited to shoot-thru style transducers. On smaller boats, for
example, there is often a layer of foam flotation material between
the deck and the hull. Shooting through the foam seriously hampers
performance. In such cases, another type of transducer -- such as
a transom-mount -- is more practical.
There are a number of methods for securing a shoot-thru style transducer.
Some can be bolted on. Some are designed to be fiberglassed or epoxied
into place. Still
others require a special interior enclosure that completely encapsulates
the transducer in fluid such as castor oil.
Your Furuno
dealer can help you decide on the installation method that best suits
your needs.
SPEED & TEMPERATURE SENSORS H
All Furuno echo sounders
will display boat speed and surface water temperature, when connected
with the proper sensors. In fact, some Furuno transducers -- ones
known as "multi-sensors" -- have built-in speed and temperature
sensors. Most transducers,
however, handle only echo sounding/fish-finding. To read boat speed
and water temperature, a separate sensor is required. These sensors
come in two styles: transom mount and thru-hull (shown here).
Like transom mount transducers,
transom mount speed/temperature sensors mount at the bottom of the
transom. They should be mounted just low enough to allow water flowing
off the bottom of the boat to turn a speed-sensing paddle wheel.
As with thru-hull transducers,
thru-hull speed/temperature sensors require cutting a hole in the
bottom of the boat, as shown. These sensors do not need to mounted
on a horizontal plane. They can be installed on a deadrise angle without
a fairing block.
