# Thru Hull or transom mount Transducer



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

You can check out the Garmin shoot through hull transducer that requires no holes, drilling or anything. I just installed one in a customer’s boat and it works great.


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## jimsmicro (Oct 29, 2013)

If it's a glass boat you don't have to drill any hulls, which makes it a no brainer in a shallow water skiff. There's no chance you'll break off the transducer on a rock/oyster if it's inside the hull.


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2018)

Transom mount or shoot through for shallow water always! With the standard through hull if you knock the transducer out on a rock you now have a 1.5”-2” hole in the bottom! The shoot throughs are great provided they are installed correctly! Where I fish my depth finder is the keel lol!


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## Cory2160 (Apr 21, 2016)

Thanks guys! The hull is cored so I don’t really want do a shoot thru. I heard that you can do one but you still have to cut out some of the hull.


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## Whiskey Angler (Mar 20, 2015)

Word of caution: where ever you plan on mounting a shoot-through, determine whether or not there is a foam core. If there is a foam core, it is likely that the transducer will barely work if at all (based off my experience). If its mounted to solid glass, it should be all good.


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## KiKoKiK (Oct 20, 2017)

I went this route. Reads accurately at cruising speeds and it doesn't look like a third trim tab hanging off the back of the boat. My boat is also cored so I couldn't do a shoot through.


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## vantagefish (Jul 16, 2014)

I’m happy with my transom Mount (had shoot through). I couldn’t talk myself into a through hole for a fewreasons: it requires a big hole below the water line, it’s expensive, and it’s a big headache if you decide to switch to a different unit/brand


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## KiKoKiK (Oct 20, 2017)

vantagefish said:


> I’m happy with my transom Mount (had shoot through). I couldn’t talk myself into a through hole for a fewreasons: it requires a big hole below the water line, it’s expensive, and it’s a big headache if you decide to switch to a different unit/brand


The only downside to me is the hole (that's why I let the manufacturer do it). I've had thru-hull transducers in the past and never had any issues with them. If you ever switch sonar units you can buy a $20 adaptor for the plug and continue using the same transducer.


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## Cory2160 (Apr 21, 2016)

That's what I was thinking. The readings are generally clearer given the cleaner water It's just the taking a 2" hole out of a brand new boat that is getting me!


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## KiKoKiK (Oct 20, 2017)

Cory2160 said:


> That's what I was thinking. The readings are generally clearer given the cleaner water It's just the taking a 2" hole out of a brand new boat that is getting me!


Trust me, I feel the same way! But once it's done, you don't see it and you don't have to think about it anymore. Doesn't affect your boats performance, seaweed won't get hung up on it, one less thing to snag your line when fighting a fish, and you can't accidentally hit something with it and break it off. These are all things I took into consideration before doing it.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

I like shoot through transducers. My hull is solid so the xdcr was epoxied in place. Reads depth over 40mph as shallow as 2’. No bottom of course but generally where I’m fishing I don’t need to see a sonar image. If in deeper water I flip over to downscan or sidescan HD imaging. That transducer is the trim tab looking one and must be mounted externally. If your hull is cored, just clean out a little foam core and 4200 the thing in place.


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## Cory2160 (Apr 21, 2016)

Thanks for the replies! I’m leaning towards the thru hull. I’ve waiting to hear back from the manufacturer.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I dont care what you do but don't cut a hole in your boat its a chance for a leak


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

I have a through-hull (Airmar B60) and it reads very well, doesn't pick up grass or anything, and I don't have any wires down the back of my boat.

That being said, I personally wouldn't go with it on a new skiff, since I don't fish super deep water and I definitely don't need ultra-high resolution imaging. You may want one if you fish deep lakes and need to see fish and stuff, but it's not a huge help for the way I fish. If I were building a new skiff, I would go with a shoot-through (in-hull) like the Garmin GT8HW-IH or the Humminbird XP-9-20. You can remove some of the core, or if it's done on a new build I would assume (depending on the manufacturer) that they could just cut a hole in the core during the layup process so that the inner skin just goes directly against the outer skin, leaving you a nice pocket in which to mount the transducer. At the very least, they could probably remove some core after the hull is complete and re-glass to strengthen the area back up and seal the core.

Anyway, for me, the extra performance wouldn't be worth a hole in the hull. Deep lakes and high quality imaging might make it worth it, but at that point a transom mount would probably give you the same quality (although it's definitely not as clean of an install and may cause some spray, or get knocked out of position). I wouldn't epoxy or silicone a transom mount xducer to the hull. It can work okay if you're trying to retrofit something, but if you're building a new boat I would want to do it right.


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## kylet (Jun 29, 2017)

I have a total scan off the back of my boat because I want down and side scan technology and that on a thru hull is a bit cumbersome. If I wasn't using that then I would definitely go with an airmar thru hull. I'd get a chirp model. I am not concerned at all with holes in a boat. I already have several with plastic fitting in for drains/livewells/etc. I am not at all concerned about one that is filled with a solid brass transducers. Boats have holes in them.

Thru hulls are cleaner looking, better performing and do not throw back spray in your boat. If you hit something that would knock it lose. You would have a hole in your boat if it weren't there.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

For what it's worth I have installed a bunch of shoot-throughs. I prefer them (my new boat won't accept one, unfortunately; it'll be the first transom mount I ever owned). What I like to do is put some water in the bilge (air is your enemy) and move the transducer around while watching the display for the clearest readout. Do this in deep water. Mark the sweet spot, take it to the house, dry out the bilge, and epoxy the transducer in. Some hulls will have a sweet spot; some will give a good reading wherever you mount it. Just remember; some day that transducer will need to be replaced, so keep access in mind when you install it. It takes more clearance to cut one out than it does to epoxy one in.


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## georgiadrifter (Jan 14, 2009)

This seems to be the way I’ll go for my new boat. Sonar is no biggie for me since I can see the bottom most of the time. I’d love to go with a chart plotter only unit....but it seems the added sonar feature doesn’t affect the price much.


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