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    Transducer Shield and Saver
from Leadhead  
2/3/2009 7:51:00 AM

Rated:

 Has anyone seen or used this product...

www.transducershieldandsaver.com

I've got an older Evinrude trolling motor that requires the transducer to be mounted in front of the skeg. Poor design leaving minimal room for a transducer. I'm constantly replacing transducers, damaged as a result of impacts and grinding into rocks, etc. This product might just fit and would hopefully do what the manufacturer claims. Any thoughts regarding signal reduction, as this would basically be equivalent to shooting through the hull. Is that true?

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   OMC mounting from Wayne P.  2/3/2009 8:15:46 AM
 I mounted puck style transducers to the motor shaft of OMC motors. I just used a hose clamp and put the transducer just above where the shaft connects to the motor.
On a couple of motors, I had a self-designed aluminum block machined to fit the transducer and motor shaft that worked even better.
I sold my last three OMC motors a couple months ago and still have one of those blocks. If you want it, send me an e-mail to purdum43@aol.com

   it would work from Randy B  2/3/2009 8:17:51 AM
 I made something to protect my transducer on Percy Priest which is very rocky. I just took two flat-plate "L" shaped pieces of hardware (like those stanley corner reinforcements) to make a mini-skeg in front of the transducer. I had to use my vise to put a series of bends into the plate so it partially wrapped around the TM, then used two big pipe clamps to secure it. Also, the two straight parts of the "skeg" where joined with two bolts.

It worked well. Sorry for not including a photo.

   Wayne....Definitely Interested from Leadhead  2/3/2009 8:37:23 AM
 Even a photo of what you designed to correct the problem would be appreciated. Certainly I would appreciate using your aluminum block if you no longer need it. I've tried every contraption I could think of and .....nothing that I would consider effective and durable. Anything I designed had too many screws etc. and quickly became a weed magnet. Curious what the engineers were thinking when they designed the trolling motor housing? Guess they weren't fishermen!

   3 Rivers Marine from shiny  2/3/2009 8:58:54 AM
 Check them out they may have what u need.

   Transducer protector from BobbyM #10520  2/3/2009 9:05:19 AM
 I cut a wood wedge, drilled a hole in it and installed it just ahead of the transducer with a hose clamp where things would just slide over it. Works great. Cheap too.

   OMC motor from Wayne P.  2/3/2009 11:55:23 AM
 

Leadhead, those old motors are the most weedless motors ever designed. There is no nose cone to capture weeds. With a Jens Su blade on it, you can go thru just about any vegetation. This picture shows one of my setups with large narrow cone Humminbird flasher transducer on the bottom of the motor and a Lowrance puck transducer on the shaft just above the motor.

   Photo from Leadhead  2/3/2009 1:09:40 PM
 Wayne...thanks for the photo. No doubt about it, IMHO, the OMC trolling motors are/were the best motors ever made. Still don't know why they stopped making them? Half the size and weight of current Minn Kotas.

The Hummingbird transducer shown in your photo is where my Lowrance transducer currently is positioned. There's nothing in front of it to protect it from scraping into rocks, etc. The transducer protector I'm questioning in my original post has no bottom, and therefore, in theory, should not reduce the signal. Now it's just a question of whether or not it would fit and product durability.

   Transducers from Wayne P.  2/3/2009 2:51:46 PM
 I always use two transducers on my bow mount motors. I prefer a flasher for fishing dropoffs such as river/creek channel edges because it lets me stay in one position and see the entire drop rather than moving around to figure out where I am when using an LCR. The shaft mount was a result of the lack of room with the OMC motors.
I have seen some installations on OMC motors where a transom transducer was mounted on the side of the keel using spacers to allow for the difference in the transducer shape and mounting hole- (not very protected).

   another cheap idea from Randy B  2/3/2009 3:12:16 PM
 

I think you could make something similar to the commercial product using a home depot PVC coupler about 3" or 4" in diameter and 2 1/2" tall. It would fit around the transducer, letting it shoot down the open end of the coupler. Ideally, you'd dremel out a curve so it mated right against the TM body. Then, 1-2 hose clamps to secure it (1-2 slots on each side). See my crude powerpoint drawing.

   Randy B from Wayne P.  2/3/2009 3:18:42 PM
 Good idea, I forgot about that. I've seen several boats at Lake Fork with that application but with a piece of PVC pipe just bigger than the transducer and with just one clamp that is used with the trolling motor mount transducer.

   Great Idea Randy! from Leadhead  2/3/2009 3:44:01 PM
 And the PVC should be relatively easy to file or cut to fit the trolling motor housing. Wonder what the life expectancy of the PCV will be? I guess that is what the product is trying to accomplish for a whole lot more money! Might try copper/brass pipe too.

   PVC Protector from Wayne P.  2/3/2009 3:54:02 PM
 

It took me a while to find this picture I took several years ago at Lake Fork. This is the one I mentioned before.

   Life expectancy might not be bad from Randy B  2/3/2009 3:56:44 PM
 If you smashed a rock, I beat it would take a lot of vertical abuse before it caved. Usually wave action is lifting and dropping my bow when I bust into a rock trying to retrieve my $5 lure.

A sideways hit is less likely but it would be more vulnerable that way.

You could make it thicker by epoxying the coupler into a bigger couple (double wall). Or fiberglassing it. Or using a metal band.

But hey, I'm always trying to figure out "cheap and easy" first. You could make two and replace it if you smashed one.

   the wayne posts a pix! from Randy B  2/3/2009 4:00:13 PM
 while I am typing, ha.

Well, I never had the puck style so I thought about the skimmer.

That's some sweet cheap protection on the puck. I'd extend the lip 1/2" to give a little protection though.

   Pvc from Wayne P.  2/3/2009 4:23:10 PM
 I think the transducer in the picture is recessed about 1/4"

   Transducer Block from Wayne P.  2/3/2009 6:04:36 PM
 

This is the custom block I use for mounting a Lowrance puck transducer on an OMC trolling motor shaft. The small radius fits the shaft and the larger radius fits the transducer.

Edited 2/3/2009 6:08:48 PM

   Scaps covers from BCB  2/3/2009 6:39:04 PM
 Scap Cicero makes the shields. They work well, and are aluminum. Years ago there was an article in the how to section of BassMaster on using PVC pipe for this.

There was also an individual years ago who owned a plastic molding company. He made a mold for the same application and tried to sell the pieces.

Like the image from Lake Fork shows, this is not a new idea, though Scap does have a nice clamp on part.

   It works great...... from Begafish  2/3/2009 8:55:32 PM
 The transducer shield that Scap Cicero makes is great. I have broke at least 3 transducers of the Trolling motor. They always seem to break where the clamp slips through the transducer. With Scaps shield you can use the broken transducer or with a new one. I have one of the older models which is still silver in color, the new one are done in black finish. I worked a booth at the last classic right next to Scap and his wife for four days. He and his wife are great people and have produced a fine product. He also make a nice safty pin rig to replace the cotter pin on the OMC and Bomb prop shaft. Oh yea the transducer shield is made to fit about 6 differant co. transducers. And our booth was the Izorline booth....James Clark

   Try this, works great from BASSMAN IA.  2/3/2009 9:18:14 PM
 www.transducerarmor.com/

My fishing bud won one at a Rally

   similar from Randy B  2/4/2009 8:08:25 AM
 

the transducer armor is similar to what i made with the bracket stock.

   Transducer Armour from Leadhead  2/4/2009 9:19:34 AM
 Yeah...I checked out the Tranducer Armour product a while back. Unfortunately there's not enough real-estate on an OMC trolling motor body to attach this product.

   Leadhead-transducer on motor shaft again from Wayne P.  2/5/2009 7:41:39 PM
 

On my former bassboat, I had a LEI puck transducer on the motor shaft and an LEI torpedo transom transducer on the motor.