How well do fish finders work on pontoon boats, and how to power?

[FernRidgeChamp]

I have an 8 foot pontoon boat and want to get a HUMMINBIRD 565. I know really nothing about nothing.

What kind of battery is needed to operate this? I read somewhere that fish finders do not work well on pontoon boats? If anyone can shed some light that would be appreciated before I buy this equipment.

FRC

 

[ninja2010]

when i had my toon, i hooked a humminbird fishin buddy on the front footrest, and it worked great... just like watching tv while i cruise around. the fishin buddy used aa batteries and has a sidefinder so i can "see" fish in front as well as below. worked great.

 

[fishnquest]

The fishing buddy is probably the way to go on a toon. I have a humminbird 141c. I use three 6v batteries in series. The tricky part on a toon for any conventional fishfinder will be finding a place to mount the sender (and not knocking it off later).

 

[Dan Feller]

12v rechargeable drill batteries work great for electronics that normally run off car batteries.

The only tricky part is hooking up to them, I use two "female" ends from a tab-type connector that I modified slightly with a pair of pliers (don't know what they're called but if you look around in a hardware or automotive store you can find something that will work).

Fishnquest, wouldn't three 6v batteries in series give you 18v? I'm not positive how that works, but it seems like it might be too much voltage.

 

[fishnquest]

Yeah, its 18v when new, slowly dies down. I tried 2 batteries first and came up with 10.8 volts on a meter, so I got another and came up with 18v. The manual for my fishfinder says 10v to 20v is ok. I've got about 10hours total use on those batteries now, still going...works just fine. I installed aligator clips on the ends of the wires and put a 2amp inline fuse in the positive wire.
I wrapped the batteries together with tape, put some peel and stick "velcro" on the side of the batteries and in the boat. When I take the boat, I just slap the batteries against the velcro, hook up the aligator clips and I'm ready to go.

I used a car battery once, it was just too much weight and hassle for just a fish finder, I was desperate to find another option on the cheap here in podunk nowhere

 

[FernRidgeChamp]

Cabelas offers a 12v battery and charger for $38.94 shipped

Does anyone know how large the censor will be and the best placement under the pontoon to mount? I have a strong desire to operate the HUMMINBIRD 565 system.

I have the will, so there is a way. I don't like the fishing buddies much. It is nothing personal and I really appreciate the idea. I see how it would be very convenient; however, I believe installing the HUMMINBIRD 565 will be well worth the effort.

Also, thank you all for the replies. I truly really appreciate them.

FRC

 

[fishnquest]

You have the will, you'll find a way. The senders are sensitive to air getting into the mix with water. They need to be in solid water (or other) to work well. They can be mounted inside a boat if they are set in some kind of solid epoxy/other with no air holes in the mix (you will see in the instructions for mounting). You just need to get it looking down and away from turbulence. Installation is pretty straight-forward. Mine came with good instructions, and a paper template to help get the sender installed right. The sender is not that big, I'm thinking silver dollar or so...plus an adjustable mounting bracket, about the same size. Good luck with your project.

Here's some pics of a sender (no speedometer)

 

[mudslinging79]

i have a hummingbird 525? i have in a zodiac, and am looking at putting it on my toon... as for the battery, i went to my parts guy and picked up a motorcycle battery. i found i can use it for 6+hours, and the size as well as weight isn't really an issue.

 

[FernRidgeChamp]

How did you mount it/ pic?

It still has not showed up. Ground shipping is slooooow. I'm going to get a 12v tractor battery. I was hoping it would last longer than 6 hours though. I was thinking 2 days but now that I think about it, a dome light in my car will drain the battery in a night... the fish finder will kill it. Ha ha. Well, at least I drive a portable battery charger. Unless I leave the dome light on.
Ha ha.

FRC

 

[mudslinging79]

just picked up the toone a few days ago, and work is keeping me busy. as for the battery, for use in the boat, i picked up a 12 volt output solar trickle charger, bout 1 foot by a foot. i will do research and see if there are smaller ones, i know brunton has a solar panel that one can roll up for cel phones, palm polots etc, but the output im sure wouldnt be enough.

 

[FernRidgeChamp]

just picked up the toone a few days ago, and work is keeping me busy. as for the battery, for use in the boat, i picked up a 12 volt output solar trickle charger, bout 1 foot by a foot. i will do research and see if there are smaller ones, i know brunton has a solar panel that one can roll up for cel phones, palm polots etc, but the output im sure wouldnt be enough.

Cabelas has great deals on the solar trickle chargers. For under $30 bucks shipped if I remember. In fact they have a good deal on a 12v w/ charger for under $30 shipped. If I had the cash I would have them ship one but I'm just gonna get the tractor battery and use my car to charge it, maybe even get a charger for an extra $30 at bi-mart too. We will see. It get's in on Tuesday and I want to use it on Tuesday if you know what I mean. Can't wait that long. Ha ha.

I want to put a downrigger on it too so I'm being frugal where I can be at the moment.

FRC