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Old 09-16-2010, 07:08 PM   #6
dsafety
Olivenhain Bob
 
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Olivenhain, CA
Posts: 1,121
Be careful of using any kind of rigid material to attach the well to the hull. Kayaks flex quite a bit and anything rigid will eventually break free. If you cannot shape your well so that it comes fairly close to the contours of the hull, you will probably never have much success with the wet mount.

I know that this may come as a surprise to some but I have switched the the grease mount. My wet mount works perfectly but but a few months ago, Humminbird sent me their grease mount kit to try. It failed miserably but only because their supplied adhesive did not work. I ended up gooping their mounting bracket to my hull and the system works very well.

I cannot say that the grease mount is any better or worse than the wet mount as far as the image quality but this system is really an install and forget it mounting system. No longer do I have to worry if the water in my well has evaporated or leaked away.

For those with a hull shape that is difficult to fit to a rigid well, the grease mount may be a better way to go. The well seal does not have to be perfect. In fact you can probably use a flexible material to make the well and it only has to be deep enough to hold the transducer in place.

The only thing you have to worry about is if the material you make the well from will play nicely with the grease. Some plastics, and rubber materials will degrade after contact to oils and greases.

Although I have not tried it, I think the perfect material to make a grease mount well from is some sort of closed cell foam such as recycled tire rubber, neoprene, (wetsuit material), or EVA, the lightweight foam use in some playground applications. The material is easily cut and glued to the hull. The unknown is how it will hold up to the grease.

If someone wants to experiment, I have most of these materials on hand and plenty of grease. I would be happy to help with an installation. Please PM me if you would like to drop by my house some time and give it a try. I am in Encinitas.

Bob
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