mudflat

For a transom mount look at a 50/200 p66 For a thru hull, tilted element, look a B60

I would check the power supply to make sure I had a good 12v, no loose or corroded connections or battery issues. Low voltage can cause all sorts of problems with electronics. Also check the connection where the compass ball plugs into the hydraulic unit (plug #4) It sounds like the unit is working OK mechanically so I'm thinking it might be a problem with the compass ball?? I don't know anyway of checking it without sending it in to Garmin or just swapping it out. It will be tough to fish without it, I know I'm spoiled by mine.

First thing to check is your compass ball, make sure it is still mounted with the wires hanging straight down and that there is no ferrous metal around it ( tools, fishing equipment, ect ). Hopefully it is something simple like this, if not I would talk with Kevin at the Boat Yard to see if he can help you.

Was out last Saturday and picked up 4 kings in 160-220 fow down 90-120' 2 were on a mc rocket fished off a swr down 110' and other 2 were on green FF on a dipsy out 300' Fish were there but still scattered

Try running it clean on a swr off your deepest rigger, especially late morning when the bite gets slow. Usually my hottest rig, even better than my coppers.

I know of a 30' Sportcraft charter boat with a SEI Alpha drive still going strong after 4 years. He also tested their no-fault warranty out by not putting any oil in the drive when he first installed it, I think it lasted 3-4 hours without oil then quit. All he had to do was send it back and they took care of it for him, 100%. I've purchased replacement trim cylinders from them and they work like the oem. I will buy from them again if I need anything.

Old timers say: "Wind in the East. fish bite the least"

Check out A-TOM-MIK 's complete outfits: http://www.atommiktrollingflies.com/dipsydiver_combo.htm

Once you get over the idea of cutting a big hole in the bottom of your boat the installation isn't that difficult. Probably the hardest part is in planning exactly where to place the transducer. Check out BOE's installation video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcBdkjCtifA

I think the Airmar B60 50/200 thru hull gives me a better picture than the stock Lowrance transom mount but I have been told that the Airmar P66 transom mount has the same internal elements as the B60 and will give similar results if it is installed properly. I feel there is less interference issues with a thru hull mount because it runs in "cleaner" water. The one advantage of a transom mount is that you can adjust it once it is installed. I stayed with the 600w transducer because the 1 kw transducers generally have a narrower cone angle so you don't get the same coverage with them, you end up with more detail of a smaller area. For the depths we fish on Lake Ontario we don't need the extra power, I rather have the big picture and be able to see my downrigger weights. I usually run a split screen, one at 50hz to get the wide angle view and the other at 200hz to get the detail of what's right under the boat.

http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/great-lakes-and-tributary-regulations/ 3 total in combination:Brown trout, Steelhead, Coho, Chinook 15" min except 21" for steelhead

I ran a s1000 on a 21' Center console w\225 Yamaha for years and it did the job reasonably well however the pump was noisy and could get annoying at times, so much so that I would shut it down. I tried several things to isolate the noise but couldn't. You would have to be trolling at 3mph at first to get it to engage and then you could slow down to normal speeds (2.2-2.8 for me). Drop below 2 mph and it would shut down I now run with a TR1 gold on my kicker and would not want to go back to the s1000. More $ but you get what you pay for. A good auto pilot is worth every penny you spend on it imo.

I've run both on my 25' Penn Yan and the 20" would ventilate a little once in awhile in 3-4 footer's, it still worked but the 25" works better. The only possible disadvantage to going with 25" shaft would be if it didn't come all the way out of the water when you tilted it up to run on plane with the main motor. Not a problem with my Yamaha 9.9.

Thanks for the reminder Hank, every spring somebody forgets and has a bad experience. Don't forget to drain your exhaust manifolds along with your engine block.

Generally higher is better, within reason. You probably want your pulleys at least 6' above the water. Your goal is to get your tow line high enough off the water so that it doesn't drag when your boards are out all the way. You also want to mount the mast far enough forward so that the towline is not in the way when you're working your rods and to help keep your boards from dropping too far behind the boat. Here's a thread about making your own homemade mast and boards. My first setup was 3/4 pipe and some old reels back in the 80's. http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/9088-homemade-planer-boards-mast/

I suggest you post this question on Bass Boat Central, those guys would probably be able to give you more help http://www.bbcboards.net/lowrance-garmin-sonar-gps/

You definitely want a filter/water separator in your line, especially with ethanol gas. It will have 2 outlets so you can hook the kicker's fuel line up there.

Check Mr. Clean's reports, looks like it's still iced in http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/36275-mr-cleans-fair-haven-report/page-16#entry278743

My Traxtech's are good My Cisco's are better even my machinist is impressed with their quality and workmanship