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equipment & electronics questions |
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Q:Hi John, Several months ago you were kind enough to give me your impressions of your North River OS boat, which was greatly helpful in my decision to buy one. I found a 2006 24’ and absolutely love it! Thank you again for that information. I’m now in the process of rigging the boat w/ Lowrance products (LCX-113c, LRA-2000… etc) and have run into an installation question that I can’t seem to find any help with. What I’m stuck on is mounting the 50/200 transducer and the speed sensor on the transom, and then running the wires up into the battery compartment. Sounds simple enough, but I’m just stumped and don’t see many options. There are two “pods” at the bottom of the transom and clearly they’re designed for mounting these… but they both have large anodes on them and no room for much else. Yes, I could just pull off the anode from one side and then tap the little pod for the sensors… but that leaves me 1 anode short and the wires with a long run straight up to the engine wire bundle. Not only does it look a bit amateur, it gives me concern about long-term hardiness, as well as engine electrical interference. I’m just dreading drilling 8+ holes in the new boat, and then having to change things up later. I also can’t bring myself to punch a whole in the transom to run the wires internally… So it’s just sitting there waiting for me. Perhaps I’m already looking at the best way, but I’d sure like some confirmation before I pull out the drill. Would you again be so kind as to tell me how you rigged yours up? I scoured your site for a tell-tale picture… but no luck. Looking forward to seeing you again at the seminar. Bringing two friends up this time. Warmest regards, Aaron |
| A: Aaron, I have the same two anodes and there was still room to mount the transducer near the end of the metal strip closest to the drain side. Even if you have to put on each rail port and starboard side of the boat. As far as getting the wires back to the unit come up the transom, I installed to wire loop holders http://www.boatersworld.com/product/198470213msk.htm by threading them into the transom and sealing them with silicone. That holds the wires to the transom close to the motor. After that you have two options. You can snake the wire into the motor bundle tube by cutting a whole similar to the one your steering cable comes out of or you can drill a hole in the transom about half way up from the motor platform or if you picture a hole in front of the motor but about where you fuel tank vent is. In this case you need to install a water tight electronics clam. http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10 001/46511/0/0/cable%20clam/All_2/mode+matchallpartial/0/0 This is what I used on my boat, it brought the transducer wires in just above the batteries and it was then easy to route the wires to the sonar unit. Let me know if this helps, if not when I get a chance I'll send you a picture. Capt. John |
| Q: John, when I
attended your seminar a few weeks ago, I noticed you had the same
trolling motor steering kit that I have, except for one thing, the
guy who stole my trolling motor has the attaching ball for my arm.
I was wondering if there is a local place around that has the same
kit. I have tried the website for goldeneye and have come up short.
Also some phone numbers that I've gotten have been disconnected. Any
help would be apprciated. Thanks Kevin |
| A: Kevin, I use
the TR-1 auto pilot www.nautamatic.com to steer my kicker motor. Are
you sure it was my boat, and not Tom Nelson's he uses a different
system that hooks up on the front of the motor as a back up for his
TR-1 Auto pilot. I'm not familiar with the goldeneye steering system.
Thanks John |
| Q: Hi Tom, I
am looking to find a good reliable GPS-Fishfinder (waterproof) for my 17 foot
boat. Can you give me any suggestions. Thanks for any information. Richard |
| A: Hi
Richard, Please understand that I hate to spend other peoples' money, but
Lowrance has models that would fill your needs and are very user friendly. The
Lowrance units can range in price from $2400 down to $600. Whatever unit you
get, I'm sure you will be satisfied. Hope this info will help you. Tom
Nelson |
| R: Thank you, I can't wait to buy one and put it on "No Worries" Thank You, Chris |
| Q: Hi John,
I have tried several different fish finders and have not found one yet that
seems to give consistent readings with the other boaters in the area. Mine
might read fish all day and the other boaters are reading nothing at all. It
seems I use my finder for nothing more that depth. I have a GPS already so what
fish finder would you recommend? Thank You, Chris |
| A: Chris,
all our boats run Lowrance sonars, X-19 & X-16, they give super performance
on the water day after day and for the money they are hard to beat. I truly believe 90% of sonar problems relate to on the following: 1. Improper transducer installation 2. Lack of power to sonar unit, low voltage. 3. Transducer wire run to close to other 12 volt boat wiring sources. Hope this helps some with your current unit. Capt. John Keizer |
| Q: When I
was fishing with you at Port Townsend during the salmon U outing I forgot to
ask you what would your choice of a filet knife be? I was pretty
impressed on how sharp your knfe was and how it seemed to hold an edge.
There are so many on the market that I don't have a clue on what to buy.
Any help on this would be much appreciated. Thanks, Carroll |
| A: Carroll,
hate to dissolution you but the salmon spoon knives I use with the yellow
handles are from Narrows Marina in Tacoma 253-564-4222. I believe there made in
China or some other 3rd world country. They hold up good and keep a sharp edge
and best of all they are very cheap as I have been know to drop a few overboard
from time to time. Capt. John |
| Q: John,
Congrats on a great site! Questions: 1) The Scotty web site recommends .600 volts for Kings on the black box. Curious to know what is your most common setting is in the Sound? Do you make slight changes for deeper water? If so, what are your adjustments? 2) What is your preferred leader length for the B-2 Squid? Very Respectfully, John |
| A: John, I
run my black box at .65 for summer kings fishing the riggers at 50-60 ft. For
winter blackmouth in the 120 ft. plus water I bump it up to .72 to .75 I have had the best luck with the mini B-2 squid tied with 35 inches of 50 pound leader behind a large HotSpot flasher. Good Fishing Capt. John |
| Q: Capt.
John, I have a question about the Black Box. I am interested in how
influential they are in sport fishing. I understand they have been used
by commercial trollers for a while, but are still fairly new the sportfishing.
How much of a difference in your catch ratio have they made? What are the
best ones on the market? And lastly what settings work best? Bryan |
| A: Bryan,
You're right, the box has been around for years in the commercial fleet. What's
new is they have made them small enough to fit on a sport boat. Tom & I
both use the Scotty Black Box on our boats, it has a proven record when it
comes to salmon fishing. I feel the advantage the Black Box gives you is when
your fishing a crowd which in charter fishing I do a lot of. It can make the
difference in putting a few extra fish in the box. The thing to remember is it
can help a good fisherman produce more fish, but if you're not catching fish
now it's not going to be a lot of help to you. Good technique is first when it
comes to salmon fishing! I run my Black Box at .65 for summer kings and .75 for
blackmouth. Good Luck Capt. John Keizer |
| Q: I have a
16 foot lund pro sport, i'm thinking about getting a black box, you made a
statement when responding to a question about them, that they are small enough
for sport boats. how small or big are they? where can i get one and how much do
they cost? by the way great site!!!! walleye willie |
| A: Walleye,
the new Pro-Troll Black Box is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and costs
about $99.00 |
| Q: Capt.
John, Great web-site... It is first on my list of sites I look at daily. Here
is my question... I am looking at various gps/chartplotters, and many of them
take the c-map cartridges, and many take blue charts, and then there is
Lowrance, that has the downloadable charts... I went to the Lowrance web-site,
and had a hard time ascertaining whether a person is able to purchase one of
the cards -pre-made- for the Lowrance chart plotter. Do you know if this is
possible to get a card with most of Puget Sound, or are they limited to having
to use the map create software? Also, is the map create software (in your
opinion) difficult to work with? Thank you in advance for your input. Jase |
| A: Jase, the Lowrance units can download charts from Lowrance of any US area, this is included with the unit. You can purchase a chart from Navionics that covers all the marine areas in excellent detail, including tides and currents. One chip covers all of Puget Sound. That's what I use in my X-16 & X-19 units. Capt. John |
| Q: hi john.
I cant believe all the great tips and cant believe how badly i have been
fishing im going to take your class in february but i wanted to know more about
the black box. that seems to be all i hear about lately. i think i heard prices
from $99.00 to over $200.00. it sounds like they are worth there wait in gold.
do they really produce a better catch rate? and if so, is there anything on the
more expensive ones that the less expensive dont have or is it just a matter of
better quality. thanks, sean |
| A: Sean, Wait until the Feb. class before you buy one. I will give you plenty of information then. Capt. John |
| Q: Hi John,
I run a LCX-16 GPS & sounder like you do. I am not happy with the map
create 6 program that came with the unit as far as the map detail I am able to
view. My questions are as follows: 1) Do you have experience with the navioncs software and this unit? 2) Would I get more detail on the chart with a navionics card? 3) Do you know of a way to use a Navionics chart to plan a trip on a home PC, and then transfer the planned trip & waypoints to the LCX-16 on my boat like I can with the map create 6? Thanks for your time in answering my questions, Mike |
| A: Mike, all I use is the Navionics charts, the detail is just like looking at a full size marine chart, plus they give you tides and currents. One chart covers all of Puget Sound. As far as transferring detail off a PC that you can't do, however you can load way points and routes on the X-16. Hope this helps. Capt. John |
| Q: Hi John, do you know whether it will be necessary for me to add an additional battery if am running two Scotty electric downriggers on a boat where the main motor is turned off for about 5-6 hours during trolling . My kicker is used to troll but is not hooked up to charge my battery so that battery would only get charged if I move locations or at the end of the trip. I would be running the downriggers every 20minutes or so, pulling 15 IB balls from 100-150feet. I also run a GPS, sounder, black box and VHF.If I know how many amps the downrigger draws can I calculate the amount of pulls I would get before the battery dies. Thanks, Greg |
| A: Greg, it should not be a problem for short 5-6 hour trips as I run 3 Scotty's off one battery. However, your batteries should be in good shape and fully recharged between trips. It sure would not hurt you to look into hooking up your kicker motor to charge your downrigger / electronics house battery. They make kits to do that for most OB motors. Thanks for the question. Capt. John |
| Q: It's sunday the 16th of feb. still laughing, big son of a #@!&%$, great seminar on the 15th at toa. i'm convinced i need a new fishfinder and i know you like yhe lowrance x15 and 16 but my pocket book has me looking at the x97and x98 df they seem to have enough power and resolution based on what was discussed at the seminar, they run between $399 and $459 or do you think it's worth the jump to the X15 or the x16 ? i'm still undecided if i will ever use the gps as i don't go out on the big water(ocean or most of the straights). owner hooks were discussed , what style are the ones you use, i looked on the internet and there were several styles to choose from. thanks, walleye willie |
| A: Willie, In the perfect world we would all fish x19's. However, if you are not going to use the GPS, it really wouldn't be worth your money to buy one. The x97 and 98 will give you years of excellent service and do everything that you need to do to help you catch salmon. The Owner hook I use are the Cutting Point model Style SSW All Purpose Bait Hooks. I hope this helps. Tom Nelson |
| Q: John, After reviewing the previous questions on the site, I hope this won't be a repeat question (fat chance?). Could you address the importance (from the standpoint of locating game and baitfish) of having a dual frequency fish finder vs. a single 200hz frequency fishfinder. I'd like to purchase a new combo GPS/Sounder unit and most of the affordable models only come with single frequency. I primarily fish the waters of Marine area 7 for salmon and ling cod in depths ranging from 30-120 feet. I'm not currently using down riggers but plan on adding them this summer as well. Is it worth the extra money to have the dual frequency? Based on the articles I've read on the website, most of the productive fishing occurs from 60-100 feet vs. at 500ft where the electronics manufacturers claim that you can see with dual frequencies. Thanks for your time and the website is truly educational. Charlie |
| A: Charlie, For the depth your talking about fishing at a single 200hz transducer should work just fine. It will give you a much tighter viewing pattern and better target definition then a 50hz. I run a duel 200/50hz transducer and find 70% of the time I use my Lowrance X-19 on 200hz. I switch to duel mode to track my downriggers from time to time near bottom when fishing 150ft plus water and when halibut fishing water deeper then 200 ft. The 50hz transducer has a much wider coverage pattern but you will loose some detail. You might want to look at the www.lowrance.com web page as they have a excellent sonar explanation section. Good fishing. Capt. John |
| Q: Hi John, On my boat, I have a Garmin 182-C chartplotter GPS and a Sitex Ultima VHF radio. The VHF has a handy "scanning" mode which refuses to work when the GPS is on. Their antennas are mounted 53" apart, and the units themselves are mounted 30" apart. Is there anything I can do to make the scanning mode work without turning off the GPS? Cheers, Colin Sidney, BC |
| A: Colin, This is a tough one, I have never experienced a problem like this with the Lowrance units we use or heard of this type trouble before. It sounds like you may be getting some EMF type interference from the VHF radio but I'm not sure. I would suggest you call the manufactures of both the radio and the GPS and see what their tech support people say. If that doesn't work try a local marine electronics repair center. Best of luck Capt. John |
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