B260/small boat?

[Winterking]

Hi Guys, I have a 26' downeast boat (duffy) with a tzt2 machine. Is their negative consequences to installing the b260 with fairing block aside from dealing with the trailer? Reason for the 260 is deepdropping for swords 1200-1800', would rather have a flush mount but the only thing that comes close to the performence is the B164 and it's not quite the machine that the 260 is. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Johnny Electron]

I agree that the B260 runs circles around the B164 but the B260 with fairing is designed for 30ft or larger boats. To put a B260 on something smaller it would mean it would need to be mounted into a pocket. The larger transducer and fairing would be a problem for smaller boats in regards to steering/drag.

 

[Winterking]

Thank you! I'm not trying to see bait or fish but do you think in 1200-1800' I'll be able to see thermocline as well as bottom contours with the B164? Or is their another option with my machine? Also, I would love to see a picture or sketch on what a pocket would look like if possible, might be something i do. I guess i could think about a dedicated bottom machine too that might give me some options.I should also say that this boat has got a 30" keel and cruises 12-14 knots so it's not like a center console doing 30 knots if that has any bearing on the picture. Just didn't want to spend a fortune so looking for the most bang for the buck!
Thank you!

 

[Quitsa]

You might look for an M260 tank mount in hull transducer if you have decent access to the area where it would need to be mounted. I don't know if your Duffy has a solid glass or cored hull. With solid glass the installation would be relatively simple. Depending upon the thickness and construction of the hull, there would be some signal attenuation. That can be somewhat mitigated by grinding down the hull under the tank and using solid epoxy to reinforce it if necessary. What is critical is that the material through which the transducer shoots is solid with no voids or coring.

had one many years ago and it performed quite well. Just another option to consider.

There is always an issue with full keel boats because the keel can interfere with the signal. Not much you can do about that.

 

[Winterking]

Thank you! I'll look into that as well.

 

[Quitsa]

By the way, I forgot to mention that I had a B164 in one of my boats a ways back. That transducer was not one of Airmar's finer efforts. A cheap B60 is just as good if not actually better in many conditions.

I recall my M260 tank mount being able to read bottom out at the canyons in 1500 feet driven by a 1kW Furuno DFF1 black box, which is very similar to the internal sounder circuit of a TZT 2.

 

[hiccup]

I agree w/Quitsa...if your hull bottom is not cored, the M260 is a great transducer. I had one for many years and continued to use it, a lot, even when I loaded the boat up with chirp transducers that cost much more.

 

[Winterking]

Thanks a Million guys, I appreciate the feedback! The m260 sounds like the ticket. Real world experience is super helpful :respect :respect :respect