I will be using my ice helix 5 in the BWCA for the first time and im just wondering what transducer set up people use for canoeing that is still easy to remove for portages. It has an ice transducer and a boat transducer rigged to a board to be clamped to a boat. Also open to hearing any battery solutions as we will be going for 7 days and using the helixs as much as possible. Thanks!

I shoot through the hull. There's always a little water in the bottom of my boat and that helps the transducer. Some build a little water around the transducer with putty, I think, but I've never seen the need.

I put my transducer on in the EP parking lot and don't take it off until I am back.

HOW DO YOU MOUNT THE TRANSDUCER?

To shoot through the hull, just make a puck of silicone caulk at a place where the hull is thin. In my canoe that’s under the bow seat. Work it tight with a downward circular motion to work out any air bubbles.

No need to shout. This has been covered many times before.

I would use the ice ducer and just set it in the bottom of the canoe. As long as there is a little puddle of water it should shoot right through.

Welcome aboard rusteegmc.
You can just set your flat bottom transducer in some water like others have said and it will read just fine. At the end of the trip you just scrape off the silicone, done.

missmolly: "I shoot through the hull. There's always a little water in the bottom of my boat and that helps the transducer. Some build a little water around the transducer with putty, I think, but I've never seen the need. "

Do you use a standard transom-mounted transducer for this or did you purchase a "puck" transducer? I'm curious if one works better than the other. I have used my standard device to both shoot through the hull and submerged off the side of the canoe.

I have a Lowrance X67C Ice machine with a portable case and use a suction ducer. Easily stuck to the canoe and easily removable when needed. I have brought the ice ducer into the BWCA a few times and it works well... just toss it over the side.

Didnt mean to shout, i never realized my caps lock was on. after i posted that i looked at it and thought "dam, now i look like an ass". Thanks for the info ive heard of shooting thru the hull i just never thought it would work well, but im happy to hear so many people say its worked for them.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! they were really helpful and im excited to report back how this works in may! Good luck fishing everyone!

Can transducers shoot through an aluminum boat?? I assume most of you are talking Kevlar...?

carmike: "Can transducers shoot through an aluminum boat?? I assume most of you are talking Kevlar...? "

I shoot thru the aluminum hull of my alumacraft boat just fine and dandy. I have read cases where people had bad luck with certain ducers or certain hulls, so ymmv.

rusteegmc: "Didnt mean to shout, i never realized my caps lock was on. after i posted that i looked at it and thought "dam, now i look like an ass". Thanks for the info ive heard of shooting thru the hull i just never thought it would work well, but im happy to hear so many people say its worked for them."

I sure hope it works for you and we'll look like idiots! ;-)

I will be trying to shoot through a royalex canoe, i might put it in the water before the trip to see how well it works, just because i would hate to get all the way up there to find out that it wont be as good as the boat transducer.

thegildedgopher: "I shoot thru the aluminum hull of my alumacraft boat just fine and dandy. I have read cases where people had bad luck with certain ducers or certain hulls, so ymmv."

Ah, thanks for the info. I didn't know anyone else still paddled aluminum boats. :)

carmike: "

thegildedgopher: "I shoot thru the aluminum hull of my alumacraft boat just fine and dandy. I have read cases where people had bad luck with certain ducers or certain hulls, so ymmv."

Ah, thanks for the info. I didn't know anyone else still paddled aluminum boats. :) "

To be fair I only paddle that boat when I absolutely need to. Prefer my friend the Yamaha. No, it’s not a canoe but barely bigger than one, and I’m pretty sure the hull construction would be similar to an aluminum canoe. :)

I have a Royalex canoe and shooting through the hull is inconsistent. I also have been using Humminbird and last year upgraded to a Helix 5. I have found the suction cup mount that Humminbird sells to be the best solution for me. If Kevlar boat, definitely shoot through the hull.
Your battery question is important, because those 12 volts are heavy and not easily recharged. Do a search on this site for converting the power source to AA batteries. I did it from the info on this site and I’m certainly no electrician. Works better and with 10 lithium ion AAs you can get about 8 hours with the Helix 5.
A few members here know tons about this topic. It’s a fun project. Good luck.

MeatGun: "I have a Royalex canoe and shooting through the hull is inconsistent. I also have been using Humminbird and last year upgraded to a Helix 5. I have found the suction cup mount that Humminbird sells to be the best solution for me. If Kevlar boat, definitely shoot through the hull.
Your battery question is important, because those 12 volts are heavy and not easily recharged. Do a search on this site for converting the power source to AA batteries. I did it from the info on this site and I’m certainly no electrician. Works better and with 10 lithium ion AAs you can get about 8 hours with the Helix 5.
A few members here know tons about this topic. It’s a fun project. Good luck. "

I was wondering about a unit like that. My Hummingbird 170 goes 10 5-7 hour days with a lot left over on one set of lithium AA batteries. It is no frills, but I don't think I could feed a helix for that much fishing. Having the Garmin etrex 20x with mapping card allows me to only use the gps when I need it, which also saves batteries. It would be very nice to have a more advanced set-up like I do when fishing at home in my boat, but I guess everything is a trade off. I used 14 batteries in 10 days of fishing last trip, and already feel bad about weight, lol.

Just in case anyone is curious, I weighed the entire system: Garmin gps and mount, Hummingbird 170 and mount, transducer and cable, foam transducer mount, battery box and batteries for 10+ days and it weighed 3lb 1oz. If you take a set of emergency batteries in case you leave something on, you would add 5 ounces or so (lithium ion). I could probably cut quite a bit of weight if I shortened transducer cable, but haven't been brave enough to try.

meatgun, did you do that conversion on a flasher that you had previously or on your helix? the very little research that ive done so far led me to believe that those AA battery conversions wouldn't supply enough power for a helix, but i could be (and probably am) totally wrong. If so then I will probably copy you to a T(suction cup transducer and a AA conversion). Thanks for the info

I did the conversion on a Humminbird 385 ci which plugged right in to the Helix 5. I was doing a little further reading on this site and came across this, which I haven’t filed tested, but would certainly be easier than the conversion and maybe give longer battery life?:
Wilderness Systems sounder battery
I think you’ll be happy with the suction cup. I experimented with finding the spot that gave the least drag and for me it was basically directly under my seat. Have a fun trip!

Wilderness Systems sounder battery
I think you’ll be happy with the suction cup. I experimented with finding the spot that gave the least drag and for me it was basically directly under my seat. Have a fun trip!"

Thanks for the recomendation I will probably go that route!