Well, I finally got a chance to test my Garmin Striker 4 portable setup.
It worked perfect in case anyone else is interested in doing something similar
The transducer floated on the bottle with no problems and the small battery pack worked great.

Once again, I am going to be a guest with my friend and his expensive newly refinished Kevlar canoe, so any type of mounting to the canoe is not an option, thus, the need for devising a completely portable system. A light weight system was also important for portaging.

Hmmmmmmmm, I have been struggling with how to make a portable system for the transducer. Did it really float basically perfectly parallel to the water? How did you keep it close to the boat? Did you get a chance to test it with waves on the surface? I feel like waves would mess it up, and back-and-forth wobbling motions while moving (if not rigidly held in place) would also mess it up and cause it to point not-directly-under the canoe.

I just went and got some cheap wood at Home Depot and am gonna cut and screw it together to make an L bracket, then use a C-clamp to clamp that onto the canoe, with the transducer mount screwed into the bottom of the L bracket. We'll see how it goes... I could not shoot through the hull on my recent trip where I tried plumber's putty as some recommended, nor inside a plastic bag of water.

The water was very calm. I would speculate that waves would create some issues.
I had it attached to some micro-rope and of course the cord (which is quite long). I just tied it to one of my brackets on the side of the kayak, and towed it along.

If I was using it for a canoe that I owned, I would simple purchase a nice bracket to attach it to the side. I have seen them online. I will likely make a more permanent attachment for my kayak too.

We will probably not use this a lot on the BWCA trip, but will try it some, especially for finding depth and structure.... or if we are not having success finding fish the old fashion way.

Nice set up!

You should just be able to shoot through the hull of a Kevlar canoe. Just set it on the bottom of the canoe spill a little water and you can run it all the time. I think that would be easier? Maybe ya tried already? That’s all I do for the last 17 years and works great.

T

Rayljr,

Here's another option for your unit. Put a little bit of water on the bottom of the canoe, place your screen protector in said water, put water in screen protector, place transducer in the water filled screen protector. Perfect readings and you can use it in any weather and while you are moving.

Instead of the bottle, did you look at finding a suction cup bracket and modifying to your transducer? I use suction cup brackets for my portable units and they work well. You can slide them up the hull when paddling at higher speeds to avoid drag.

Set up looks great! Did you use an 8 AA pack or 10 AA? I am planning for a flyin and trying to build the same setup ASAP. I read the 10 AA setup is the way to go but they are less available (atleast on amazon) for quick shipping. Thanks!

Just got back last weekend from 5 days on SAK. I was using a similar setup for the first time but I just put the transducer on a small bag of water and shot thru the hull of a Souris River Quetico 17. Worked perfectly. I used a 10 pack of Everyready ultimate lithium AA batteries. Didn’t need to change the batteries at all. Also tried using the piece of foam with a little water. Worked just as well. Seems to me if you can shoot thru the hull that’s the way to go.

8 AA batteries

I will try that!
Thanks!

I have a striker 4 that I set up last year and use 10 eneloop AA but am only getting 6hrs per pack. I’m thinking something isn’t right on my set up and the unit is drawing too much.

The way I plan on using mine, is occasionally during the trip. I will still use my topo maps of the lakes and target the areas as I have in the past. The fish finder will be used to check for depth, temp, structure, and of course, to see if there are fish in the areas targeted. So it will be turned on and off.... often. I am bringing 24 AA batteries. I think that will last for the 5 days of fishing.