Hi All!

So I'm thinking about replacing the way too much tackle load-out that I usually haul into the wilderness with either a Helix 5 or 7. I'm curious what setup some of you use for battery, recharging, display mount, and transducer arm?? I'll be renting a canoe from an outfitter so the setup would need to be temporary and conformable to various canoe types.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

Check out Eric's youtube channel & website; called Farwater.

His setup is exactly the route I took. Pure sweetness.

Helix is a good choice. I use the lithium battery I use in winter in my livescope shuttle and do pretty well and it's very light.

Lawnchair107: "Check out Eric's youtube channel & website; called Farwater.

His setup is exactly the route I took. Pure sweetness. "

Yup this is a great setup I also copied it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e5RpiVbqQo&t=484s&ab_channel=FarWater

8 AA batteries, clamp, suction cup.

I bring extra batteries but have never used them; usually get 5 days.

Marcum Showdown Troller 2.0 for me. Runs on 12v or 6 AA batteries. I can get the transducer to read right through the bottom of a canoe/kayak. I also bring it with when we rent small fishing boats, and it works as a nice ice fishing unit too.

Maybe off topic- but how long will Helix 5 & 7 run on 6 nicad or Lion batterys- rough idea?

I really like the Hawkeye fishtrax 1c. Runs off AAA batteries and shoots through the hull no problem.

Whatever you get I would highly recommend something with the flasher function. It has caught me so many fish vertical jigging and it’s just so much fun. Whenever I see a mark come through 3 feet off the bottom and raise up to them I get bit about 90 percent of the time.

Garmin Striker 4 w LiFePO4 10ah battery. Has always lasted a full week of relatively heavy fishing. Not the lightest of setups but weight wasn't my top priority.

Also use the same setup w ice transducer for winter.

Helix 5 with Dakota lithium will last most trips. I usually do 4 day trips and the unit is on average 5-6 hours a day. According to the battery gage on the unit I only go through half the battery life.

The farwater link shared is my setup except I use a Helix 7. I basecamp so weight was not a huge consideration. It was my first trip using a locator so was concerned about battery life. I took 2 lithium Vexilar MAX Lithium Battery. We fished heavily and I was diligent to conserve battery life. (went on standby once spots were found and kept the screen brightness at minimum easily visible.)
Also used mapping feature extensively.
Battery lasted 3 full days and second battery carried the balance of the 5 days of fishing.
connection to the canoe worked OK, clamp system made me nervous about losing the system into the water and was wobbly, but it worked well and we caught a ton of walleyes in mid-sept in 30 ft of water.

This is the setup I have used in the past. I got the lightest battery possible Lithium 6ah. This whole setup is incredibly light and compact everything dismounts and fits into the box. Instead of buying the transducer mount I just got the suction cup. Saves some weight and is much more simple. I will probably mount my Garmin 73cv Echomap on the box this year just because it includes mapping for pretty much all the lakes in the BW which is incredible.

I am lucky to have a BWCA LCD from Vexilar. They no longer make these. I love it because it is tiny and almost no weight and runs on 8 AA batteries for way more than a weeks worth of heavy fishing. I own 4 of them so I think I am set for life. I will be 69 years old this year and I am planning a trip out of Beaverhouse. This will be my 50th year in canoe country as I went on my first trip when I was 19 to Lake Insula.

aboxrud: " This is the setup I have used in the past. I got the lightest battery possible Lithium 6ah. This whole setup is incredibly light and compact everything dismounts and fits into the box. Instead of buying the transducer mount I just got the suction cup. Saves some weight and is much more simple. I will probably mount my Garmin 73cv Echomap on the box this year just because it includes mapping for pretty much all the lakes in the BW which is incredible.




"

I just picked up a striker 4 and am thinking about taking it this year, have never used electronics before as I usually single portage and pack pretty light.

How does the suction cup work for you? I've seen this setup and thought it looked like the simplest, especially for a rental, but I had some concerns about it staying on.

Does anyone just use a standard ice fishing vexilar? I have been debating on using my fl-18 instead of purchasing a dedicated “summer” sonar unit.

I haven’t brought sonar into the bwca before but I’d like to bring something this year.

Vexilars can work pretty well, especially if you get over active fish. The ice ducers lend themselves well to shooting through hulls too.

I mostly basecamp using OM permits and typically bring a garmin Livescope setup. It's heavy, but not so heavy for day trips into smaller lakes. Otherwise i use a vexilar.

I just used this adapter to run my Garmin Striker 4 off Dewalt batteries. I figure I should get about 20hrs run time per 5ah battery. I'll be using the suction cup transducer mount and the battery works as a pretty stable base to set the unit on the floor of the canoe.

That looks like a sweet setup PRSGuitars - where did you find an adapter that allows a Dewalt battery to snap right in? I have a handful of Milwaukee M18 cordless tools with lithium ion batteries that I’d love to use in the same way you utilized the Dewalts.

Last year, I put this rig together. I got ideas from many folks, but not all on this message board. Not sure I have any original ideas. Will try to add a better photo of the setup at a later time.

Garmin Stryker 4
Makita LXT Batteries
Locally sourced Ash
Woodworking cams
Step down electronic device for converting 18ish volts to 12ish volts
Makita power adapter with wires.
Dry bag
Waterproof connectors.





Cam Locks

Transducer Arm

Dry Bag

Brocraft Rod Holders

Waterproof Connectors Step Down

Makita Adaptor

PRSGuitars: "I just used this adapter to run my Garmin Striker 4 off Dewalt batteries. I figure I should get about 20hrs run time per 5ah battery. I'll be using the suction cup transducer mount and the battery works as a pretty stable base to set the unit on the floor of the canoe.


"

This looks pretty amazing! I have two 5ah Milwaukee batteries I could use for a similar setup. Only additional equipment not shown is suction cup ducer, right? How'd you do this???

Regarding use of Makita/Milwaukee/Dewalt/tool batteries, one thing you probably should think though is the risk of submersion. My limited understanding of these 18V and 12V batteries is that the can pack a punch and you may not want to be in the water with them when they go under. I might be wrong. There also might be an environmental question to be asked as well. All in all, the above Dewalt setup is sweet on simplicity. I'd like to find out if my transducer would work through the floor, but my Navarro is fiberglass with wood strip interior. Haven't tested yet.

Can anyone speak to the use of tool batteries over water, safety and stewardship related?

Regarding the Dewalt setup above......are you running 18v to your Garmin, that's awesome if it works. I have the step down in an effort to not give the Garmin too much.

Also, my understanding is that Dewalt's 20v and Makita's 18v are basically the same fuel cells. Just different interpretations of voltage. In other words, a 20v Dewalt can be treated like an 18v.

Safety and environmental issues aside it would be prudent to take steps to keep your batteries dry, as financially they are a major investment, often as much or more than an entry level fish finder. I run a similar setup with a 9ah Ryobi tool battery with a DC-DC buck converter hooked up to a Lowrance Hook 4. My battery and buck converter are housed in a Lock-n-lock food container, which is just the right size for my battery. It is very convenient not having to worry about over discharge as that is handled by the battery, and when I get home I just throw them on the charger. My fish finder might technically run on a nominal 18V, but if I test a fully charged battery with a multimeter, it reads at just over 20V, over manufacturer specs for my unit. Once you let out the smoke, you now have a useless brick to pack out. I also have a switch wired in circuit to shut off the buck converter so it doesn't slowly drain the battery when the fish finder itself is turned off.

As for shooting through a wood hull, I doubt it would work as wood contains too much air, and will insulate or block the sonar signal, similar to foam core boats. If you have a section that is just fiberglass though, that should work for shooting through. Also, keep in mind that you can use a traditional or 2D sonar for through hull transmission, but a 3D or downscan sonar cannot shoot through a hull due to the frequency used.

Here are some additional photos.

This setup is waterproof with a dry bag and waterproof connectors. Also, I'm pretty sure that when I rolled my canoe last summer, with this set up, the Garmin Striker 4 was submerged and still works.

There are a lot of battery adaptors online. The first one I tried had a 12v plug, USB chargers and a LED light. For some reason, it would not work. So, I ordered the one pictured and it came with a switch.

Boatmaninc, that looks like a well thought out system and it should serve you well. Thanks for sharing your pics. Have you tested the run time with that 5Ah battery on your Garmin Stryker 4?

We’re trying the ibobber this spring…

arnesr, I have not used the sonar enough to have any estimates, I guess I could plug it in and see. I used it periodically last trip in an attempt to preserve energy. I'll see if I can test it out this week.

boatmaninc: "Regarding use of Makita/Milwaukee/Dewalt/tool batteries, one thing you probably should think though is the risk of submersion. My limited understanding of these 18V and 12V batteries is that the can pack a punch and you may not want to be in the water with them when they go under. I might be wrong. There also might be an environmental question to be asked as well. All in all, the above Dewalt setup is sweet on simplicity. I'd like to find out if my transducer would work through the floor, but my Navarro is fiberglass with wood strip interior. Haven't tested yet.


Can anyone speak to the use of tool batteries over water, safety and stewardship related?


Regarding the Dewalt setup above......are you running 18v to your Garmin, that's awesome if it works. I have the step down in an effort to not give the Garmin too much.


Also, my understanding is that Dewalt's 20v and Makita's 18v are basically the same fuel cells. Just different interpretations of voltage. In other words, a 20v Dewalt can be treated like an 18v."

Water is definitely a concern with these batteries as they are not waterproof/sealed. They are basically a bunch of 18650 batteries welded together in series, with a simple controller inside a plastic case. I wouldn't be concerned with voltage but lithium batteries can be dangerous if shorted. Additionally, lithium reacts violently with water if one of the individual cells were to get punctured. I'll have my batteries packed in a hard waterproof case during travel.

I am actually giving the FF up to 20.6V but there is some risk in doing so as this is outside of Garmin's input voltage spec. You also asked about the 18v Makita vs the 20V DeWalt and I would assume both batteries are 20V nominal though you would want to actually measure that after charging a fresh battery.

I do have another thread on this build here

arnesr - I plugged a 5.0 Ah battery (fully charged) into the Striker 4 at 7:10 this morning. It appears to have used 1/2 of the battery 12 hours later.

PRSGuitars - I appreciate your thought process on your build. It's really simple.

arnesr: "Boatmaninc, that looks like a well thought out system and it should serve you well. Thanks for sharing your pics. Have you tested the run time with that 5Ah battery on your Garmin Stryker 4?"

arnesr, I ran my battery twice. I would say that the 5 Ah battery powered the Garmin Striker 4 for 20 hours total. Started at 9PM, shut off after 4PM sometime. 19 hours for sure.

toothmiester: "I am lucky to have a BWCA LCD from Vexilar. They no longer make these. I love it because it is tiny and almost no weight and runs on 8 AA batteries for way more than a weeks worth of heavy fishing. I own 4 of them so I think I am set for life. I will be 69 years old this year and I am planning a trip out of Beaverhouse. This will be my 50th year in canoe country as I went on my first trip when I was 19 to Lake Insula. "

Man after my own heart. I have the Vexilar CLC-200…I actually want to upgrade to something with maps and more features, but the dang thing is built so well it just won’t die :)

This will be the first year I will take sonar up to the BWCA. I will use the same clamp and mounting base for the Helix 5 that FarWater and others have on this thread. I am going to wait on the arm because I'm going to try the in-hull foam system that I use in my kayak. Mine was originally from YakAttack but it doesn't appear that they sell it anymore. I know Garmin sells one. Basically it's a high density foam mount that sticks to the floor of the canoe. You fill it with water, put your transducer in and it shoots right through the floor. In addition to being sure it's positioned directly below the canoe, I don't have to carry the big transducer arm and it will reduce the weight by .8 lbs.

Here's the Garmin one Garmin In-Hull Transducer mount

This is my set up. Epoxied the transducer in the bow, run the cable under the seat, plug and play with a Humminbird Pirahna unit. Can't be any easier than this.

If you want to "upgrade", I will help and buy that one from you.

Just baught a helix 5 today. Camping world had a deal on them and it was time for an upgrade from my hawkeye fishtrax. I'll be looking to build out the same setup as farwater, extra weight be dammed. I tend not to Basecamp, but fishing is my primary activity out there so why not have a little heavier unit.

I have a Garmin striker 4+ that I wired into an old trail camera that didn’t work. Works well for a waterproof lightweight battery case. For the transducer I mounted it to an above ground pool skimmer arm that clamps onto the gunnel. It is adjustable for depth and the Garmin is mounted on top of it.

portagerunner: "I have a Garmin striker 4+ that I wired into an old trail camera that didn’t work. Works well for a waterproof lightweight battery case. For the transducer I mounted it to an above ground pool skimmer arm that clamps onto the gunnel. It is adjustable for depth and the Garmin is mounted on top of it.


"

Love your setup, very ingenious use of materials! How far down does your skimmer arm extend down? And how solid is it on the gunnel, enough to troll with it on effectively?

Love your setup, very ingenious use of materials! How far down does your skimmer arm extend down? And how solid is it on the gunnel, enough to troll with it on effectively?
"

Thanks,

So far so good using the setup for trolling and lake mapping. The arm all the way down places the transducer about even with the bottom of the canoe. There was initially more play than I cared for when tightening the plastic skimmer arm bolts onto the gunnel so I placed a couple screws that you can see in the first picture that sit beneath the inside lip of the gunnel to take any rocking out of it.

I have an older version of the Deeper Sonar CHIRP, and for the most part love it. Super small and light weight. A bit finicky to pair to smartphone and the battery life isn't that great. Need to bring a power bank and/or solar to re-charge via USB.

https://deepersonar.com/us/en_us/products/smart-sonar-chirp-2