We recently completed a mod to allow us to have a removable sonar transducer for our Mac26X.
With out going into all the legacy aspects we did this so we could easily remove our sonar transducer
> when not in use
> minimize marine growth
> when trailering
> when backing into the beach
> when deliberately “tiding out” on the beach
> to be able to easily change out between or primary chartplotter & sonar and our auxiliary chartplotter & sonar systems (redundancy)
> to be able to swap chartplotter so & sonar systems between or Mac26X Over Easy and our little runabout Scrambled
> to avoid leaving the transducer perpetually out in the elements year round
>>> Importantly this was to be able to fully utilize the Side-Scan Sonar features of our primary chartplotter & sonar system that we couldn’t with our prior “within-the-hull” arrangement. The “within-the-hull” arrangement only reliably worked if the ballast tank was full and then only in the downward Clear-Vee depth mode. The Side-Scan features weren’t operable even when we made a considerably larger liquid fill within-the-hull transducer box.
So let get started….
I utilized a section of cast aluminum TRAXSTECH “T-rail” 18 inches long that I mounted to our G-10 engine mount reinforcing plate we installed as part of our new engine up grade to the Suzuki DF60 AV. I deliberately made the plate the full width of the engine mount flat area so that it would not only spread out the load but provide addition ‘not into the hull’ mounting surface if desired which is what we utilized the mount the TRAXSTECH to the stern by drilling and tapping full depth 1/4-20 threads into the plate. The screws were driven in with Locktite Green thread lock compound to help ensure the screws won’t back out on their own. A bottom stop bolt was added at the base of the T-rail and was dipped in Locktite Green to help keep it in place over time.
(Aside 1: G-10 is a form of manufactured plate fiberglass used industrially and comes in versions that resist water intrusion and harsh environments. It is universally and consistently very dense and strong. I also prepped, epoxy primed and coated it entirely with ablative antifouling before mounting.)
(Aside 2: TRAXSTECH is a really robust system to mount fishing gear and accessories to gunnel tops such as Deep Sea rod holders & etc. yes it’s definitely overkill for a transducer but I got it in a four foot length at a good price. The spare length will go on our little runabout to also make a removable/swap-able transducer mount so Over Easy & Scrambled can easily share either’s chartplotters and transducers. What length of the TEAXSTECH rail will find other goo uses as well on other projects.)
I utilized a section of used spare STARBOARD to make the T-slot slider plate. It was made about 14 inches long to provide a nice stable interface to guide and hold the outer mount plate which the transducer is mounted.
I used SST #10-24 screws and SST Self locking nuts to make the gap space between the slider plate and the outer mount plate. This allowed me to adjust the clamping gap between them to guide/grip them to the TRAXSTECH T-rail.
The 24” long outer clamp plate was made from nominal 4” PVC lumber board which is actually 3-1/2 inches wide and the same width as the T-rail. The Garmin transducer bracket is mounted at the bottom and a 1” diameter finger lift hole was made at the top. The cut ends and finger hole were routered with a 1/2” radius to preclude sharp edges.
The relationship between the slider plate and the outer mount plate was adjusted so that the transducer was protruding below the bottom of the hull the recommended 1/4-to-3/8 amount (per Garmin). I still have an additional 1” of downward sdjustment on the Garmin supplied bracket should that be needed. On the off chance more downward adjustment is needed I can also trim the slide plate where it meets the stop bolt on the T-rail.
I mounted the transducer and routed the cable up and through the finger lift hole while securing the cable with UV resistant cable clamps to keep things neat and secure.
I adjusted the compression between the slide plate and outer mount plate to the T-rail via the external nuts to make the assembly secure while in use but still easily removable. Should thing loosen up over time I can alsway re tighten the clamping function of the screws for a tighter fit.
This mod allows us to now easily remove the transducer from the water when not in actual use and will allow us to easily swap chartplotters/transducers between both our Mac26X Over Easy and our little runabout Scrambled when desired (once I get Scrambled set up and an additional mount assembly made
).Here are a several photos of where we’re at at this time:
Finished removable transducer assembly with prior auxiliary transducer mounted to ballast valve for reference
Above are the clearance photos between the engine and transducer as well as the rudder bracket (sorry about the rudders being off as we’ve been operating in Trawler Mode
Below are perspective photos of the various parts for reference
So far so good!
Now I can remove the auxiliary transducer from Over Easy once the rain lets up…
Best Regards,
Over Easy
Ps: Finished cleaned up installation photos:
….
half full kind of person rather than half empty if you’all haven’t figured that out already 
All transponder functions worked as expected (accounting for the minor aspect with the engine lower unit echo reflection aspect discussed in prior posting)