Transducer installation instructions

STEP 2 - Placement of your SternMate™

A - Determine that the aft-most portion of the entire SternMate™ unit (incl. all components you may have chosen to use) is greater than 3/8" + (more is better) above the running surface once installed.

To make measurements, tape your paint paddle to the underside (beneath your designated SternMate™ location as shown) of your boat and allow it to extend aft several inches.

B - Ensure that the face of your transducer can be adjusted at least 3/4"+ above the running surface and 1/2" below. Your transducer assembly should be loosely through-fastened and centered on the SternMate™ Setback Plate (or other components) to determine latitude of vertical adjustment in this step.

C - Pencil trace around your SternMate™ upon determining the exact location for installation you have found by completing A and B. Disassemble your SternMate™ and center the Mounting Plate on your bottom trace line. Adhere at that location. Scrub your transom with IPA. Wipe dry with clean cloth. Scrub back side of Mounting Plate with IPA. Wipe dry. Apply the 4 "Yellow Dots” on the adhesive side of Mounting Plate to fully cover screw inserts. Avoid touching the clean Mounting Plate.

SternMate™ - Transducer Installation Instructions

(1) Lots of vertical adjustment range, not only in your transducer bracket, but with any optional bracket accessory.

(2) Follow the "RULES" .

(3) Planning vertical adjustment of your transducer during the "locating" process is very important.

(4) Popsicle sticks ('buttering sticks") are used to determine an intallation height measurement of 3/8" + (photo

A).

(4) Initial trial optimization run: Adjust your transducer so the face is approx. 1/4" above the running surface (photo B). Use the paint paddle to find this measurement. Also use the paint paddle to ensure that the face of the transducer is on the same plane a your running surface.

Transducer sounding was optimum regardless where SternMate and transducer was installed on our test boat. An uninterrupted flow of water fore of the transducer is necessary.

Components in your SternMate™ Kit

(1) Mounting Plate

(1) Housing

(1) Set-back Plate

(4) #10 Nut Holders

(1) Trim Snap

(4) ¾” x10x32 screws (mount Housing to Mounting Plate only)

(1) 3/4" x10x32 screw (optional screw for fastening lanyard to SetBack Plate or Housing))

(4) 1 ½”x10x32 screws (mount Set-back Plate thru Housing to Mounting Plate)

(2) 7/8”x 10x32 (mount most transducer brackets directly to Housing)

(2) 1 ½”x10x32 (mount most transducer brackets to Set-back Plate thru Housing to Mounting Plate)

(3) #10x32 nylon-insert lock nuts

(1) Stainless steel wire lanyard

Reference: Transducer Installation Photos on SternMate™ (click images to enlarge)

click to enlarge

Why do we do it this way? SternMate™ effectively distances the transducer properly aftward from the transom up and away from the “trough” and into the rising displaced slipstream of water naturally created behind a fast moving boat. Elevating the transducer face into the aftward elevated slipstream...allowing the transducer to "surf", employs a unique corrective advantage toward optimizing your high speed sounding.

The DUO™ bracket provides the same desired aftward setback as the Setback Plate in photo A.

Gather the Following

Light wt. thread lock (opt.)

Several clean cloths

91% (IPA) Isopropyl Alcohol

Single edge razor blade

Strong tape (for paint paddle)

Your transducer(s) and its mounting bracket

Boat hull and air temperature: 65 deg. F + (18.4 C). In colder climates, artificial heat and canvas shrouding around the work area is acceptable. Heat can accelerate working time, cold will retard working time.

Familiarize yourself with these instructions and those provided by the manufacturer of your transducer prior to installation and follow them closely for best results. The installation is simple. Don't Rush It. Refer to our website or our office for assistance.

Transducer Location

Follow the proven basic "RULES" for the proper location of your external high speed transducer. Refer to the SternMate™ website.

Proceed to STEP 1.

STEP 1 - Prepare Your Transom

Scrub well, degrease, remove oxidation, scum, wax, mold release where you have chosen to install your SternMate™. DO NOT use petroleum based products. Scrub well with IPA before installation.

Gel coat - DO NOT sand or abrade. Ensure gelcoat is intact, in good condition w/o osmotic blistering.

Painted Aluminum - Remove paint to bare aluminum. Bare aluminum oxidizes quickly. Clean well with IPA immediately prior to installation. DO NOT sand metal.

Painted wood - Intact, well-coated, seasoned polyurethane finish. DO NOT sand. IPA scrub only.

Bottom/anti-fouling paint - Gently remove to gel coat or to metal surface. Scrub well with IPA.

Your transducer may be moved to other SternMate™ slots later for best optimization, as necessary. Trial fit and adequate vertical adjustment is important.

Deadrise V-hull Installation - SternMate™ may be installed on the deadrise angle or parallel to the water (installer preference).

Utilizing the paint paddle, reach of the transducer must be adequate to satisfy the requirements in A and B, which may determine how you will install your SternMate™. Installed on the deadrise, the transducer is rotated parallel to the water. Verify that the low side of the transducer follows the same vertical adjustment latitude in sections A and B. (Some deadrise V-hulls require an optional aftward "set back" accessory, dependent upon your unique transom cant and transducer bracket reach).

Flat-bottom Skiff

Installation

Deadrise V-hull

Installation

clk to enlarge

STEP 3 - SternMate™ Adhesion

SternMate™ Adhesive Instructions can be found on the yellow card in your SternMate™ kit. Mix very well at room temperature. The adhesive is gap-filling (to 1/4"+) should the Mounting Plate not lie absolutely flat. Carefully"butter" the adhesive with wood paddles on the backside of the Mounting Plate over the yellow dots (thickness of 2-3 credit cards is adequate).

Keep adhesive away from the notch at the topside of the Mounting Plate by approximately 1/4". Spread adhesive evenly as represented in the photo. Keep the edges and the face side of the Mounting Plate free of adhesive. Keep hands clean.

STEP 4 - CLEAN UP

Keep hands clean to avoid contaminating the Mounting Plate. Begin very careful clean up immediately upon positioning your MountingPlate while adhesive is still damp. The adhesive sets up quickly, so be diligent. Use dampened cloths with IPA to clean the area, particularly at the edges of the Mounting Plate. Use the edge of a clean wood adhesive paddle to remove "oozed" adhesive, if any, from the perimeter ofthe Mounting Plate. The completed installation should show no evidence of adhesive. You may tightly wrap an IPA dampened cloth over the end of a clean "butter" paddle to aggressively clean away any adhesive that may be evident at the joint. A single edge razor blade might be handy to cut away curing adhesive. USE ONLY IPA on or near your Mounting Plate. Other solvents will attack the material.

Notch

Paint paddle

Wood paint paddle

Paper towels

Helper (optional)

Sharp pencil

When the Mounting Plate has been "buttered"with adhesive, place it on the bottom pencil trace line. Press the Mounting Plate firmly and gently to the transom and twist a bit side to side to ensure complete adhesive contact between the transom and the Mounting Plate. Do not squeeze adhesive from the joint. Only slight loss should occur, if any, and can be easily cleaned away. The adhesive is thixotropic (thick and sticky) and should hold the plate in position. If it slips a bit, simply move it back into position.

Following C Marine Industries

SternMate™ transducer mounting system can easily be installed on most all boats. Some of the types of boats that use transom-mounted transducers for fish-finders, depth-finders, sonar and fish locators are:

How to mount a transducer on: All-Purpose Fishing Boats Aluminum Fishing Boats Fish and Ski Bass Boats Bowriders Flat Boats Bass boats Center Console Closed Bow Runabouts Welded Boats Center Console Closed Bow Runabouts Center Console Closed Bow Runabouts Cuddy Cabins Deck Boats Houseboats Dinghies Electric Boats Multi-Hull Power Boats Catamarans Jet Boats Performance Boats Pontoon Boats Stern Drive boats Cruisers Skiffs I/O Inboard-Outboard Walkaround boats Sailboats Runabouts Outboard boats Electric boats Row boats Fishing boats Fiberglass boats Steel boats Painted Wood boats

Marine electronics manufacturers of fish-finder, transducers, depth-finder, sonar and fish locator, transducer mount equipment:

EAGLE Furuno Garmin Humminbird Lowrance Norcross Marine Northstar Technologies SI-TEX Raymarine SIMRAD Northstar Tacktick Uniden Navionics Standard Horizon

Disclaimer: The aformentioned marine electronics manufacturers do not endorse SternMate products.