My new Freedom 275 should be arriving soon from the factory and I need to decide on a chart plotter and transducer, etc. I am considering the Garmin 7612 XSV and the Simrad NSS Evo 12 though I am leaning towards the former because I have heard they are more intuitive for amateur users such as myself. The idea of having a hole drilled through the hull of my brand new boat is not appealing in the least and I am considering an "in-hull" transducer to avoid that (I am not a fan of a transom transducers as I know I'll damage it and I figure if I'm going to add holes it might as well be with a through hull transducer). I will be using the boat on a large southeastern lake 95% of the time and for the remainder on the ICW and on occasion (rare...) out in the ocean trolling grass lines for dolphin. Am I stupid to choose the in hull so as to avoid a hole in the hull??? If not then any recs on which Garmin in hull I should get? Thanks for the advice.
HELP: Transducer Advice on new Frd275
- Thread starter yarbrowm
- Start date
I cannot recommend a thruhull for you due to the lack of temp and other features, but if you must then I would go with the Garmin GT52. It is a capable transducer.
If you want down Vu and Side Vu then you must go with a thru hull or a transom mount. This would be the GT50 or the GT51. I look forward to assisting you further in your search,
If you want down Vu and Side Vu then you must go with a thru hull or a transom mount. This would be the GT50 or the GT51. I look forward to assisting you further in your search,
I have a 2010 Tournament 275 (now called the Freedom 275) with almost 11,000 miles on the boat and almost 800 hours on it. It has been a TERRIFIC boat! I can't say enough great things about it.
I have a Garmin 4212 (which was state of the art when I bought my 275). I had the same feeling as you did about not drilling a hole through the hull, so I went with a shoot through transducer. That was a big mistake. I had it for three years and it never worked right. I then bit the bullet and had a regular transducer installed - so much better!
If you have it professionally installed, don't worry about the hole. They are done all the time without incident. Your boat already has several holes in the hull for the head inlet and outlet and for your salt water washdown.
You will love the boat.
Go with the drill through transducer - not the shoot through.
Best of luck.
I have a Garmin 4212 (which was state of the art when I bought my 275). I had the same feeling as you did about not drilling a hole through the hull, so I went with a shoot through transducer. That was a big mistake. I had it for three years and it never worked right. I then bit the bullet and had a regular transducer installed - so much better!
If you have it professionally installed, don't worry about the hole. They are done all the time without incident. Your boat already has several holes in the hull for the head inlet and outlet and for your salt water washdown.
You will love the boat.
Go with the drill through transducer - not the shoot through.
Best of luck.
Appreciate the encouraging words. Have been reading more about the thru hulls past couple days and I suspect I'll end up going that route. Have to make my mind up soon anyway as boat should be arriving in few weeks.
I have a 2015 275 with the Garmin 7612xsv and the Garmin GT-41-TH. You will not have a problem with the thru hull and most likely it will be better
just like the previous poster has said.
Enjoy the boat. Post some pictures if you don't mind. Everyone always seems to enjoy pictures of other fellas rigs.
just like the previous poster has said.
Enjoy the boat. Post some pictures if you don't mind. Everyone always seems to enjoy pictures of other fellas rigs.
Doc Stressor
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Through hulls are very easy to install and they won't leak or compromise the integrity of the hull as long as you don't try putting a big commercial unit in there.
I always feel better doing the installation myself. You just find a suitable spot to one side of the centerline, such as the water tank compartment, and drill a pilot hole from the inside out. Then you cover the outside area with tape and use a hole saw to make the opening. Seal the inside of the hole with epoxy if you have a cored hull. Use 4200 or BoatLife LifeSeal, not 5200, in case that you need to remove the transducer at a later date.
If you have your transducer installed by a professional, be sure to mention the way that you want the sealing done. I've seen installations where they used silicon sealer on a cored hull and it made a wet spot.
I always feel better doing the installation myself. You just find a suitable spot to one side of the centerline, such as the water tank compartment, and drill a pilot hole from the inside out. Then you cover the outside area with tape and use a hole saw to make the opening. Seal the inside of the hole with epoxy if you have a cored hull. Use 4200 or BoatLife LifeSeal, not 5200, in case that you need to remove the transducer at a later date.
If you have your transducer installed by a professional, be sure to mention the way that you want the sealing done. I've seen installations where they used silicon sealer on a cored hull and it made a wet spot.