Transducer Location for 225WE / 215WE / 215EC

[lawndoctor]

I am installing a new sounder, and the transducer for the old sounder is so far back in the bilge that I am not sure I can reach it. It is about 4" to starboard of the keel, and about 6" forward of the transom, so it is literally under the rear of the oil pan.

I talked to Sea Ray and they said they originally chose that location to minimize the risk of turbulence around the transducer at speed, but after a few years they received so many complaints about its inaccessibility, that they started installing the transducer farther forward in the bilge, about 42" forward of the transom.

Sea Ray said they were “not aware” of any problems with this newer location, but they said the old location was probably better, and I should be able to reach it if I remove the aft bulkhead panel, which does not look feasible to me.

To anyone who owns one of these boats that has the transducer in the more forward location, can you tell me if you have had any issues with the readout on the display, such as erratic readouts at speed or when hitting rough water?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[nduck88]

First: My transducer is in the same spot as yours so I cannot comment on the more forward location.

Second: IT CAN BE DONE! I got it out by drilling through the old transducer from underneath, and cutting it apart with a dremel (just be sure not to cut to far to the outside). Once I had the old one out I made a jig with a piece of plywood and a hole saw to enlarge the hole 1/2" (didn't want any more holes than I already had). I replaced mine with a generic B60 tilted transducer that I have hooked up to a Garmin 541s. Installing the new one was not too bad other than laying upside down on my right shoulder and using my right arm to tighten the nut (make sure the tilt is pointed toward the keel). The wiring was pretty easy to reach along the side of the engine. The nice thing about the mix and match transducer is that it has a pigtail that you can plug into almost any electronic manufacturer, so hopefully I or anyone else won't have to do that again for a while. Sorry I didn't take any good pics as I didn't have a free hand at the time.

All said and done the new transducer works unbelievable well compared to the old sounder. Glad I did it after the fact.