A few questions regarding Ariels -- what's level -- depth sounders.

[ebb]

SJ23 Tech Tip E05 - Depth Sounder Installation, Shoot Through the Hull [google]
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/23..._tips/e05.html

For oil immersion housing many people have adapted a threaded pvc pipe coupling and a threaded plug. Or a threaded cleanout.
If the cleanout pipe after carving for the slope of the hull is not deep enough then a threaded pipe with a threaded cap might be adapted.
Probably best if the transducer itself is installed absolutely flat in the housing:

Taking an idea from the techtip:
You have to remove all gunge and paint from the shoot-thru site - down to green fiberglass. You can then get some idea if there is air trapped in the laminate and find a good solid spot.* Then create a dam and pour on epoxy to make a deadflat 'waterline' level.** Putting a cleanout on solid flat ledge would then be easy, and if the ledge is oversized might allow a little moving around room to find the sweet spot (using the bag of water trick - also mentioned on the SJ23 page.)
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* if you choose a place for the transducer that is over tabbing done when furniture and bulkheads were glued in, you likely could find bubbles or plain slapdash laminations. Pearson used roving for layup and tabbing which can entrap small dots of air.
**Creating a flat ledge in an A/C hull is problematic. You may have to do two or three pourings to avoid heat buildup. Getting epoxy hot creates bubbles. My choice would be a good quality 100% solids laminating epoxy. The thinner stuff won't trap bubbles.
imco.

[John]

Ebb,

Great ideas...I am not sure I would want the transducer rattling around in a bag of water, but it sounds as though it works. I also would want the transducer to be replaceable so I would not glue the transducer down. Other than that, anything holding the transducer close to perpendicular to the bottom does the job.

Here on THE RIGHT COAST (heh) Valhalla is warmly wrapped in the finest (well maybe not finest) canvas. We had a storm blow through here so the cover blew off and I now have snow inside and out. How lucky can a guy get. Also I am going to have to find some patch material this next spring and get my needle, pliers and thread out to keep the cover going.

Spring is coming!