Hauled out this morning in quite a rush, and finally got a chance to look closer at the existing transducer. Didn't budge, and I couldn't quite get my pipe wrench around it. During this time on the hard, I'm finally going to install my DST 800. Anyone done that? I vaguely remember reading something about it being flush mounted, but I can't find anything on this forum. Any advice you'd provide?
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Oh getting some of the old transducers out can be a real problem. When it gets real tough is if someone put it where you can not get direct access from above. 75% of the time the nut will not come off with or without out a wrench. It only takes a little bit of bedding compound to lock that sucker on there forever. Often I will take a chisel or straight screw driver and go straight down perpendicular to the housing to split the nut. A good whack with a hammer on the chisel and hopefully the nut will split. Once split just get behind it and peel it off of the housing.
At that point you may be a able to put your pipe wrench or water pump pliers on the housing and try unscrewing it. 50% 0f the time this will work. If that is a dead end street, take a 4 x 4 and either place it on top of the transducer housing and whack that with a BIG hammer or use the 4 x 4 as a battering ram and pound the transducer housing out of the boat. This typically works 50% of the time. You really got to hit it. Your not going to damage the hull, just HIT IT! One good solid hit is better than 20 whippy hits.
If that doesn't work, thank the prior installer for using unlimited 3M 5200 and get a Sawzall or hack saw blade. The final resort is to cut the housing vertically from the inside out. If you use the Sawzall you need to be careful not to cut through the housing and cut into the hull of the boat. That can be fixed but why add to the job. If your careful is limited, an old fashion hand held hacksaw blade is much safer. Cut the housing all the way through vertically. If there is a mushroom lip on the outside remove that with a grinder or chisel. The vertical cut will allow the transducer housing to collapse in on itself. Get the 4 x 4 and give it a whack. 90% of the time you will be looking at the parking lot. If not, you will need to make one or two more vertical cuts until it lets go of the hull.
I mention early on about access from above. If someone installed it in a place where there is no access you will have to work from below. Remove the mushroom head by grinder or chisel, cut the housing sleeve vertically, and drive a screwdriver between the hull and the transducer housing right next to the vertical cut. In essence you will have to break it out bit by bit. Sometimes you will find a round object (socket, pipe nipple, section of plastic pipe) that will fit the diameter of the housing and you can try pounding it out from below. You could also use a bottle jack and jack the housing from the outside in pushing off of the ground.
Good luck, the real key here is to be persistent. Too many people are afraid to damage the old housing. Its JUNK! Whack that bad boy. The next problem could be that the "old" hole in the hull is smaller than the new transducer housing. This is not an unusual situation. Many times the new transducer will not fit because the old bedding compound is still there lining the hole. Take a utility knife (a straight blade box cutter is better) and get all of the old stuff out of there. Hopefully that will open the hole back to its original drilled size. If it still won't fit, send up a flare and I will answer. The fun has just begun!
Dale
First, sorry for the delay. This particular project went unexpectedly well. I decided to pay the super skilled guy at the yard to supervise me and provide guidance. We were at a hotel about 20 minutes away. We got the call that they were ready, so we head back to the boat. We had to get gas, so it took about 30 minutes to get there. By the time I got there, dude said he got bored waiting, and just did it. He bashed out the existing transducer, installed a new sleeve, and the new transducer. I was a bit worried about the cost, but since I had everything already, they charged me for 30 minutes at the skilled labor rate of $90/hr. So yeah, $45 and I have a super clean install (and 0 leaks when put back in the water). I'll get some pictures up a bit later today or tomorrow. I want to write something else, but didn't want to leave this hanging.