Recently picked up an Old Town Sportsman PDL 106 kayak and I’m wanting to mount a Helix 7 on the rail. Had a few questions for those with a similar set up:

 

will side imaging work on this kayak or will I get interference from the hull/PDL drive?

 

should I mount the transducer directly to the universal transducer mount on the kayak or purchase some other type of scupper or 3D printed mount?

There is a lot of Old Town Sportsman kayak information in two Facebook groups, “Old Town Sportsman Owners Group” and Old Town Sportsman PDL Owners Group.  You might need to join the groups to ask a question or just search the groups without joining.  I know that transducer questions get asked frequently and the answers usually include pictures.

I have the OT Sportsman 120 PDL Salty kayak and have a large Garmin transducer mounted through the forward scupper hole.  This does allow side scan without interference from the hull.

Hope this helps.

I’ll you’ll be fine with side imaging. The helix transducer (especially the 7” and smaller models) is tiny and tucks into the factory mount just fine. Don’t waste money on what you don’t need. Flip the transducer mount upside down before mounting. 

I have a 120PDL with a Navarre scupper mount and the SI worked just fine until it quit working again on my unit. 

I have a Seastream Angler 120 pedal drive and I use the YakAttack Switchblade for my transducer and attach the Switchblade to a YakAttack CellBlok. I could put the Switchblade on the rail as well. My Helix 7 DI/SI is also mounted to the CellBlok.

 

I like this because when I set up to head out or break down to pack up all I have to do is remove the CellBlok from the rail and everything else comes with it.

 

Also, with the SwitchBlade I don't have to worry about damaging the transducer when I move or transport the kayak.

 

With this setup I have no issues with down imaging or side imaging.

 

Keep in mind that my kayak does not have any storage compartments for batteries and the storage behind my seat is for my crate, cooler, and C-Tug when I'm out on the water.

I have the cellblok switchblade combo as well and it works fine if you have the rails in the right spot. Assembly kind of sucks because they give you pretty bad instructions but one thing to watch out for is that if you have the transducer in line with your drive/propellors it will show up on side imaging and dampen image.

For wiring, I recommend the Wilderness Systems Through-Hull Wiring Kit for Kayaks.  They work well without having to line up any side holes for retaining screws.  Just drill, place in the hole and screw on the retaining ring from the inside.  Hope this helps.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075JMN2SP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have the sportsman 106, The transducer for my Helix 5 is mounted in the universal transducer mount. I have no issues with SI or any other function.

 

 

I love the Yakhobby one designed for the GT54.  Super tight on the kayak so its super protected and still get perfect side imaging.

I setup my kid’s Topwater 120 similar to the following video. I lit the extra wire and battery in a drybag in the hull (thanks @J Francho for that idea it works great). I’ll do the same setup next year when I’m rocking the Bigwater PDL.

 

In our case, we went with a Garmin Echomap. The stock Garmin mount works perfectly with the stock mount I kust had to cut part of the mount to get it to line up with screw holes.

 

Navarrekayak sells a mount for $30 that also would work with side view for Garmin transducers - you could check if they have one for Hummingbird as well

On 8/15/2023 at 11:16 PM, santafish said:

if you have the transducer in line with your drive/propellors it will show up on side imaging and dampen image.

So put the transducer deeper below the prop?