I have a two year old Garmin Echo 200 fish finder that I use on my 1999 Trout Traps Triad float tube.
Last year, I was running the unit off of a 12V ATV Battery that weighed close to 6 lbs and took up a lot of space in my left hand tube pocket. I also had the Garmin mounted via a RAM Rail Mount, to a 3/4" PVC frame that went all the way around my tube, and was just too heavy.
This year, I decided to ditch the full PVC frame in favor of two rod holders from Bass Pro which hold two fly rods, a spinning rod, net, pliers, my video camera mount, and still have room for more.
Here is the new mount I made of some basic parts that I found at my local Radio Shack & Home Depot:
Fish Finder Base and Battery Compartment:
3" ABS Plastic Toilet Flange
3" OD ABS Sewer Pipe (cut to length to fit my Radio Shack 8 AA Battery Pack)
3" ABS Pipe Cap (The Garmin 200 is mounted to the cap with SS screws)
Pressure Testing Cap for 3" Sewer Pipe
1 x Radio Shack 8 AA Battery Pack
2 x Aligator clips
1 x Plastic Tube for Nuts & Bolts (cut to fit battery pack)
Float Tube Mount and Transducer Arm:
1/2" PVC Pipe
4 x 1/2" PVC 90 degree elbows
1 x 1/2" PVC X
1 x 1/2" PVC Cap
1 x 3/4" to 1/2" PVC Reducer
1 x 3/4" PVC 90 degree elbow
1 x 3/4" PVC T
1 x 3/4" PVC Pipe
10 x Zip Ties
8 x Ball Bungies
4 x SS U-Bolts with nuts
1 x Pool Noodle
The entire set up weighs less than the 12V ATV Battery that I was using last year! It all packs down into my tube bag too. which is a huge improvement over last years rig!
Here are some photos of how I put everything together:
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Here's the full set up resting on the trailer hitch rack on the back of my SUV. This is how I move my rig from the lake to the campsite and vice versa without having to break it down each day.
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Here I am fishing at Cave Lake near Ely, NV last week. I got six full days of fishing out of one set of 8 AA Batteries!!! (and they are still going strong) I brought extra, but never needed them.
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And one more pic...
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This is how I managed to fish four mountain lakes in six days last week while camping with my 12 year-old daughter. She had a great time paddling along with me in her boat and when she got bored, she was able to check out the baby ducks or the scenery on the other side of the lake. She was asking me each morning what lake we were going to next. Best fishing purchase that I made this year was the boat for my daughter.
Fishing was excellent too. I caught 3 Brook Trout and 27 Rainbows for the week. Nothing too big, but two of those rainbows made some nice fish tacos on the first night.
Last year, I was running the unit off of a 12V ATV Battery that weighed close to 6 lbs and took up a lot of space in my left hand tube pocket. I also had the Garmin mounted via a RAM Rail Mount, to a 3/4" PVC frame that went all the way around my tube, and was just too heavy.
This year, I decided to ditch the full PVC frame in favor of two rod holders from Bass Pro which hold two fly rods, a spinning rod, net, pliers, my video camera mount, and still have room for more.
Here is the new mount I made of some basic parts that I found at my local Radio Shack & Home Depot:
Fish Finder Base and Battery Compartment:
3" ABS Plastic Toilet Flange
3" OD ABS Sewer Pipe (cut to length to fit my Radio Shack 8 AA Battery Pack)
3" ABS Pipe Cap (The Garmin 200 is mounted to the cap with SS screws)
Pressure Testing Cap for 3" Sewer Pipe
1 x Radio Shack 8 AA Battery Pack
2 x Aligator clips
1 x Plastic Tube for Nuts & Bolts (cut to fit battery pack)
Float Tube Mount and Transducer Arm:
1/2" PVC Pipe
4 x 1/2" PVC 90 degree elbows
1 x 1/2" PVC X
1 x 1/2" PVC Cap
1 x 3/4" to 1/2" PVC Reducer
1 x 3/4" PVC 90 degree elbow
1 x 3/4" PVC T
1 x 3/4" PVC Pipe
10 x Zip Ties
8 x Ball Bungies
4 x SS U-Bolts with nuts
1 x Pool Noodle
The entire set up weighs less than the 12V ATV Battery that I was using last year! It all packs down into my tube bag too. which is a huge improvement over last years rig!
Here are some photos of how I put everything together:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Here's the full set up resting on the trailer hitch rack on the back of my SUV. This is how I move my rig from the lake to the campsite and vice versa without having to break it down each day.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Here I am fishing at Cave Lake near Ely, NV last week. I got six full days of fishing out of one set of 8 AA Batteries!!! (and they are still going strong) I brought extra, but never needed them.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
And one more pic...
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
This is how I managed to fish four mountain lakes in six days last week while camping with my 12 year-old daughter. She had a great time paddling along with me in her boat and when she got bored, she was able to check out the baby ducks or the scenery on the other side of the lake. She was asking me each morning what lake we were going to next. Best fishing purchase that I made this year was the boat for my daughter.
Fishing was excellent too. I caught 3 Brook Trout and 27 Rainbows for the week. Nothing too big, but two of those rainbows made some nice fish tacos on the first night.