Replacing Factory Installed Transducer

[tcontic]

My boat came with a factory installed thru-hull transducer that works with the in dash gauge. This spring I'm purchasing a Garmin 550S GPS device with depth sounder.

Can I remove the factory installed transducer and mount the one that come with the Garmin unit in the same hole?

How do I remove the factory installed transducer without damaging it or the hull? It's a solid glass hull.

If I have to drill a new hole for the new transducer will the two sounders interfere with each other when both are operating?

Or should I simply purchase the Garmin 550 (the one without a sounder) and use the factory installed depth gauge?

Tom

 

[MLauman]

My boat came with a factory installed thru-hull transducer that works with the in dash gauge. This spring I'm purchasing a Garmin 550S GPS device with depth sounder.

Can I remove the factory installed transducer and mount the one that come with the Garmin unit in the same hole?

Yes, but what a mess!

How do I remove the factory installed transducer without damaging it or the hull? It's a solid glass hull.

Probably impossible to remove it without damaging the ducer. I would just leave it in place.

If I have to drill a new hole for the new transducer will the two sounders interfere with each other when both are operating?

Assuming your OEM is a Lowrance 3500, they will coexist just fine because they are on different frequencies.

Or should I simply purchase the Garmin 550 (the one without a sounder) and use the factory installed depth gauge?

Depends on how bad you want the fish-finder (sounder) function.

My suggestion would be to leave the OEM unit alone and get the in-hull version transducer such as the Airmar P79. These work great and don't require cutting any holes. But you will give up water temperature sensing.