That is a really bad installation. You could try mounting it in a mahogany and fibreglass 'shoe' faired to meet the keel!

Yep, you got that right, bad installation indeed! What were they thinking? I have never seen a transducer that stuck out and on the keel's leading edge too! It makes me blood boil just thinkin about it. Oh well, OG will have it off at next haul out in a couple of months. There were quite a few "odd" installations aboard OG when I bought her, I can almost hear her sigh with relief when I remove the offending part.
I am going to glass it up and use a shoot thru at another location. The only thing I want along the leading edge of my keel is solid glass, it gives a gal a warm safe feeling .

Cheers

Hi Ocean Girl!
Sorry for beeing the guy that alwas has to say yes but..
I do agree it looks awful. You can bet the hull is weaker where that installation is but on the upside your soundings are not interferred by the keel , I guess you get no problem from air beeing sucked down and dissabeling the readings.

Please go ahead and thrash that fitting or consider the options.
From the picture I can see your two hull halves and the not so perfect mating surfaceces.
Your hull do not look like the true high performer and I would consider making up a stronger and also better hull leading edge from what you have got.
It does mean many layers of GRP both fwd and aft of the through hull but with the upside of giving you a really strong hull where it is needed the most.

Rgds and good luck

Kristian

I am sure you all are right, I will get rid of it. I know CD/ PO put it there for accurate readings but for offshore sailing it is too vulnerable. BTW -it is one of the thickest hulls I have ever seen in her age group (80s). Her internal liner is thicker than some hulls I know! So if she does take a collision I think she has a good chance of "taking one on the chin" but only if that transducer is gone. Imagine running into something at full speed, the hull tries to climb up the object and then it catches on the transducer...yikes.
Cheers,
Erika