Should i mount a transducer for side-scan on my boat with hull curvature?

[Gary_A]

I’m trying to decide if it’s worth installing a new transducer for side-scan on my older fiberglass fishing boat. The unit itself is compatible, but I’m worried the hull’s curvature near the planned mounting spot might cause signal issues or create turbulent water flow.

[Joseph.R]

I put a transducer on a curved section of my older fiberglass boat. When I tried it near the curve, the data looked jittery once I got up to planing speed. I ended up moving it to a flatter spot and I added a small fairing so the water could flow cleanly under it. The readings felt steadier after that, even if dock tests were still rough.

[RichardJ]

Not sure if I’m chasing the right problem, but I did a quick test with a temporary suction-mount setup in calm water. At idle it was fine, but as I nursed the boat into a bit of chop the display got noisy. Could be water flow, could be vibration, hard to tell.

[ZacharyGR]

Is the real issue the hull curvature, or could it be something else like how the unit is mounted or how clean the bottom is? I’m leaning uncertain here.

[GregoryZT]

I started thinking about other tweaks, like adding a tiny fairing plate or trying a different mounting pad, then wandered into another project and forgot the test. Still, the mounting spot keeps nagging me because it seems to affect stability more than I expected, and I keep circling back to that as the thing to test next.