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[cool][#0000ff]We've had some great new ideas lately on mounting the Cuda sonars to fit in the pockets on the front of Outcast tubes. Thought I better get in the game. Wandered around the plumbing section of Home Depot for awhile, today, looking at the different options. Decided I didn't wanna put another five or six dollars worth of plastic pipe on my tube, but got an idea for something else.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If your place is like my place, there are shelves and boxes with empty plastic containers you haven't tossed because "you might need them someday". I've got round ones, square ones and rectangular ones. It occured to me that if I could find one the right height and the right shape, that I could put the wire inside and bolt the mounting bracket to the rigid plastic lid.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I considered an empty spice container. It was the right size and rectangular. I looked at a peanut butter jar. Also would have worked, but I settled on a plastic container in which I had bought some small bungee cords recently. Large lid, about 4" across and 5" deep. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here are the pics. I drilled the mounting holes and used bolts, nuts and washers to secure the mount. I could have used screws, but there is a greater chance they would have pulled out of the thin plastic in time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I cut a hole less than an inch across, near the top of the empty plastic container and fed the cord in starting with a V, ending with both the plug and the connection to the transducer coming out the same hole. You can shorten or lengthen the amount of cord you need by pushing or pulling.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Gonna give it a try tomorrow. I'll be hitting the water to "field test" several new "enhancements", including my PVC seat. I have already decided that the container is just a bit higher than I would like. It will ride okay, but is just a bit topheavy with the display installed. I will look for something slightly shorter and maybe go for something rectangular to give a more secure fit in the pocket.[/#0000ff]
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Lookin' good. I especially like the idea of being able to screw the top on. Lighter by a few ounces, too. And probably easy to cut. I'll be interested to hear if it is top heavy once you've taken it out. I'm stuck at the office until next week so experimenting will have to wait until then.
zonker
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[cool][#0000ff]I got a brainstorm before I left to go fishing this morning and I cut off about an inch or so of the bottom of the plastic bottle. I pushed the open end down into the bottom, as a cap, and duct taped it together, to make the whole thing shorter and less likely to be top heavy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just to be sure, I used one of the little bungee cords with the round knobs to come up over and around the setup once it was in the pocket. Anchored it pretty good. No problems on the water all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Oh yeah, had a lot of hits and lost a couple of big cats, but landed one nice 2# channel cat for dinner.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was exploring the west side of Utah Lake. It has been dry for a couple of years, but the water is coming up. Still shallow. I had to slog through the mud for over a hundred yards, coming and going, and I did not find water over 3 feet deep until I was almost a half mile offshore.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I hit a couple of different spots. The water temp was only 50 at launch, at warmed to 57 by the time I left about 3 PM. I did not start getting much action until the temp passed 55 degrees, about noon.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Another couple of weeks of warmer weather and things will improve.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Oh yeah, the seat worked great too. But, I had to take off the PFD because it made me sit too far forward on the seat. Without it, the seat worked great and my back felt a lot better at the end of the trip than usual.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PS. Just edited in a couple of pics from yesterday. A more complete report on the Utah board.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=195820;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]LINK TO UTAH REPORT[/url][/#0000ff]
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Thanks for the update on the mount, TD.
I really enjoyed the pics - here and on the Utah board. I've slogged through mud and kicked my way out through shallow water, too. I must say that your description brought back some very unpleasant memories of a low water day on Davis Lake in Central Oregon. Long slog out and back. But no fish on that day. Maybe it had something to do with how tired I was once I got out to the fishing and the knowledge that I was going to have to do it all again in order to get home in a timely fashion. That and a sudden storm that blew in. It was sunny when I first launched. By the time I got back to the truck there was snow on the ground.
I liked your pics so much that it made me want to suggest a section for pictures of tubing and tubers. They are highly motivating and speak volumes about gear and technique. I'll bet you have a bunch. Maybe others do, too. Having only recently started with digital photography, I haven't many but I hope to rectify that soon.
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[cool][#0000ff]If everybody would like a special photo section, I could do another "sticky" thread like the "Best of the Best". Maybe something like "Pick of the Pics". We can decide on what sections we would like...like float tubes tricked out, fins, waders, sonar systems, rod racks, etc. We could also do a species section, showing float tubes or other tubing gear as part of the picture. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We will have to decide whether or not to include the pics in a thread, or just to attach them. I am in favor of attaching, rather than posting, because we can attach larger pics. If you put them in a post, they are limited to 400 pixels wide. For some situations, more detail and resolution would be helpful.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Anybody who wants to contribute, just PM the pics and I can put text on them to label them for source, species, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If everybody wants, I can add a ton of pics from the past. I have archives of pics covering many years and many worn out tubes, fins, rod racks, etc. Might be interesting. I also have fish pics of many species, from many waters, including salt water stuff. Only problem is that in some of the earlier pics there is a young guy that looks a lot different than the old dude in more recent photos, or the one that looks back at me from the mirror these days. I guess there must be something wrong with the mirror...or the camera.[/#0000ff]
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That's a great idea pat. It would be cool to look at the evolution of float tubing over the years -- kind of like looking at how dinosaurs evolved into modern animals [  ][crazy][angelic][cool]
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[cool][#0000ff]I'll have you know that some of my best friends (formerly) were dinosaurs. Back in the days when I used a stone float tube. I really miss those guys. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Man, you ain't lived 'til you take a icthyosaur on a dry fly. Since there were no birds then...or mammals...it was tough finding good fly tying material. Had to shred tree bark with my obsidian axe and tie it up with sinews. Big [/#0000ff][#0000ff]ugly looking flies, but the "fish" were pretty big and homely too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I really think it will be a great addition to our forum to have some of the "evolutionary" pics. On a lot of subjects, it will probably be best if I do a post, with 400 pixel pics, in the body of the post, with narrative. For the "how to pics" that need more detail, we can do a post and add both narrative and attached pics as they come in.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, I hope everybody pitches in to help here. I have volunteered for a lot of work. You have no idea how long it took to put together the "Best of the Best" from past archives. You folks better appreciate it...or I'll just jump off my float tube.[/#0000ff]
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Don't jump off your float tube, TD. I appreciate it. I think it's a great idea and I do have an idea how much work it will take. I've had some forum/website experience myself. As long as you're willing to do all the work....
Just kidding on that last part, of course. I think that some here could be encouraged to participate. I know in time I can put some stuff into the mix.
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You've been a great sport, Pat! [cool] I'm definitely willing to help.
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[cool][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 4]Hi there Pat, Sounds like a good idea to me. Guess that I will have to bring a cameraman along with me the next time out. By the way I thought that the pic size was 500 in width. That is what I have been limiting my pics too.[/size][/green][/font]
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[cool][#0000ff]400 fits exactly in the alotted space. 500 stretches it a bit, but is still doable.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We do plan to include some of your design pics, if that is okay with y'all. I can go back and retrieve them, so you don't have to resend.[/#0000ff]
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[center][cool][cool][/center][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 4][center]Feel free to use anything that I have posted. I am too old to be embarrassed [blush] that easily any more. As soon as I catch up on a number of chores around the house and elsewhere I need to get back to the work bench and try to catch up with all new fish monitor holder concepts being introduced. Helps to keep the brain cobwebs from taking over.[/center][/size][/green][/font]
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I know I'm a little late on this but here's how I mount my display in my tube. I just stick this in the front pocket and the stick sticks out of the side on the bottom of the pocket and it stays secure. I have yet to have a problem with it coming loose.[inline Picture-005.jpg]
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[cool][#0000ff]Looks good to me. Neat, clean, light and simple.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I just went to mounting my display on a six inch piece of 2X4. Like almost anything, it works. Now I am playing with ideas to get better rotation, for adjusting the view angle. Harder to do with the Cuda mounts.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been looking at some of those lightweight plastic electrical junction boxes at Home Depot. I gotta quit goin' there. Too many ideas to work out.[/#0000ff]
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