I have a 1997 classic 16' donzi and would to know if anyone knows if the bottom is cord or solid fiberglass. I would like to install a thru hull transducer.
Doesn't matter one way or the other. Even a solid fiberglass hull will delaminate if water gets in between the layers of fiberglass. Here's what you do regardless....
Make a hole slightly larger than the transducer mounting. Line the edge of the hole with epoxy. I like West Six-10 in the tube. Make sure the entire surface is coated, smooth it with a finger and let it cure 24 hours. That waterproofs the edges of the hole so that, whether it's solid or cored, no water can infiltrate the hull. Clean the epoxy with acetone, then mount the transducer with 5200.
If I owned a classic 16 I would really have to have a great reason for drilling a hole in her. She is not a fishing boat which should be the only reason for a through hull. IF I needed a depth finder on a speed boat like that I would mount it on the trim tab and spare the hull of any holes that were not factory,just my 2 cents.
All very good advice, since there are no trim tabs and decided no holes is the way to go, an in hull transducer would be the best, but only if the bottom layup is just fiberglass and no core material. Since the Garmin chart plotter I'm adding can have a transducer so I thought I would add one. At the end of September I was on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH for the first time and these items would have been useful. Has anyone drilled into a 1997 classic 16 bottom? Thanks for the responses.
We didn't miss the point. In the original post the OP said he wanted to mount a 'thru hull transducer.' I answered the question he asked by explaining how to do it, and why it doesn't matter whether the hull is cored or not.
A 'thru hull' transducer also refers to the sonar signal, not necessarily the transducer itself. A cored hull is no problem to drill thru, but a sonar signal won't pass thru the wood coring. It WILL pass thru solid glass however. The OP knows this- what he doesn't know, is if his hull cored or not...
