I found mine to work best by dropping the transducer over the side, and measuring the length of cable till it hits lake bottom.

Mine's in here. factory as far as i know.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/s...Transducer.jpg

Same as mine

Here is the location of the transducer on a 2005 35 lightning

Yeah, I definitely do'nt have this cover under my step like you guys do.
So the question remains... How/where can I mount this thing? I don't think it would be smart to cut a hole in the side of the stringer where you guys have a hand hole. I don't want to mount behind the step, under the motors where the stock on is because it won't work above idle. Any thoughts?

Post #9 :rolleyes:

Under Strb cabin seat. gotcha. I would assume this part of the boat would be out of the water underway, no? I've wanted to look under those seats but havent really been sure how they come off. Can you explain a little more clear about the screws that are holding them on? How to get to etc? sorry to be a pain. thx man.

If you locate it as far back as possible under the seat, you'd be about the same location as ours are. Kinda reaching under the storage closet, if you would. ( Could just cut an access hole thru the closet floor and cover with the plastic covers or whatever, if you cut the carpet back cleanly and relay it over) You'd just be on the opposite side of the hull.

Spread the seat cushion apart by hand along the center pleat and look for either scews heads or most likely small holes in the material where the screws have gone thru it. Just a couple of phillips screws hold each seat base down. Then you'll just have the carpet covered plywood exposed for the seat bottoms fasten too to cut thru. I didnt cut mine do to the lack of space that would be gained. I'm going from the info/pics that someone posted yrs ago that did cut theirs from more storage space. Not worth the hassle to me. It not real deep under there. Several inches towards the center to just a couple as you get closer to the hull side. The 32's have a stringer running thru the center of that space, so just cut deep enough to go thru the plywood. 1/2"???
I did experiment locating my transducer in the step compartment as the above pic of the 35, but it didn't work at all. Appears the 35's compartment might be wider than ours. Yours wouldn't work there with the floor, unless you cut a hole in it to set the transducer down into. Maybe remove your fill cap assembly and try that spot???? Nothing to loose and just take a few minutes if the hole is large enough.

Try to find a spot as low as possible towards keel, but in solid wood, no coring. Which is what I was told by FPB to be the 12" measurement. (Now that I think about it, that might be 12" total, 6" both sides????) A call to RF might clarify all this.

A lot of the area in front of the hull step can be out of the water when running, or at least running in clean water, accept for the very center. I imagine that why a lot of it is a hit or miss if they will work, depending on trim settings and loads.

So I got an email from Tony Vick today. He said the best bet would be to cut through the side of the step since it's only plywood there. He also sent me a stringer layout of the 32'. (I can email a copy of this to anyone that needs it). See Tony's email below...

"Jay,
Good morning. The chrome fitting that you are showing is not the correct location. It would be in the step area, However it would need to be into the side of the step facing the wet bar. I have verified with the engineering dept and you will need to cut a 4" hole in the area I have marked which is to the right of the chrome fitting. You can install a 4' inspection plate once you have mounted the transducer. You can not install this by the chrome fitting due to the coring material in the area. This transducer should be mounted forward of the hull steps due to the aeration that is created by the steps.
Also, I have attached a copy of the stringer layout of the boat. The engineer sent me over the attachment. You should be ok because there is a open cavity between the plywood side and the stringer refer back to the drawing. Hope this helps. Thanks, Tony"

http://s16.postimage.org/vbmx1ypcl/3...ger_layout.jpg

Yep. hey, when you take your cover off under the step, how thick would you say the material is with fiberglass? Trying to get a feel of how deep I'll have to cut.

Just emailed you Stringer Layout too.
thx.