FCV-295 Tranny Recommendations and who best to do the install?

 Hi all,

I brought a FCV-295 back with me from the US and planning on installing it on my brthers Blackwatch 26 express. Intent is searching for daytime swordfish ground in 400-600m. A bit of deepdrop and bluewater bait dragging to liven things up......

 

Few quesitons for those that have been down this path before

1. Which Transducers do you reccomend? I beleive I need chirp ducers?

2 Instal methid? Try wetbox first before through hull or just go straight for thru hull?

3. Suggestions on who I get to do the install? My brother has been ringing and emailing Chivers but they have barely responded and clearly dont want the work.

4. Is it possible to run a Simrad or Lowrance chartplotter with transducer at the same time. Pretty keen to live map (creat bathy maps on the fly) but understand it is near impossible iwth the Furuno. Can I run both sounders at the same time or will interference kill me? Would only be doing this in shallower water (sub 200m).

 

 

 


Posts: 80

Date Joined: 05/05/14

Hi Piscator, I just posted

Tue, 2016-04-19 22:27

Hi Piscator,

I just posted a similar question. I bought mine FCV locally and I spoke to a really helpful guy name Ben Punch but he can not warranty to work well at high speed.

if I know anything else i will post it here

like wise if you got your done and is happy with it let me know.

you can call me directly on 0402 128 930

cheers

Posts: 41

Date Joined: 25/03/10

 Hi fellasI have the FCV  295

Wed, 2016-04-20 09:00

 Hi fellas

I have the FCV  295 with the airmar r399. It is absolutely sensational in the deep water greater than 100m and have used it in 800m with an exceptional picture. In the shallow water it performs very similar to the tm260 1kw. I have found reading ground at different speeds is all to do with the chop on the water. On a calm day I can read 500m at 25kts and when it is really choppy I have to slow to around 6kts to get a good quality picture. I rairly use a gain of more than 2or 3 out of 10 on the low frequency (I have it dialled in at 38khz) so it has heaps of power left and would love to try it in the 1000's of meters.

The install was diy and fairly basic with the sanding of the hull to get a smooth finish and then sika flexed it on. Sika lines have to run parallel to box walls and not perpendicular. It has been perfect for 4 years so far.

I also run a northstar m121 along side and you do get interference when on the same frequency however it is obvious what the interference is and what is fish, ground etc. I can also get rid of interference by adjusting interference settings.

As for chirp I know very little but when it comes to sounders I will take furuno and brut power over technology any day!

Tim's picture

Posts: 2497

Date Joined: 26/09/06

Transducers

Wed, 2016-04-20 18:15

With that size boat you are better off going straight for a wet faced transducer in a fairing block.
May as well go straight for the 3kw. I know of a number of boats with that setup running the 38khz getting good results.
 
You can contact Alex at All Marine Services or Ben at Fibrelite who I am pretty sure both have fairing block options to suit and do this for a living
 
 

Posts: 80

Date Joined: 05/05/14

thanks guys

Fri, 2016-04-22 09:18

thanks guys

Posts: 573

Date Joined: 23/04/14

A few things

Sat, 2016-04-23 22:15

You don't need a Chirp transducer for the 295.  To fully utilise the sounder capability you'd be wanting to use a 2 or 3kw transducer.

Fairing blocks are the way to go for best performance.  Ben Punch at Fibrelite did mine, he also owns a 28 Blackwatch.

The only way to do personal bathy graphs with Furuno is to run the MaxSea software, that's another step up in your system as you need to have a laptop on board and a screen to display it. 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Posts: 80

Date Joined: 05/05/14

 Thanks guy.   Spoken to Ben

Thu, 2016-04-28 21:55

 Thanks guy.  

 

Spoken to Ben already. Agreed he s very helpful. Waiting to see one of his client that had similar thing done to show me his stuff. Will also rejoins PGFC it's been awhile. .. 

Posts: 573

Date Joined: 23/04/14

Fairing blocks on my boat

Fri, 2016-04-29 15:48

 Here is a pic of the fairing blocks on my boat.  It will be out of the water in a couple of weeks for Ben to do some work on it, welcome to have a look if you want.

i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h348/Kizurisana/IMG_1251.jpg

____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Posts: 80

Date Joined: 05/05/14

 Thanks resurgence. Ben was

Sat, 2016-04-30 00:41

 Thanks resurgence. Ben was showing some very neat housing for the boat . Is he changing your fairing block

too ?