I have experimented with a variety of portability options over the past couple years. Neither of us are avid fish finder, depth finder, live scope, or sonar using anglers. I do, however, like to have the option of a fish finder from time to time while kayaking (especially in heavy pressure or new fisheries). The transport nature of kayaks, combined with the intermittent use, makes the need for a fully enclosed system (that requires no drilling or permanent attachements) rather appealing to me. No doubt, you’re looking for that kind of option as well.
As a side note, it’s beneficial to mention that regardless of what you call the machine (fish finder, depth finder, sonar, etc.) we are referring to them as fish finders for simplisity sake in this article.
There are three big challenges to creating a portable or enclosed system.
First and probably most challenging is the battery. It is not recommended to attach your fish finder to the same battery you’re operating your trolling motor off of. Feedback is a real issue. So you’re going to need a separate battery, but where do you put it? What battery do you need? If you’ve done any number of searches for a fish finder battery, you’ve seen the vast number of options that are now out there. And the range of price points is just as overwhelming. When you’re a new kayak angler, you don’t need a fancy setup or an expensive bluetooth programmable think for you battery.
We have been using the Tracker Lithium 12V 18Ah battery for a few years now because we got a really good deal on it and have seen no need to replace them yet. If you’re prone to shopping on Amazon, there’s a variety of cheap options that could work just as well for you.
The second and third challenge you’ll face go hand in hand. You need a way to extend the transducer into water which means you need a way to secure the setup on your kayak in a position where the transducer arm can adequately reach the water. This has proven to be the biggest challenge to a practical setup.
The notion started with basics on hand
I started my experiments with an old battery box that I built a cross arm on. The battery and extra cables stored in the box. A cross arm allowed me to position the monitor on top of the box. The open top allowed for plenty of air flow to keep the battery from overheating in the Texas sun. As a dual purpose setup, the transducer arm could extend past the gunwale into the water from that same cross arm. It was cumbersome, but I could use it on my kayak or my Bass Raider so I made due. Eventually, however, I got tired of having to lug the bulky box around and didn’t like how it took up so much of my foot space.
This is when the new search began.
I wanted a smaller footprint, a more secure position, and easier transducer positioning for my new setup. There are a few options on the market.
YakAttack Cellblok: The Cellblok has battery storage, holes to bolt it to your kayak, and arms to wrap up the loose wires. It can work really well for many kayak anglers. It wasn’t the solution I wanted. My battery doesn’t fit in the box correctly, the cables being loose outside the box are easy to catch hooks and other things on, and it feels a bit bulky to me. Then there’s the price. The box alone costs $60. If you want the setup that includes a transducer arm you’re going to be looking at $100 and still have to get a mount for the monitor separately.
YakPower: The YP-BBK Power Pack Battery Box comes prewired to help maintain a waterproof setup which you can store on your kayak and can attach your other electronics products to should you have more electronics on your kayak. The setup is, however, rather bulky and does not accommodate easy attachment of monitor or transducer arm. And you’re looking at $130 for the box.
DIY: There’s a number of Youtube videos about DIY setups that you can build. Most are bulky and relatively technical or sloppy and cumbersome. All the ones I investigated were a bit on the pricy side.
So what was my solution?
I’ve been using a YakAttack TrackPack for a while now. Its convenience and compact platform are great for a variety of kayak uses.
I have found a variety of boxes that are similar in size and relatively cheap at Harbor Freight so you can modify this setup if you do not want to use a YakAttack box. Just remember that most “cheaper” boxes are not going to be as water tight and won’t be built from the sturdier plastic.
When the new Green boxes were released, I wanted to have the option to keep my green theme going on my kayaks. I was able to get a couple at a really good price and knew I’d be able to put the extra boxes to good use. Between AJ and myself, we’ve ended up with a large number of TrackPack boxes in our possession.
Pro DIYer Tip:
It always amazes me how people get stuff then quickly sell it rather than finding practical uses for the stuff already on hand. Even when we dismantle kayak gear to upgrade or alter usage, we keep the spare parts for future experiments. I have a shelf in my garage dedicated entirely to old kayak parts that can be repurposed for future builds.
I have a Lawrence Hook2 4X that I wanted to use for this new setup. The monitor fits perfectly on the top of the TrackPak box but my Tracker battery just wouldn’t fit in one box. I had to get a bigger box or make the TrackPak box bigger. My solution was to cut an opening in the lid of one box and the bottom of a second box. The opening is just large enough for the battery to slide in and be held in place. The extra room in the box allows me to roll up the extra wire and store it neatly inside. I have a variety of through hole wire protectors from the various builds we do, so scavenging one for this build didn’t cost me anything. It was the same with the track mount I used. I had a small, leftover piece of track from a previous project that fit perfectly on the back of the TrackPak.
The only problem left to resolve was the transducer arm. I could have easily built one out of pvc like the original box, but I wanted something a bit more compact and adjustable. I opted to go with the Scotty Transducer Mounting Arm.
All in, I had spent just over $60 for the components I needed to purchase specifically for this project in order to make it compact and universal for any of the kayaks I wanted to use. That’s almost half of what it would have cost me to buy the YakAttack setup without the battery that fits in their box.
There’s other benefits to this setup also
The box is small and fits easily onto the track mount but still has room for keys, wallet, or even my cell phone if I forget to take my drybag.
I typically use my regular TrackPak boxes for my tackle on the smaller kayaks which can weigh down one side of my kayak. We’ve talked before about the importance of balancing your gear for the safety of your kayak adventure. Tackle on one gunwale with the fish finder on the other gunwale balances the kayak really well.
When you launch your kayak, you have to take your vehicle to the parking lot before you leave. When you return to shore, you have to go get your vehicle to reload your kayak. Both of these circumstances leave your kayak unattended for a period of time. As much as we want to believe we are an honorable and trustworthy community, not everyone can be trusted. Your fish finder is a hefty investment. This compact setup allows you to simply release two clips and carry the fish finder to the car with you.
For simplicity sake, the parts list for this portable fish finder is:
2 TrackPak boxes
1 TrackPak Quick Release Base
1 Scotty Mount Transducer Arm
1 Waterproof Through Hole Cable Connector
1 Track Mount
1 Fish Finder of your choice (I suggest getting one that comes with a mounting arm)
1 appropriate battery of your choice (helpful hint: think small)
Optional Components
Cary handle
Monitor Screen cover
(will depend on the system you choose)
Wether you use the YackAttack TrackPak or a similar box, give the track mounted portable box system a try and you’ll be fishing in style. Share your setup with our community and let us know about the imporvements you’ve been able to create.
