My brother has an HDS7 and bought the side scan for it. We mounted the box under the drivers side console, got everything hooked up and it seemed to be working fine. Here comes the UH OH part. We tried mounting the bracket for the transducer on the step about 6" right of the motor. The supplied screws would not go in the transom even after we drilled pilot holes. We even tried different size screws and still could not get them to screw into the hull. ( 1992 Champion DCX196 ) I think. Well now the fun part. We decided to use epoxy and mount the ducer without the bracket directly to the step. It looked nice and clean but now I an afraid that the chines on either side of the spot we mounted it may be interfering with the side scan because there is yellow covering everything past about 60'. Bottom scan works fine. Go ahead and tell me how dumb it was, I can take it.........LOL BTW he has no jackplate to mount it on

I always recommend, when installing imaging equipment, to install and wire everything except, for the time being, leave your transducer loose. With your boat in the water, and you also, move it around on the transom to locate the idea spot for it as you watch your screen. In fact, by doing so, you most likely will find a better "read" than one who has an identical boat that guessed. Oftentimes, you just cannot get away from having to tilt the motor to avoid the lower unit. It has to be human nature, but folks get excited with new toys, get into a hurry and settle for the shortcuts and other paths of least resistance only to create those UH OHS. No, there are no dumb folks here. I simply think its human nature to take shortcuts and paths of least resistance and sometimes it's just not having the right tools and accessories.

Do you have a heat gun? You may want to try to soften your epoxy to remove your UH OH. Disassemble your transducer from the bracket. Apply even heat to about 250 deg F. Hopefully it will soften the mastic. Using toluene or xylene and a wood paint paddle to avoid gouging your gel coat, scrape away and finish clean up of your boat and bracket by dissolving the residue of your now softened mastic. Oh, screw holes in a boat hull...well, that really doesn't need much of a discussion.

He was wlso afraid of breaking off the bracket ( if mounted on the transom ) since we fish in a lot of stumpy water. Lake Fork and Choke Canyon to name a few. He and I both have lost ducers to the dreaded stump monster. I just broke off my ducer on the trolling motor this weekend. Going to try and super glue it again.

Oh, I'm aware of the stump problems. In nearly 40 years I have never broken one, but I've seen enough to convince me that it can happen.

we used self tapping sheet metal screws with some epoxy to seal everything up when we mounted it to the transom.

Its a great thing in this country to have the freedom of choice.