How to Install HOOK² on a Hobie Kayak

Paul Malov shows you how to install a HOOK² unit on your Hobie Kayak easily in this article. 

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The HOOK² range of fish finder / chartplotters from Lowrance are the most user-friendly units ever made in my opinion. They are also amongst the easiest to install in a kayak as the following pictorial demonstrates. For the purposes of this article, we were kindly supplied a new Hobie Compass kayak from Hunter Water Sports, a Lowrance dealer located at Belmont on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie NSW.

Minimal tools were required for this install, simply a Phillips head screwdriver and battery drill with hole saw to suit the Hobie waterproof skin fittings. Crimping tools will also be required for connecting the power cable to the battery which can be either of lithium or lead acid types. We found the best location to mount the battery in the new Hobie Compass was within the hull directly under the seat. This area can be easily accessed via the 8-inch-round Twist & Seal hatch located immediately in front of the kayak seat.

Remove the Lowrance-ready transducer cover from bottom of Hobie Compass kayak 

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Mount the Lowrance HOOK² transducer on the mounting plate 

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Use a hole saw to drill a hole under the kayak seat for the waterproof Hobie skin fitting to run the transducer cable back to the hull 

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Use a hole saw to drill a hole in the cockpit adjacent to where you intend to mount the fish finder and run power and transducer cable. Use a Hobie waterproof skin fitting.

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Ensure you pulled enough cabling to connect power and transducer plugs to the back of the HOOK² unit.

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Connect power and transducer cable to the rear of the HOOK² head unit. 

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Mount the HOOK² unit on the built-in H Track mount using adjustable RAM brackets  Get ready to go fishing on the the Hobie Compass. 

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Transducer installation is made very easy in the Hobie Compass kayak thanks to the Lowrance Ready System. However, there are other transducer mounting options available for those who have kayaks without a Lowrance Ready System. The use of a flexible waterproof adhesive such as Marine Goop to bed a transducer inside the kayak hull is a popular technique. Take care when doing this to avoid getting air bubbles in the adhesive, which could affect sounder performance.  

Thanks again to the team from Hunter Water Sports at Belmont NSW for kindly sharing their expertise with installing Lowrance Fish Finder / Chart Plotters in Hobie kayaks.