Mega 360 stabilizer

[fishnfireman]

I figured they wern't store bought.
Guess I need to join the modern tech crowd and check out this 3D deal. As much stuff as I make It may come in handy.

[gary_fritz]

It is a handy tool. Even without 3D modeling knowledge there are some websites with 3D files for download that you can run through your slicing program that outputs code to your printer. With 3D modeling software and knowing how to use it there are a lot of possibilities. It is fun to design something and then watch if being made in the printer.

[Meleagris1]

Any reviews on the Boatlogix stabilizer?

[Swampseed]

Is the stabilizer wanted for out of the water when trailering or when unit is deployed? Thanks

[Capw]

Is the stabilizer wanted for out of the water when trailering or when unit is deployed? Thanks

Rough water and trailering.

[Meleagris1]

Anyone have problems with this thing catching weeds? Looks like it would.

[fishnfireman]

I figure its going to catch a lot of things when fishing around flooded cover or aquatic vegetation.
One reason I'm making mine easy to remove.

[SJSU_Slants]

Anyone have problems with this thing catching weeds? Looks like it would.

Yes!!! weeds hung up everywhere yesterday.

[G48]

Here's a different viewpoint from an admin member on a fb group. I had a tsas bracket on and took it off because of this:

"I seem to get this question often so I'm going to share my thoughts on the subject. There are a few stabilizers on the market but, my answer to all of them is NO - they are not needed nor preferred.
Here's why:
Humminbird designed the M360 ultrex and fortrex mounting brackets and shaft to exceed the forces expected during towing, riding in ruff water, and trolling.
Knowing the biggest risk to damaging the pod comes from bumping it into an object, the manufacturer designed their system to allow for some flex - it's strong! VERY STRONG! This flex can save the pod from damage if bumped into a dock, or possibly a stump covered by muddy water. Adding a stabilizer to the shaft eliminates the shaft's ability to flex which could be an expensive repair (or possible full cost replacement).
I've been running the Mega 360 since December. I ran in ruff water many times, drove down bumpy roads, and the M360 pod even bumped into a dock once. Yet, the imaging is phenomenal and the manufacturer's mounting system works as designed."

There was a good video attached to demonstrate and validate his point but couldn't post it.

[Meleagris1]

I’m not concerned about breaking the unit - the only reason I would run a stabilizer is to eliminate the degradation of image quality after long runs in rough water. Myself and others here who fish Champlain often had this problem.

[G48]

I’m not concerned about breaking the unit - the only reason I would run a stabilizer is to eliminate the degradation of image quality after long runs in rough water. Myself and others here who fish Champlain often had this problem.

Yeah..i could imagine that being a concern..I do like the ram mount in post #15 earlier in the thread.

[densik]

I’m not concerned about breaking the unit - the only reason I would run a stabilizer is to eliminate the degradation of image quality after long runs in rough water. Myself and others here who fish Champlain often had this problem.

That was the original 360 in the liquid bath, now that the mega 360 is an external unit, that is no longer the case.

[Meleagris1]

That was the original 360 in the liquid bath, now that the mega 360 is an external unit, that is no longer the case.

I was hoping that was the case but I couldn't seem to get a straight answer - thanks!

[haus9393]

For those wondering if the boat logix stabilizer works I can say I’ve torture tested it a few times now and it is legit. I’m the guy that runs 1 mile and has a blacked out screen from the bubbles in rough water even when I baby the boat. I can say I’ve ran it extremely hard in 2-3ft waves for about 15 miles and a few shorter runs in somewhat rough water and haven’t had it turn black yet. I hate giving reviews on things that haven’t been put to the test for a long period of time but im 99.9% sure that this is the deal for your 360. The pod is rock solid too during these beatings which explains why the image is clear when I put the trolling motor in the water.

[eds]

I have been thinking about this thread a lot. I'm a fisherman who plays as an engineer during the day. :) I don't work for Humminbird. The shaft is plenty secure at the top for the M360, no question. However, the "moment arm" force is in question. This is the ability of the shaft to resist a change in force at the end. There is no question that any type of stability at the end of the shaft would reduce the vibration. I also have the M360 and Ultrex. My image does "vibrate" when I turn on the trolling motor(propellor out of balance). I see the shaft vibrating as I travel with it. Both of these issues should be reduced, no matter the amount of engineering that went into the original design. In the M360, the rotating mechanism is protected by a shroud around it. I do worry about the constant vibration in the rotating cup. I, originally, just wanted something I could use to support during travel. Just like the motor support I use. I think this is about 80% of the issue I am thinking about. The remaining 20% is to have a stable picture while fishing. My trolling motor blade is out of balance. It just is and always will be. When I turn it on, the picture goes hazy. I am going to switch it out (again). These propellors get nicked up over time and cause issues with stability. These do cause vibrations. These "wobble" vibrations are at the very end of the shaft and are accentuated by the same "moment arm" force. I would like to minimize these vibrations, and hence a solution would be nice to be more permanently fixed instead of just during towing. My opinion follows:

BoatLogix: No question, it is more secure and will have less vibrations during travel. No question. However, I have many cables that I don't want to get caught. This requires an (ugly) reroute around the bracket. No bueno. This would get caught on weeds/etc. Furthermore, the rotation around the shaft is still suspect as it's depending on the force of the screws. This has the issue of the propellor vibration transferring directly from the end of the shaft over to the M360. I don't like that. This could cause more vibration on the M360 than if it wasn't there! It's also crazy expensive. Why not just $500 for this bracket? It's just too much and simply has it's own issues.

3D printer guy: I like this one the best for looks. It allows the wires to pass through the base of the shaft while providing the best vibration damping. Maybe he should sell these. The only issue is that this one allows vibration from the propellor to transfer over to the M360. I don't know about the price.

Transducer Shield and Saver: Disclosure: I have bought 3 of their shield and savers. I am biased because I love their engineering and products. They have an approach where the rotational forces from the trolling motor shaft are literally independent of the M360 shaft. The trolling motor shaft rotation and flexing has zero(miniscule) impact on the M360 flexing. Nice!!! Furthermore, the VIBRATION from the trolling motor propellor doesn't affect the support from their system! Yeah. It likely does have some impact, but it's reduced significantly. The vibration from the propellor would have to go up the shaft, across the support, and then back down to the M360. Unlikely. The boatlogix and 3D printer guy will have this vibration sent from the propellor directly to the M360. This is not good. To me, this is the best reason to select the TSS version. It also offers the support during towing. Is it perfect? No. I question the connection from the bracket to the shaft. It does look solid. At $100, it's the best deal out there and the best solution regardless of price. I ordered a TSS today. I'll report back after I've used it a few times.

[G48]

I have been thinking about this thread a lot. I'm a fisherman who plays as an engineer during the day. :) I don't work for Humminbird. The shaft is plenty secure at the top for the M360, no question. However, the "moment arm" force is in question. This is the ability of the shaft to resist a change in force at the end. There is no question that any type of stability at the end of the shaft would reduce the vibration. I also have the M360 and Ultrex. My image does "vibrate" when I turn on the trolling motor(propellor out of balance). I see the shaft vibrating as I travel with it. Both of these issues should be reduced, no matter the amount of engineering that went into the original design. In the M360, the rotating mechanism is protected by a shroud around it. I do worry about the constant vibration in the rotating cup. I, originally, just wanted something I could use to support during travel. Just like the motor support I use. I think this is about 80% of the issue I am thinking about. The remaining 20% is to have a stable picture while fishing. My trolling motor blade is out of balance. It just is and always will be. When I turn it on, the picture goes hazy. I am going to switch it out (again). These propellors get nicked up over time and cause issues with stability. These do cause vibrations. These "wobble" vibrations are at the very end of the shaft and are accentuated by the same "moment arm" force. I would like to minimize these vibrations, and hence a solution would be nice to be more permanently fixed instead of just during towing. My opinion follows:

BoatLogix: No question, it is more secure and will have less vibrations during travel. No question. However, I have many cables that I don't want to get caught. This requires an (ugly) reroute around the bracket. No bueno. This would get caught on weeds/etc. Furthermore, the rotation around the shaft is still suspect as it's depending on the force of the screws. This has the issue of the propellor vibration transferring directly from the end of the shaft over to the M360. I don't like that. This could cause more vibration on the M360 than if it wasn't there! It's also crazy expensive. Why not just $500 for this bracket? It's just too much and simply has it's own issues.

3D printer guy: I like this one the best for looks. It allows the wires to pass through the base of the shaft while providing the best vibration damping. Maybe he should sell these. The only issue is that this one allows vibration from the propellor to transfer over to the M360. I don't know about the price.

Transducer Shield and Saver: Disclosure: I have bought 3 of their shield and savers. I am biased because I love their engineering and products. They have an approach where the rotational forces from the trolling motor shaft are literally independent of the M360 shaft. The trolling motor shaft rotation and flexing has zero(miniscule) impact on the M360 flexing. Nice!!! Furthermore, the VIBRATION from the trolling motor propellor doesn't affect the support from their system! Yeah. It likely does have some impact, but it's reduced significantly. The vibration from the propellor would have to go up the shaft, across the support, and then back down to the M360. Unlikely. The boatlogix and 3D printer guy will have this vibration sent from the propellor directly to the M360. This is not good. To me, this is the best reason to select the TSS version. It also offers the support during towing. Is it perfect? No. I question the connection from the bracket to the shaft. It does look solid. At $100, it's the best deal out there and the best solution regardless of price. I ordered a TSS today. I'll report back after I've used it a few times.

I have the tsas ultrex bracket and I've not put my m360 otw yet. I plan to try it first without the bracket..see how it reacts with my tm on and off and handling the rough waves and towing. I hate to spend the money and not end up using it. I think my main concern is I fish in stumpy areas alot and prefer the shaft to have some "give" in it versus snapping the ducer off while bracketed..So I guess I have to weigh the trade offs.

[haus9393]

I bought the transducer shield and saver bracket last spring and used it for a year. It did absolutely nothing to keep the screen clear after a rough water run. I still have it if anyone is looking for one pm me.

[eds]

I bought the transducer shield and saver bracket last spring and used it for a year. It did absolutely nothing to keep the screen clear after a rough water run. I still have it if anyone is looking for one pm me.

Ugh!!! I would have bought it. I just ordered mine. Can you please explain what it means to "keep the screen clear after a rough water run." I don't understand how the TSS bracket addresses whatever issue this is.

[Wayne P.]

Ugh!!! I would have bought it. I just ordered mine. Can you please explain what it means to "keep the screen clear after a rough water run." I don't understand how the TSS bracket addresses whatever issue this is.

The original 360 is filled with acoustic oil so the SI piezos have contact with the pod housing so the sound pulses can go from the piezos to the "cup" and into the water. When in rough water, the shaking of the pod mixes air in the oil which blocks the sonar pulses (don't work through air). Have to wait until the air bubbles separate from the oil to get sonar returns. The less oil that is in the pod, the more aerated the oil can be.

[eds]

The original 360 is filled with acoustic oil so the SI piezos have contact with the pod housing so the sound pulses can go from the piezos to the "cup" and into the water. When in rough water, the shaking of the pod mixes air in the oil which blocks the sonar pulses (don't work through air). Have to wait until the air bubbles separate from the oil to get sonar returns. The less oil that is in the pod, the more aerated the oil can be.

I see. This issue applies to the first generation 360, not the Mega 360. I can see how that issue would likely never get resolved completely. I still would have bought his TSS bracket :).