Side imaging protection – do you use it?

I see in some of the You Tube videos that some of them recommend buying and using a side imaging protector.

Any opinions on if it is worth it?

I understand that you can break the transducer, and it is expensive to replace, but how likely do you feel that is?

On my Stratos the LSS1 is on the step pad so it is out of the water when at full speed so I don’t use it.

Mwal

I ran a high speed ducer so my SI ducer was out of the water while on plane.

if this is the one your looking at, another advantage is its spring loaded and resets if you trip it by hitting something. I have never broke mine, but have had it trip, and manual reset it tough on the water.
http://www.transducershieldandsaver.com/home/latest-products?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=32&category_id=10

My 1198 transducer is down there in front of god and everybody going on two years and not one problem. If I fished a lot of stumps sticking up and banging around them I would consider a separate 2D. Mine will kick up once in a while in rough water I take my landing net handle and just push it back down. If you don`t run a high speed transducer tweeking the SI ducer to get good high speed returns takes a little time.

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My 1198 transducer is down there in front of god and everybody going on two years and not one problem. If I fished a lot of stumps sticking up and banging around them I would consider a separate 2D. Mine will kick up once in a while in rough water I take my landing net handle and just push it back down. If you don`t run a high speed transducer tweeking the SI ducer to get good high speed returns takes a little time.

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Like mine Tom also. I’m of the opinion that having a “safe” transducer handicaps your units full potential.

I did break a transducer off my Crestliner the first year I had SI. Not under power, but drifting in a stump field from a side strike. I repaired it and it is still on and working..

My Skeeter has twin transducer mounted on the step in harms way, in clear water. No problems yet.

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I’m of the opinion that having a “safe” transducer handicaps your units full potential.

I did break a transducer off my Crestliner the first year I had SI. Not under power, but drifting in a stump field from a side strike. I repaired it and it is still on and working..

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Im curious how you come to this conclusion. Have you tried and compared the two?

Broke my SI tranducer twice last year at high speed in rough water (epoxied it back together after the first time). Runnin anywhere close to wide open in glass conditions, the thing would flip up everytime. I’m due for a new one and this one will be mounted to the jack plate. I’d recommend that over anything if you have one on your boat

When I bought my Skeeter, I originally used the glassed in for 2d high speed and a safe mounted HDSI transducer up on the step. After having the HDSI mounted for high speed readings on my
crestliner, it took me less
than an hour to grow to hate the safe mounted version on my Skeeter. I spent considerable time and effort to make them read at high speed now, but for me it was worth every effort.