Stern Savers vs Pads

[Miker1234]

Hey All,

I’m getting really close to mount my Simrad 3 in 1 Transducer. I’ve seen various types of sternsaver pads. After viewing comments here I’m very reluctant to drill the mount the transducer directly to the transom.
There are three main mounting products listed below. I’ve heard good and bad reviews for all of them except for the stern plate because it’s screwed in. Can you give me an honest opinion on the three or if you’ve used them or had them fall off?

Sternsaver: Two part epoxy.

Stern Pad: 3M adhesive

Stern Plate requiring drilling into the transom using two screws and 5200 to mount.

Any advise is appreciated.

 

[nrender]

Believe sternsaver is out of business. A 4th option is to buy a piece of 3/4" thick starboard and use west systems gflex to bond it to the transom. If you look at the Gflex adhesion data online if you correctly prep surface (sanding, heating of starboard w/ torch, cleaning, etc.) you should achieve very good bond performance on the order of 2000 psi. There are some good threads on THT regarding the processes for bonding starboard using Gflex or similar alternatives.

Adhesion data sheet (see HDPE): G/Flex Epoxy Adhesion Data

 

[Inshore Chaser]

Hey All,

I’m getting really close to mount my Simrad 3 in 1 Transducer. I’ve seen various types of sternsaver pads. After viewing comments here I’m very reluctant to drill the mount the transducer directly to the transom.
There are three main mounting products listed below. I’ve heard good and bad reviews for all of them except for the stern plate because it’s screwed in. Can you give me an honest opinion on the three or if you’ve used them or had them fall off?

Sternsaver: Two part epoxy.

Stern Pad: 3M adhesive

Stern Plate requiring drilling into the transom using two screws and 5200 to mount.

Any advise is appreciated.

Take a look at Sternmate. Using for several years and no issues. Nice part is no holes, sanding, etc. regarding the transom. Real nice part is the method of connecting the transducer to the pad....you have a few inches of adjustment in all directions. Search Sternmate...for the specs, instructions, etc. I will try to post a pic of my setup.

 

[Inshore Chaser]

Take a look at Sternmate. Using for several years and no issues. Nice part is no holes, sanding, etc. regarding the transom. Real nice part is the method of connecting the transducer to the pad....you have a few inches of adjustment in all directions. Search Sternmate...for the specs, instructions, etc. I will try to post a pic of my setup.

Here is a pic of the Sternmate on my 2100 DVCC. I can get readings at WOT.

 

[Miker1234]

Believe sternsaver is out of business. A 4th option is to buy a piece of 3/4" thick starboard and use west systems gflex to bond it to the transom. If you look at the Gflex adhesion data online if you correctly prep surface (sanding, heating of starboard w/ torch, cleaning, etc.) you should achieve very good bond performance on the order of 2000 psi. There are some good threads on THT regarding the processes for bonding starboard using Gflex or similar alternatives.

Adhesion data sheet (see HDPE): G/Flex Epoxy

Do you know why they went out of business?

 

[nrender]

It was at the beginning of the covid stuff in 2020 from what i have seen. i think you can still find the sternsaver "minis" at some places online but i believe they are just remaining stock selling off. From what I have seen, the starboard/gflex thing i mention is basically the same thing.

 

[pelagic2530]

It was at the beginning of the covid stuff in 2020 from what i have seen. i think you can still find the sternsaver "minis" at some places online but i believe they are just remaining stock selling off. From what I have seen, the starboard/gflex thing i mention is basically the same thing.

That’s a shame. It’s a really good product.

The last one I installed also had threaded holes on the back side of the plate, to help the epoxy adhere better to the plastic. There was also a push-in adhesive clip thing that held it in place while the epoxy cured.

 

[GotChrist?]

I have an old boat so I epoxied a block of wood onto the transom. Old holes were sloppy so dried out with heat gun on low for 2, 3 days, used a 90* awl to remove the punk, then filled with either marinetex or thickened WS epoxy. Once it was well set, I epoxied a block of wood on. The material used by stern saver was not epoxy or adhesive friendly so they had holes in the product that allowed the epoxy to push thru and mushroom out. The mushroom portion is what held the pad in place. With wood, that problem doesn't exist. You can paint it to match, stain it, or what your imagination comes up with.

 

[Miker1234]

View attachment 35355View attachment 35355 Here is a pic of the Sternmate on my 2100 DVCC. I can get readings at WOT.

I’m looking into these now. Thanks for the photos!