GT15M transducer not showing depth under 10'

hawk232

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2025
Messages
67
Location
Crystal River, FL
Fluid Motion Model
R-27 (Outboard)
Vessel Name
Alternate Approach
I have already resealed the insufficient factory seal on the cup, it isnt leaking. I topped off the fluid. I played with frequency/gain settings as well as restoring factory defaults. I have pulled the transducer out and tried different spots on the hull (using a water based gel under the transducer to "seal it up"). All result in the same issue. The depth number flashes once I am below 10' but if I zoom in, it will still paint the bottom at the appropriate depth. Has anyone had a similar issue? I suspect its a transducer problem but I hate throwing money at a problem, I would prefer to diagnose. Next step will be to see if Garmin will talk to me about it.

Next question, has anyone installed a transom mount transducer to gain side/live scan and water temp? I am considering this option as well.
 
I have already resealed the insufficient factory seal on the cup, it isnt leaking. I topped off the fluid. I played with frequency/gain settings as well as restoring factory defaults. I have pulled the transducer out and tried different spots on the hull (using a water based gel under the transducer to "seal it up"). All result in the same issue. The depth number flashes once I am below 10' but if I zoom in, it will still paint the bottom at the appropriate depth. Has anyone had a similar issue? I suspect its a transducer problem but I hate throwing money at a problem, I would prefer to diagnose. Next step will be to see if Garmin will talk to me about it.

Next question, has anyone installed a transom mount transducer to gain side/live scan and water temp? I am considering this option as well.
 
Yes I have the same issue with my R-27. It turns out that the GT15M transducer that came with my boat does not work in shallow waters less than 10'.
Why would anybody install a transducer that does not work in shallow water is beyond me.

I am having a DST800 Smart Transducer installed thru hull. It will display shallow waters depth and water temperature.
 
Yes I have the same issue with my R-27. It turns out that the GT15M transducer that came with my boat does not work in shallow waters less than 10'.
Why would anybody install a transducer that does not work in shallow water is beyond me.

I am having a DST800 Smart Transducer installed thru hull. It will display shallow waters depth and water temperature.
Mine worked just fine for over a year. It just started doing this a month or two ago.
 
Ok that is very interesting for me. I just bought my 2024 R27 boat. Fairly new boat. Just 2 years old. I assumed that the transducer never worked right in shallow water and wondered why a boat company would build a boat with this type of transducer. In this case then I see that it is a case of something else breaking in this boat. A transducer should last many years.

I have had to put a lot of money and work into fixing stuff on this boat. I frankly never expected this from a 2 year old boat with only 105 hours.

My all around white light does not work. I just assumed that it was a defective bulb. Not the case. The light itself went bad. I lost steering last week. The steering hydraulic fluid was very low. I have checked everywhere and cannot find the leak. The Freshwater shower on the transom does not work. I could go on. Worse $200,000 boat I have ever bought!!
 
Update: I rolled the dice on a new transducer and it fixed the issue. I now get depth all the way down to 1'
 
Ok that is very interesting for me. I just bought my 2024 R27 boat. Fairly new boat. Just 2 years old. I assumed that the transducer never worked right in shallow water and wondered why a boat company would build a boat with this type of transducer. In this case then I see that it is a case of something else breaking in this boat. A transducer should last many years.

I have had to put a lot of money and work into fixing stuff on this boat. I frankly never expected this from a 2 year old boat with only 105 hours.

My all around white light does not work. I just assumed that it was a defective bulb. Not the case. The light itself went bad. I lost steering last week. The steering hydraulic fluid was very low. I have checked everywhere and cannot find the leak. The Freshwater shower on the transom does not work. I could go on. Worse $200,000 boat I have ever bought!!

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Hello Cubano, it is completely understandable that you are frustrated after spending that kind of money on a premium boat only to deal with a cascade of annoying failures. For your transom shower and the transducer issues, it might be worth checking the main ground bus bars behind the helm and in the stern mechanical space because a loose or corroded master ground connection can cause multiple unrelated electrical components to glitch or fail at the same time. Don't lose hope just yet as these initial hurdles are unfortunately common when inheriting a boat from a previous owner who might have let it sit, and once you get these gremlins sorted out, the R27 is genuinely a fantastic and seaworthy pocket cruiser.


 
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