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Pub. 988-0151-59A
X51 Pro
Fish-finding & Depth Sounding Sonar
Installation and Operation
Instructions
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Copyright © 2008 Navico, Inc. All rights reserved. ® Lowrance is a registered trademark of Navico, Inc. Marine-Tex ™ is a trademark of Illinois Tool Works Inc. Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our policies, regulations, and special offers at any time. We reserve the right to do so without notice. All features and specifications subject to change without notice. All screens in this manual are simulated. On the cover: X51 Pro shown. For free owner's ma
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Table of Contents Capabilities and Specifications: X51 Pro..................................... 2 Section1: Installation................................................................ 3 Installation Preparations.............................................................. 3 Transducer Installation ................................................................ 3 Transom Transducer Assembly and Mounting ........................... 7 Trolling Motor Bracket Installation....................
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Capabilities and Specifications: X51 Pro General Case size:........................... 5.8" H x 4.3" W x 2.5" D (14.7 cm H x 10.8 cm W x 6.6 cm D). Sealed, waterproof; suitable for saltwater use. Display: ............................High-contrast Film SuperTwist LCD. Diagonal viewing area: 4.0" (10.2 cm). Resolution:.......................... 168 pixels (vert.) x 132 pixels (horiz.) resolution; 22,176 total pixels; 4-level gray scale. Backlighting: ..................Backlit screen and k
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Section 1: Installation ® Thank you for buying a Lowrance sonar! Your unit is a high quality sonar designed for both professional and novice fishermen. All Lowrance sonars have an automatic mode that finds and displays the bottom, fish, underwater structure and more – right out of the box. All you have to do is press the on (PWR) key. NOTICE! The storage and operation temperature range for your unit is from -4 degrees to +167 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees Celsius). Ex
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installation methods is right for your boat. Use extreme care if mounting the transducer inside the hull, because once it is epoxied into position, the transducer usually cannot be removed. Remember, the transducer installation is the most critical part of a sonar installation! Your Skimmer transducer typically comes packaged with a one-piece stainless steel bracket for mounting it to the transom of your boat. The optional trolling motor mount uses a one-piece plastic bracket with an adj
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NOTE: Some aluminum boats with strakes or ribs on the outside of the hull create large amounts of turbulence at high speed. These boats typically have large outboard motors capable of propelling the boat at speeds faster than 35 mph. Typically, a good transom location on aluminum boats is between the ribs closest to the engine. 3. The transducer should be installed with its face pointing straight down, if possible. For shoot-thru applications: Many popular fishing boat hulls have a flat
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How low should you go? For most situations, you should install your Skimmer transducer so that its centerline is level with the bottom of the boat hull. This will usually give you the best combination of smooth water flow and protection from bangs and bumps. Transom Transducer centerline Hull bottom Align transducer centerline with hull bottom. However, there are times when you may need to adjust the transducer slightly higher or lower. (The slots in the mounting brackets allow you to
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However, the shoot-thru-hull installation does have its drawbacks. First, some loss of sensitivity does occur, even on the best hulls. This varies from hull to hull, even from different installations on the same hull. This is caused by differences in hull lay-up and construction. Second, the transducer angle cannot be adjusted for the best fish arches on your sonar display. (This is not an issue for flasher-style sonars.) Lack of angle adjustment can be particularly troublesome on hulls th
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If the transducer's face isn't parallel with the ground, remove the transducer and ratchets from the bracket. Place the ratchets into the holes in the bracket with the letter "B" aligned with the dot stamped in the bracket. Reassemble the transducer and bracket and place them against the transom. Again, check to see if you can move the transducer so it's parallel with the ground. If you can, then go to step 3. If it doesn't, repeat step 2, but use a different alignment letter until you ca
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Mark the center of each slot for the mounting screw pilot holes. You will drill one hole in the center of each slot. Drill the holes using the #29 bit (for the #10 screws). Transom Transom Position transducer mount on transom and mark mounting holes. Side view shown at left and seen from above at right. 5. Attaching transducer to transom. Remove the transducer from the bracket and re-assemble it with the cable passing through the bracket over the bolt as shown in the following figu
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Bottom of hull Deep-"vee" hull Flat-bottom hull Align transducer centerline with hull bottom and attach to transom. 6. Route the transducer cable through or over the transom to the sonar unit. Make sure to leave some slack in the cable at the transducer. If possible, route the transducer cable away from other wiring on the boat. Electrical noise from the engine's wiring, bilge pumps, VHF radio wires and cables, and aerators can be picked up by the sonar. Use caution when routing t
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TMB-S bracket Internal tooth washer Bolt Nut Flat washer Attach motor mounting bracket to transducer. 2. Slide the adjustable strap supplied with the TMB-S through the slot in the transducer bracket and wrap it around the trolling motor. Position the transducer to aim straight down when the motor is in the water. Tighten the strap securely. 3. Route the transducer cable alongside the trolling motor shaft. Use plastic ties (not included) to attach the transducer cable to the trolling m
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Transducer Orientation and Fish Arches If you do not get good fish arches on your display, it could be because the transducer is not parallel with the ground when the boat is at rest in the water or at slow trolling speeds. If the arch slopes up – but not back down – then the front of the transducer is too high and needs to be lowered. If only the back half of the arch is printed, then the nose of the transducer is angled too far down and needs to be raised. NOTE: Periodically wash the
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hours, fill the remaining space with polyester resin. When the job is finished, the hull is watertight and structurally sound. Remember, the sonar signal must pass through solid fiberglass. Any air bubbles in the fiberglass or the epoxy will reduce or eliminate the sonar signals. Transducer location Transducer location (high speed) (trolling speed) Shoot-thru-hull transducer locations for high speed or trolling speed operation. Testing Determines Best Location Ideally, the shoot-thru
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If you can't get an acceptable bottom signal, try turning up the sensitivity by three or five keystrokes and then move the transducer around once more. If you find a spot that works, mark it and move on to step 4. If you have to turn up sensitivity by more than five keystrokes to get a good signal, the transducer should be mounted on the outside of the hull. This is especially true if you have to turn sensitivity all the way up to get a decent bottom signal. True bottom Second bottom Ma
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100 grit sandpaper. The sanded hull area should be about 1-1/2 times the diameter of the transducer. The surface of the hull must be flat so the entire transducer face is in contact with the hull prior to bonding. After sanding, clean the hull and transducer with rubbing alcohol to remove any sanding debris. Spread epoxy here Sand this surface Orient the Skimmer with the nose facing the bow of the boat. To bow Epoxy transducer to hull. WARNING: Use only the epoxy available from LEI
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the transducer should be parallel with the hull, with a minimum amount of epoxy between the hull and transducer. 4. Apply a weight, such as a brick, to hold the transducer in place while the epoxy cures. Be careful not to bump the transducer while the epoxy is wet. Leave the weight in place for a minimum of three hours. Allow the epoxy to cure for 24 hours before moving the boat. 5. After the epoxy has cured, route the cable to the sonar unit and it's ready to use. Power and Cable Connec
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Optional power off switch To unit for saltwater installations Black wire Red wire with 12 volt 3 amp fuse battery Power and transducer connections for the X51 Pro sonar unit (direct battery connection shown). CAUTION: Do not use this product without a 3-amp fuse wired into the power cable! Failure to use a 3-amp fuse will void your warranty. This unit has reverse polarity protection. No damage will occur if the power wires are reversed. However, the unit will not work until the
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Bracket Installation Mount the unit in any convenient location, provided there is clearance when it’s tilted for the best viewing angle. You should also make sure there is enough room behind the unit to attach the power/transducer cable. (See the following drawings, which show the dimensions of a mounted X51 Pro.) Holes in the bracket’s base allow wood screw or through-bolt mounting. You may need to place a piece of plywood on the back side of thin panels to reinforce the panel and secur
