Airmar Transducers

Airmar builds the transducers that ship inside most major sounders, so getting the match right matters more than the brand on your display. We carry their full catalog, from compact transom mounts for skiffs to high-power thru-hull CHIRP units for offshore boats, and the right pick comes down to three things: your sounder, your hull, and the water you fish.

Match the transducer to your sounder

Start with your display. Your sounder speaks a sonar language, meaning a CHIRP band (low around 50kHz, mid around 80kHz, high around 200kHz) and a connector type, and the transducer has to match both. If you run a chartplotter-sounder combo, check which CHIRP range it supports before you pick a transducer, or you will leave performance on the table. Airmar publishes a compatible-sounder list for every model, and our techs can confirm the exact match for your display before you spend a dime.

Pick a mount for your hull

Transom mounts are the easy install for outboard boats and trailered hulls, and they come off fast when you pull the boat. Thru-hull units give you the cleanest signal at speed and in rough water, which is why offshore crews run them, but they need a hole in the boat and often a fairing block to point the face straight down on a deadrise hull. In-hull pucks shoot through a solid fiberglass hull when you cannot or will not drill, trading a little sensitivity for a no-hole install.

Match power and frequency to your depth

Higher power and lower frequency reach deeper water, so bluewater anglers lean toward 1kW thru-hull units that mark bait and structure in hundreds of feet. Inshore and freshwater boats do fine with lower-power transom mounts that hold a bottom lock at cruising speed and sharpen detail in shallow water. Many Airmar units are triducers that also read speed and water temperature, so one install can feed your sounder and your gauges at once.

Not sure which one fits your rig? Our techs run these on their own boats and can walk you through sounder compatibility, hull fit, and the install before you order. They also help with cable routing, backing plate choices, and sealant recommendations that match common hull materials. Proper torque on the nut and correct fairing angle keep the beam pointed straight down even when the boat is loaded or the sea is running. Checking the Airmar model matrix against your sounder firmware version avoids later firmware mismatches that can mute certain frequency bands.