How to Make a Fish Finder Portable

Fish finders are sonar devices that aid anglers in locating schools of fish, reducing the amount of time they must spend on the water. These devices come in two varieties: hand-held and on-board. An on-board fish finder is clipped to the side of a boat and wired to the boat’s battery. If you want to make an on-board fish finder portable, you can wire it to a stand-alone battery so that you can carry it from one location to another.

Things You'll Need

  • 12-volt battery
  • Electrical tape
  • Wire stripper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a 12-volt battery from an electronics or power supply store. Some 12-volt batteries have spring-style connectors on the top in which you can pinch wires, while others have metal posts around which you can wrap wires. Either type will work.

    • 2

      Locate the two power wires on the fish finder. Each wire is very long and sheathed in plastic. Some fish finders have a single wire, in which two wires are enclosed, one that is connected to the battery’s positive terminal and one connected to the negative terminal.

    • 3

      Strip two inches of plastic from the ends of the power wire or wires, using a wire-stripping tool. Be careful not to cut completely through the wire. If your fish finder has a single wire, the two wires inside will each be sheathed in plastic; strip first the single wire, then the two wires inside.

    • 4

      Locate the positive wire. It will be sheathed in either red or white plastic. Wrap it around the positive battery terminal. Wrap electrical tape around the wire and terminal to hold it in place. Repeat with the negative wire, wrapping it around the negative terminal.

    • 5

      Carry the battery to the location where you want to use the fish finder. Consider placing it in a cloth bag to make transporting it easier. Use the fish finder just as you would if it were connected to your boat’s battery.