Lowrance Hook 7 Ice Conversion

[buttontate]

Decided I wanted to try a little something different this year for my fish finder. I saw a hook 5 ice machine in action and thought it worked well but wanted more screen real estate to work with and decided to give the Hook 7 a try. Wasn't impressed with the Lowrance ice pack so custom fit the Lowrance gimble to a Vexilar pro pack. The unit is actually balanced really well, a lot better than my LX-7 in my opinion so I think it will work good in a hole hopping scenario. I also jigged up a quick mount for the front of the ATV so I can view the chart when I'm driving around. Any shanty members use the Elite-7 for ice fishing? Thoughts on how it performs?

[Shack man Shoney]

WOW!!! Looks Awesome!!! I have never used the Hook 7 on the ice, most have not due to expense of the unit and since there is not a "great" case to protect it from the harsh environment most fish finders endure on the ice, but you have sure fixed that. I have used the Elite 5 HDI for the past few seasons and it works very well on the ice. I put mine in the Lowrance bag which is OK but doesnt have the bells and whistles like the pack you have modified. Do you have a soft pack or bag for the Hook7?

[buttontate]

Thanks! I originally had the HDS 7 gen2 touch but was just running into so many problems with the touch screen not cooperating. Something to do with there not being enough ground to enable the touch screen to work but I suppose the Hook will work better with gloves on.

[buttontate]

Do you have a soft pack or bag for the Hook7?

I will throw it in a Clam flasher bag probably for transportation, I do have the Lowrance plastic shield for some added protection.

[Shack man Shoney]

Yes, you will probably want a bag to help protect it. Scheels in WDM had some off brand bags at  a very reasonae price located above the flashers in the ice electronic aisle. They don't say Clam but the price reflects that as well. The nice thing about Scheels is you could actually take the sonar in with you and make sure the bag fits it before you buy it.  Again you made a great mod that should serve you and your Lowarance well for many seasons. 

[DrewFlu33]

This is fantastic! Really, really clean work.

I'm actually looking to repurpose my Hook 7 as an ice fishing machine while the boat is in storage. Best I had come up with was using one of the Genz "blue boxes," but this is significantly better. How did you end up attaching the Lowrance gimbal to the Pro pack? Did you just have to cut off the arms intended to fit the Vexilar units?

Also wondering where you got the Lowrance cover for the back of it. That looks really slick as well, and I bet will do a great job of keeping snow/ice away from the battery as well as protecting that area.

[jbird68]

I'm looking to cover my elite-5 for ice fishing. My son wants to go this year and I only have a showdown. Then I realized I could use my elite-5 off my boat. I just need a transducer and ice pack. It's cheaper than buying another showdown.

[jbird68]

I'm looking to convert my elite-5 for ice fishing. My son wants to go this year and I only have a showdown. Then I realized I could use my elite-5 off my boat. I just need a transducer and ice pack. It's cheaper than buying another showdown.

[buttontate]

Had a couple questions PM'd to me so thought I would follow up.

Wiring:
I have not quite finished the wiring yet, as I was still using wire nuts in the last images. I have since cleaned it up a bit and added a 5.5mm x 2.1mm connector to be able to make the charging process easier. I used this charger as well as added the male 5.5mm x 2.1mm connector to plug into the female connector on the unit.

Gimble:
I used Lowrance gimble that came with the unit. You can see I had to cut away part of the Lowrance gimble to fit on the Pro pack. I did a horrible job cutting it away, should have taken my time. Out of the box the pro pack had the vex mount molded on so had to remove those with the dremel tool. You should be able to see how I mounted the gimble to the pro pack with the two nut and screws, I just had to drill some holes and throw it on. I also had to relocate the ducer mount, cutting a little piece of plexiglass to mount on the back side of the pro pack.







Case:
It's definitely a pain to get it into the bucket, I would suggest a case. The clam case fits pretty well on the Lowrance. I have the same case for my Vex 28 and really like it.





Finally for the Lowrance cover is just the sticker that came with unit over white paint, since the sticker is black.

[dtour]

That's awesome buttontate!  I was just looking into this myself after researching different flasher options.  I saw someone do this on youtube with a Humminbird Helix, but I wanted to stay away from Humminbird due to all the bad stories that Ive heard about their customer service.

[Iceballs204]

That's a nice widescreen. I was checking out YouTube and saw the 7 fitting in the lowrance pack but it looked tight. The clam bag looks like a nice fit

[buttontate]

That's a nice widescreen. I was checking out YouTube and saw the 7 fitting in the lowrance pack but it looked tight. The clam bag looks like a nice fit

The clam bag is a great fit. I've been using the bag for transportation to and from the lake then usually take it out so I can mount it to my ATV. I made  a mount for it to sit in so it doesn't jostle around as much.



In action

[buttontate]

That's awesome buttontate!  I was just looking into this myself after researching different flasher options.  I saw someone do this on youtube with a Humminbird Helix, but I wanted to stay away from Humminbird due to all the bad stories that Ive heard about their customer service.

Thanks! So far it's good. I'm still dialing it in and learning about these mostly open water units. I still have my Vex's for when I'm hole hopping or teaching somebody new to the sport.

[Iceballs204]

Nice mount on the atv. Protect that investment  lol.  Might have to sell my 4 to upgrade  to the 7  reading this  thread.  Thx buddy gotta think about this now

[Kazhultgren]

Button how did you get the chart and vertical flasher side by side on your hook 7?

[RapShack]

That's the Amplitude Scope, should be able to find it quickly with the index in the manual.