Fish Finders Guide

If you’re a new Humminbird 1197 or 1198 side imaging owner, then you probably feel the way I do about my Hbird 1197. I want to do whatever it takes to protect my investment! I mean, any fish finder that cost what a 1197 cost is worth spending a few extra bucks to protect. That’s why I searched out a RAM mount for my Humminbird 1197 instead of mounting it directly to my console with the included bracket.

What I found was the RAM Mounting Systems RAM-D-111U-C heavy duty RAM Universal Mount mount. This thing is massive and it certainly looked like it could hold the 1197 with no problems. This powder coated marine grade aluminum mount consists of a double socket short arm mount, one 2.5″ diameter round base with 2.25″ rubber ball. It’s the rubber balls that dampen vibration and shock, thus the whole point in purchasing it to protect expensive marine electronics.

Mounting was simple and straight forward. Just mark the holes that need drilled in your console by laying the base down where you want it, drill the holes and use stainless steel mounting bolts and you’re ready to attach your 1197.

I found that the mounting bracket that comes with the 1197 aligned perfectly with the holes on the RAM Mount plate. The plate is a 11″ x 3″ plate contains different combinations of pre-drilled holes which will match up to many electronic devices and mounts. I’m not sure if this mount will work for the Lowrance HDS-8 or the HDS 10, so check them out before buying. RAM also says this mount will fit other electronics including Marine GPS, CB Radios, Ham Radios, Gimbal Brackets and more.

The first thing you’ll notice about this RAM mount is that the adjustment knob is huge! Make sure when you’re mounting that nothing will be in it’s way and that you’ll have enough room to loosen and tighten this knob. Also, make sure that before you drill, that the RAM mount as well as the 1197 is where you want it. When I dry fitted the installation, I found that it would block my cup holder and the other side would hit my Tachometer. After some tweaking, I found the place where I wanted it.

RAM-D-111u-C Field Test

One of the main reasons that I wanted a sturdy mount like the RAM 111u-c was because my boat is a 20 foot Fisher All Welded Modified V. Which means it’s somewhere between a flat bottom boat and a V-bottom boat. Which means it doesn’t ride well in rough water. I had already experienced a few rough days out on the water and I knew I didn’t want to subject my Humminbird 1197 to that torture!

The first few times out, the RAM mount did very well. But it also wasn’t very rough out. So I had to wait for a rough day to really see if the RAM mount was up to task.

It wasn’t long before I had a day where the wind was blowing 15 to 20. As I was making my way back to the loading ramp, I, along with everything in the boat, was taking a beating! Although I had tightened down the RAM mount, my 1197 started flopping over. Slowly, with every bump it would move more. I kept having to reach up and straighten it back up.

So although I do feel the RAM mount for the Humminbird 1197 is the best on the market as I write this, I have to tell you that you’ll probably experience some movement when encountering rough water. Even still, I know without a doubt that it’s better that the Hbird is mounted on the RAM-D-111u-c than mounted just on the bracket that comes with the unit.

By the way, after shopping around, this is the best price I found on the RAM Mounting Systems RAM-D-111U-C heavy duty RAM Universal Marine Electronic Mount.