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boat speed paddle wheel

Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:55 pm
by Camino
I installed in January a Raymarine DST800 multi-ducer for boat speed, temp, and depth. The Airmar through hull came with an integrated flapper to help keep water out of the boat - one of the 4 rules of sailing (keep water out of the boat, keep people in the boat, have fun, and look good while doing it). I always remove the transducer and insert a blank to keep things workings. If I leave the paddle wheel in the water at dock for a week, little critters come and live in it.

On the day of our treasure island rendezvous I had a heck of a time getting the blank out - when it did come out, water gushed up 2' high as if there was no flapper - well there was no flapper :D It had jumped ship somehow.

I bought a replacement through hull with flapper only for $23.00 and figured out how to get the flapper off (not what airmar recommended). I carefully made a through hull plug to fit and had a diver friend insert the plug underneath as I pulled the blank out from inside the boat. The flapper is held in by a steel retaining ring which I removed, and the flapper mechanism clops into a tiny slot beneath the ring. There is a little tiny steel pin holding the plastic "hinge" to the flopper - pic does not show the pin - so 20 minutes later the new flapper seems to work.

Airmar recommend I haul the boat, bash out the old through hull and replace the whole unit with the replacement - easily $400 I'm sure...

Re: boat speed paddle wheel

Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2017 5:50 pm
by GeoffSchultz
Just as an FYI, all of these transducers are made by AirMar, so you can most likely find a non-RayMarine/B&G/etc for a discount off of the OEM prices.

-- Geoff