Posted by ron barr (rwhb@…>)
I am not sure about the attraction of PSS seals. I have had them
on some boats and not on others. They are not simple and do need maintenance-
and if they go, unlike a simple packing gland – they really go!
KISS. I think we tend to get carried away with too much stuff on
our boats- I know I do. So I am reading that wonderful old book by Maurice
Griffiths (the early editor of Yachting Monthly) - “The Magic of the Swatchways”.
Those were days of simple sailing when the time was spent on enjoying the
surroundings and sailing – rather than fixing. Although I’d be the first to
confess I confess I do like to fiddle around with stuff. BUT I am slowly
learning that there is a more balanced approach!!
Ron
Newport RI 02840
From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Al Lorman
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 10:56 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: F-30 Original Depthmeter and
Knotmeter
\
Bob:
No matter how many times I measured the interior shaft on
my F30, there was never enough room to install a PSS. What is your secret?
Al
From:
FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Bob Weeks
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 7:37 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: F-30 Original Depthmeter and
Knotmeter
\
Thanks I will definitely keep this one in
my on-board binder under …tricks and trade secrets….Fortunately its on the hard
now and I can do this anytime before next May. Sorry I did not make it
clear that I had this option but your detailed workaround will not go to
waste. My problem is “if its not broke or leaking leave it alone”!
As soon as I try to take it apart I going to find some wrong and come April I
am still working on plugging the hole!….no I am an optimist …. only I lean to
the negative side most of the time. It like my flange on my prop shaft…I
want to replace the packing gland with a PSS. So first step is to
uncouple the flange from the flex coupling , four bolts into a rubber
gizmo….only took ¼ of a small pint of liquid wrench and 4 fours of fighting
with the bolts….next the four nuts holding the flex coupling to the
transmission flange…1/4 more liquid wrench and another 3 hours. So now
you would think I am only a short way from home now! All day Saturday
this past weekend with a flange puller, plumber torch and skinless knuckles and
the thing has NOT moved a millimeter! When down to the marina office and
filled out a work order (more boat bucks) and wished them luck! Sorry at
my age I go out on tangent!
Bob
\
From:
FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of katorpus
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 6:09 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: F-30 Original Depthmeter and Knotmeter
Here’s how to get it out without sinking the boat
-
Go buy a motorcycle inner tube…about the size of a moped ought
to do it. It has to be big enough to fit over the transducer thru-
hull and the “ears” on the transducer plug…but not a LOT bigger (a
car tire tube is too big) -
Cut it across the tube (at the valve) so that you have one
long “strand” with the valve at one end. Then cut off the piece with
the valve and throw it away. -
Slip one end of the tube over the thru-hull (with the transducer
still in place and whatever’s left of the wire inside the tube) and
hose clamp it to the thru-hull with two hose clamps below the level
of the “ears” on the transducer. Fold over any excess neatly before
clamping…you’re creating a seal here. -
Elevate the other end of the tube ABOVE the waterline of the
boat…attach it with a piece of line to a handy overhead grab rail
or something, but poke a hole for the line and don’t “tie the end
shut” -
Without pulling the tube off of the thru hull in the process, turn
the transducer so that it disengages from the thru hull (on mine,
this is about 1/16th of a turn counterclockwise…but figure out how
much before putting on the tube) -
Work the transducer up the inner tube until you can get it out the
open end.
The only water which will flow through the thru-hull is whatever it
takes to fill the tube up to the level of the waterline. As long as
the other end of the tube stays above the waterline, NONE of this
will enter the boat.
Measure your transducer (including the distance from the ears to BOTH
ends of the transducer and the size of the ears) and then reverse the
process to put it back in. Don’t spend a week doing this, and don’t
go off and leave the boat with the transducer OUT.
When you order a new one, also get the “plug” that should have been
lying around in the boat somewhere in the first place. It’s best to
pull the paddlewheel transducer and plug the hole when you go off and
leave the boat. Barnacles and slime mess up its action. (To clean one
off, soak it a while in vinegar, then scrub it.) I spray mine with
SailKote before reinstalling it.
This wouldn’t work if the wire coming out of the transducer hadn’t
already been cut (unless you disconnected the other end and fed the
whole length of it down the wire).
You CAN always avoid this rigamarole with the innertube if you get a
friend (who isn’t easily distracted) and just have him slap the open
end of a rubber dishwashing glove over the end of the transducer thru
hull and hold it in place by hand after you pull the transducer
out…he’ll only be there long enough for you to get the measurements
and put it back in…the slots in the side of the thru-hull (which
the ears engage)prevent you from being able to do this by simply
placing your hand over it.
You won’t get much water in the bilge doing this…if you use the
inner tube, you can “milk” it back down if you want and you won’t
spill a cup’s worth.
The water flow through an opening in the hull is directly related to
the size of the hole and the distance BELOW the waterline. If you’ve
ever just pulled out a transducer and slapped in a plug, it SEEMS
like it’s flowing at a GREAT rate, and it’s not really intuitive that
it won’t flow at all if the “other end” of the “hole” is
above the
waterline, but it won’t.
Steve Dashew builds his (aluminum) hulls with a minimum number of
through hulls…dumping all the discharges into a 4" to 6" pipe
that’s open at the top. As long as the top of the pipe is above the
waterline at any potential angle of heel, it won’t flood.
If you think about it, an “outboard well” works the same way…with a
much bigger hole.
— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com,
“Al Lorman” <ajl@…>
wrote:
Bob:
Almost all the depth transducers sold in the US are made by
Airmar. However, they are not all alike; there are a variety of
frequencies used. If you know the frequency of the depth transducer,
you could probably find a matching display head. I do not know, but
I seriously doubt, that there is any standardization in paddlewheels.Al Lorman
F30 Ab Initio
[mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Bob
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 4:17 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] F-30 Original Depthmeter and KnotmeterLooking for experts on this subject. Can the transducers be using
or fed into other mfg products? The depthmeter works rather well and
the little paddle wheel on the knotmeter turns freely but its
disconnected and I do not know where the past owner put display for
the knots, if its still around. I am afraid to pull them out of the
hull even thought the connections are still clean looking and bright
red and from the bottom they also still look good. If I pull them I
will find the any replacement will need either a bigger or smaller
hole so therefore I would like to just take the electrical output and
feed it into something else. Any suggestions? Oh I call the mfg and
they were clueless! I am assuming they send electrical current that
is then converted to a scaled output and is useable to a display. The
question then I guess is there a standard?Bob
“Oh buying a New Old Boat is so much fun!”
\