has anyone replaced our speed paddle wheels, which keep getting mucked up, with the new ultrasonic variety?
Cliff : I use a spray anti fouling paint that is made for transducers. It does a fairly good job. If there is no signal I've found that putting the boat is reverse and giving it some throttle usually "breaks" the wheel free.
A few thoughts
Though I don't have experience with the transducer you are asking about, I have had otherwise clean and rolling paddlewheel transducer still not work, until I replaced the paddlewheel and bearing shaft. It was a simple removal of the speed transducer then pull the shaft out, replace both the paddle wheel and the shaft (with new) and put the transducer back in. This solved a rather intermittent paddlewheel.
I think I recall that Airmar suggests that you should replace the paddlewheel and shaft every five years.
Quotehas anyone replaced our speed paddle wheels, which keep getting mucked up
You don't say where you are. Mucked up could be a lot of things. Here in Lake Erie the problem is zebra muscles. I use VC17 bottom paint a very thin paint, I thin it down even more and put a very thin coating on the paddle wheel (removed from boat and transducer). Works most years. Some years it quits late in the season, then I remove the transducer, in the water, and clean it up. It's not as scary as it sounds. When the transducer is pulled out there is a rubber flapper that keeps most of the water out. I put a dummy transducer, a plug really, in for the few minutes it takes to clean the paddle wheel. Get maybe a cup of water in the boat.
Don't know if you have the same set-up or if you still have the OEM plug.
That's what I do. Not a recommendation to pull a transducer that hasn't been pulled for a long time while the boat is in the water.
Jim
Guys : I believe that all Knot Log boat speed transducers originally with a dummy plug.
You just have to be fast on removing the real one and putting in the dummy if you are in the water. I've done it a few times an then sopped up the water - just do it FAST!! :thumb:
A thought