Antifoul depth transducer?

[slipknot]

When you Antifoul, do you cover the end of the depth transducer? Does painting the end effect the operation of it?

 

[TiggerToo]

yes, and no

 

[SailingVet]

There is some thought that conventional antifoul could lead to the plastic becoming brittle.
I've never found the recommended water based ones in a small quantity.
The yard slings always sit right on my transducers so not wanting to risk it I use a thick silicone grease as a "release" type antifoul on both depth and log.
Seems to work and is still slippy after 10 months this year.

 

[skip50]

yes, and no

I agree. Though this year I have cleaned the transducer face of all anti fouling and painted ( not roller) a couple of coats. Just seemed a good idea to have a minimum thickness on the face. IMO fouling would do more harm to the performance of the echo sounder.

 

[tillergirl]

I bought a 750ml can of water based AF years ago - perhaps as much as 18 or 19 years (Blakes or International, can't now remember). The can has long since rotted so the remains live in a large jam jar and I paint the transducer (and face) each year with two or three coats of AF. And I use it on the prop. It still seems to work well despite its age and there is enough for probably another 10 years - by which time I will be too old to do the sailing thing anyway.

 

[Daedelus]

I usually put Lanolin on it, heaven knows whether it stays there but the sounder hasn't usually grown any barnacles when the boat is lifted out a year later.

 

[Twister_Ken]

I'm Coppercoated, and that's not recommended for the transducer. So I normally look in the boatyard skip, find a finished antifoul tin of whatever brand and formula, scrape out a brush and half, just to dab on the transducer. Seems to work, although maybe being surrounded by Coppercoat also helps to deter fauna and flora.

 

[Mandarin331]

Our transducer is mounted internally, and works perfectly through the thickness of the hull and antifouling, so i wouldn't expect a few layers of antifouling direct to the transducer head to have any effect at all.

 

[prv]

I've never found the recommended water based ones in a small quantity.

I have a little bottle with a brush in the lid, maybe 50ml. Bought via eBay, I think.

The only problem with it is that it's black, and dries quite thin and shiny. On the black plastic transducer, it's a bit hard to see where you've already done and where you haven't!

Pete

 

[cookjwm]

I have always just antifouled it, and its been no problem. Cruiser Uno BTW

 

[johnalison]

I'm Coppercoated, and that's not recommended for the transducer. So I normally look in the boatyard skip, find a finished antifoul tin of whatever brand and formula, scrape out a brush and half, just to dab on the transducer. Seems to work, although maybe being surrounded by Coppercoat also helps to deter fauna and flora.

You are a role model for all us skimpers.

 

[macd]

There is some thought that conventional antifoul could lead to the plastic becoming brittle.

Airmar, the biggest maker of leisure boat transducers, has this to say:
Surfaces exposed to salt water must be coated with anti-fouling paint. Use water-based antifouling paint only. Never use ketone-based paint since ketones can attack many plastics possibly damaging the sensor.

 

[Jamesuk]

When you Antifoul, do you cover the end of the depth transducer? Does painting the end effect the operation of it?

I read in the manual on the Echopilot they can be antifouled

 

[Ripster]

Always used to AF straight over them on all my boats until the most recent one. First year out, painted over it like normal two coats. Boat lifted back in - no depth reading. Checked wiring (still held in slings) nothing amiss - still no depth. Crane bloke asked if I had anti-fouled the sender - er yes (red face) - lifted back out, scraped off the AF - back in and all worked fine. Not AF'd it since.

 

[GrahamM376]

Our transducer is mounted internally, and works perfectly through the thickness of the hull and antifouling, so i wouldn't expect a few layers of antifouling direct to the transducer head to have any effect at all.

+1