Building the Ultrasonic Antifouling Kit from Jaycar

[trisailing1]

I am in the fortunate position that I am spending some of next winter in Melbourne and often visit the local Jaycar which is 5 mins down the road.

My mooring is half-tide with soft mud and I also have had no luck preventing growth. There are two problems: (a) the mud leaves a film on the surface on which organisms can grow isolated from the toxins. (b) sulphides in the mud seem to be reacting with copper and turning it to inert copper sulphide. The original Coppercoat applied some years ago is now black instead of green in the area in contact with the mud.

I would really like to hear the results of trials from anyone who regularly dries out in mud.

I have two on a 50ft aluminium boat.They have been on for a few months now with no joy.
In Brisbane in muddy waters. tried just about everything .
Tested units on scope. Got in the water and can hear them working.
If i get nowhere with these ill sell the two units if some one wants them.
I wonder if the boat is too thick, (6mm plate).

 

[steveallan]

Managed to get two in the end. The young lady at the other end wanted to sell me 100 to start with at £25 each. She then realised that they have a £500 minimum order + VAT. So I said that it was a project we were working on and if it worked we would need a considerable number. She then suggested 4 at £35 each and we agreed on 2 at £35 + Vat and I got them collected as they charge £30 + Vat postage and packing.

You can buy them from a company in Switzerland but when you get to the yes I want them at 30 euro each they then tell you its 70 euro to send them.

Rest of the bits were obtained easily Farnell / Maplins with a few bits from the boxes at work

The logic boards came from Australia.

Propose to fit both in a 10m boat.

.

In reply to the post regarding the delay. There is a delay between the oscillations but its not very long. The unit sends out a sequence of different wave forms between 19 khz and 41 khz they are not random but predefined in blocks of 14 and there are 4 sequences. If you altered the Assembler Code you could make the delay longer and so use less Amp/Hours over a period.

I have a 2 amp fuse in mine and its humming away merrily to itself.

Can you give details for the suppliers of the boards and transducers. Kits from Jaycar now seem to be expensive.

 

[greenalien]

Despite buying a kit from Jaycar back in March, I haven't found the time to build it, so I'm offering it for sale - £130 if you collect it from me in Southampton, £140 if you want it posted - PM me for details.

Update - provisionally sold, but I'll keep a reserve list just in case this sale doesn't complete, so let me know if you're interested.

Update - kit now sold. If you still want one, buy it from Jaycar - 3 - 4 weeks delivery, then pay VAT and import duty.

 

[BalticLongkeeler]

Just my two Eurocents: Since I started adding red chili pepper powder (ground) to my AF on my 33' steel SY, I'v seen no barnacle or algae growth on my boat. Before that, all kinds of seapocks, barnacles and mussels saw the boat as their favourite place. About 50 grams per liter of AF will do fine. Just give it a try - it's non-toxic, and you can buy it at gross-outlets for restaurants at amazingly affordable prices.

So, no need for underwater ultrasound! Wouldn't that even potentially interact with the depth sounder?

Totally different question, from a non-native speaker: Why is it called ultrasonic? Isn't that the word for planes flying faster than sound? What's the topic here, shouldn't it rather be spelt ultrasound (which describes sound at frequencies normally not hearable by humans)?

Cheers from the Kiel Bay.

Ulli.

 

[Stefanb104]

Jaycar seems to have ceased trading

I ordered a kit, Jaycar took the payment but I never received the kit. I can't get a response from them either by phone or e-mail.

BEWARE!!!!

 

[trisailing1]

I ordered a kit, Jaycar took the payment but I never received the kit. I can't get a response from them either by phone or e-mail.

BEWARE!!!!

they are still trading. They normally prity good keep on there case.If no joy send me an email with order number and ill try chase it up.

 

[Stefanb104]

Hi Trisail

Ordered on 8th August.
Have sent 2 e-mails and triesd phoning UK, Aus and NZ with the same message "message file full"
My order number was JUK 150519
If you can help, that would be brilliant.
Cheers

 

[Stefanb104]

Just my two Eurocents: Since I started adding red chili pepper powder (ground) to my AF on my 33' steel SY, I'v seen no barnacle or algae growth on my boat. Before that, all kinds of seapocks, barnacles and mussels saw the boat as their favourite place. About 50 grams per liter of AF will do fine. Just give it a try - it's non-toxic, and you can buy it at gross-outlets for restaurants at amazingly affordable prices.

So, no need for underwater ultrasound! Wouldn't that even potentially interact with the depth sounder?

Totally different question, from a non-native speaker: Why is it called ultrasonic? Isn't that the word for planes flying faster than sound? What's the topic here, shouldn't it rather be spelt ultrasound (which describes sound at frequencies normally not hearable by humans)?

Cheers from the Kiel Bay.

Ulli.

Hiya

No....Supersonic is the correct aviation term.
As you correctly say, ultrasonic is a reference to sound waves of frequencies above the human hearing range. (I wonder if I could persuade my wife to be ultrasonic?)
Cheers

 

[Stefanb104]

Despite buying a kit from Jaycar back in March, I haven't found the time to build it, so I'm offering it for sale - £130 if you collect it from me in Southampton, £140 if you want it posted - PM me for details.

Update - provisionally sold, but I'll keep a reserve list just in case this sale doesn't complete, so let me know if you're interested.

Update - kit now sold. If you still want one, buy it from Jaycar - 3 - 4 weeks delivery, then pay VAT and import duty.

Hiya
Thanks for the offer, but the current price (when delivered is £100)
Cheers

 

[trisailing1]

Hi Trisail

Ordered on 8th August.
Have sent 2 e-mails and triesd phoning UK, Aus and NZ with the same message "message file full"
My order number was JUK 150519
If you can help, that would be brilliant.
Cheers

No worries mate ill try and call them today.

For the record mine are working great know i think.
Running 2 of these needed alot of battery but so far 2months no barnys, and the boat has no antifoul left on it. Weather is warmin up so ill keep people posted. Weed dosnt bother me as much as the barnicals.
In mud berth as well so hopfully all good./ The boat is 15m x14.8m tri and it seems to keep the barnys off the floats as well. fingers x

Branys used to start after 2 weeks

 

[Stefanb104]

No worries mate ill try and call them today.

For the record mine are working great know i think.
Running 2 of these needed alot of battery but so far 2months no barnys, and the boat has no antifoul left on it. Weather is warmin up so ill keep people posted. Weed dosnt bother me as much as the barnicals.
In mud berth as well so hopfully all good./ The boat is 15m x14.8m tri and it seems to keep the barnys off the floats as well. fingers x

If you are successful, I know my wife will be eternally grateful. She is so fed up with being hung over the side by her ankles with a scraper, she offered to bankroll the purchase with the housekeeping. She hasn't found the beer fund yet.

 

[trisailing1]

If you are successful, I know my wife will be eternally grateful. She is so fed up with being hung over the side by her ankles with a scraper, she offered to bankroll the purchase with the housekeeping. She hasn't found the beer fund yet.

Hey Stefanb104,
spoke to them he is looking it up and will call me back. he also said it can take 4to 5 weeks for delivery. let you know asap.
You must have a good hidin spot for the beer fund

 

[Norman_E]

Just my update, as I started this thread, and wrote the article that appeared in PBO. My two units were installed before the boat was launched in Marmaris last April. I am currently on board. The hull has no visible fouling from the mast back. Forward of the mast there were a few patches of hard fouling at the waterline, mostly on the starboard side. A swim with a scouring pad removed them. I then found that the forward transducer (which is on the port side) was not fully screwed home in its socket, so I think that allowed the small amount of fouling that I found. So far I think the system is a success. The boat will be left in the water over winter, which should test it fully.

 

[trisailing1]

Nice one Norm.
I had a similar problem, mine kept coming loose so i tighten them up and screwed a small stainless screw bettween the nut and the thread. No problem since.
Hope all goes well through winter

 

[snowleopard]

No worries mate ill try and call them today.

For the record mine are working great know i think.
Running 2 of these needed alot of battery but so far 2months no barnys, and the boat has no antifoul left on it. Weather is warmin up so ill keep people posted. Weed dosnt bother me as much as the barnicals.
In mud berth as well so hopfully all good./ The boat is 15m x14.8m tri and it seems to keep the barnys off the floats as well. fingers x

Branys used to start after 2 weeks

That's a humungous boat. And I thought my 7m beam was big! how many kits have you fitted to it?

I take it you're in Oz, where are you based? I'm coming over some time this winter (i.e. your summer) and plan to pick one up to try. My mooring is half-tide mud and so far nothing has worked.

 

[Stefanb104]

Hey Stefanb104,
spoke to them he is looking it up and will call me back. he also said it can take 4to 5 weeks for delivery. let you know asap.
You must have a good hidin spot for the beer fund

Hiya
It's 8 weeks now. That's why I'm chasing it up.
My beer fund is in a vault where I keep all precious items.

 

[trisailing1]

That's a humungous boat. And I thought my 7m beam was big! how many kits have you fitted to it?

I take it you're in Oz, where are you based? I'm coming over some time this winter (i.e. your summer) and plan to pick one up to try. My mooring is half-tide mud and so far nothing has worked.

Hey mate, yep im in SE/Queensland.
Have Two units ,in mud berth

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Just my update, as I started this thread, and wrote the article that appeared in PBO. My two units were installed before the boat was launched in Marmaris last April. I am currently on board. The hull has no visible fouling from the mast back. Forward of the mast there were a few patches of hard fouling at the waterline, mostly on the starboard side. A swim with a scouring pad removed them. I then found that the forward transducer (which is on the port side) was not fully screwed home in its socket, so I think that allowed the small amount of fouling that I found. So far I think the system is a success. The boat will be left in the water over winter, which should test it fully.

Thats the reason I bonded mine directly to the hull. There looks to be the normal slime on the hull at the moment and it had developed a beard of weed at the waterline which seems largely to have washed off during the last trip out. She should be comming out of the water next week sadly I won't be there to see it or photograph it but I hope someone will.

 

[trisailing1]

Hey mate, yep im in SE/Queensland.
Have Two units ,in mud berth

Jaycar are now selling prebuilt units with 2 transducers around, aus$900

 

[FullCircle]

Jaycar are now selling prebuilt units with 2 transducers around, aus$900

Can you post a link to the pre built kits please?
Can't find it on the Jaycar site?