Cleaning the log paddle wheel

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cmedsailor

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Is there any way to make the cleaning of the log paddle wheel easy? Can you place it for example overnight in any type of liquid (coke, vinegar?) so cleaning next day (with a little screwdriver or something) will be easier?
Any other tricks?
Thanks

PS: Yes I know, you cannot keep it clean for long but at least let's find an easy way to clean it.
 
cmedsailor said:
Is there any way to make the cleaning of the log paddle wheel easy? Can you place it for example overnight in any type of liquid (coke, vinegar?) so cleaning next day (with a little screwdriver or something) will be easier?
Any other tricks?
Thanks

PS: Yes I know, you cannot keep it clean for long but at least let's find an easy way to clean it.
Click to expand...
They are a pain-this summer my antifoul was particularly effective apart from the paddle wheel which I had to keep cleaning!
 
cmedsailor said:
Is there any way to make the cleaning of the log paddle wheel easy? Can you place it for example overnight in any type of liquid (coke, vinegar?) so cleaning next day (with a little screwdriver or something) will be easier?
Any other tricks?
Thanks

PS: Yes I know, you cannot keep it clean for long but at least let's find an easy way to clean it.
Click to expand...

Unless you race, simply give up on the thing. I did a full summer season this year with the blanking plug in place because I got fed up of cleaning the impellor. The only issue was staring at a blank log display - in every other respect I didnt miss the log itself.

If I were ever top buy a new boat I would save one hole in the hull and not have a log. After all, what matters to you in sailing from A to B is not the progress through the water but the progress from A to B.
 
I have a plastic bag next to the throughull in which I keep the plug, or the log, and an old tooth brush, never needed any chemicals.

Plank
 
wotayottie said:
After all, what matters to you in sailing from A to B is not the progress through the water but the progress from A to B.
Click to expand...

Reassuring to note that we are sharing the water with people who aren't even interested in being able to navigate...
 
I'm perfectly happy with GPS speed most of the time - my primary gripe is that I cannot set my wind display to use GPS speed when calculating true wind speed and direction - otherwise I probably would not bother with the log either.
 
How much are the impellor-less logs - ie the ones thet work by doppler effect. Can they be retro-fitted to a conventional set-up? It is sometimes useful to compare the log and the GPS.

I carefully paint my impellor and casing with thinned antifouling. It is some help but you have to check it will still run freely.
 
davidej said:
How much are the impellor-less logs - ie the ones thet work by doppler effect. Can they be retro-fitted to a conventional set-up? It is sometimes useful to compare the log and the GPS.

I carefully paint my impellor and casing with thinned antifouling. It is some help but you have to check it will still run freely.
Click to expand...

They are a lot of dosh, regrettably.
I think they interface electrically to the ordinary kit.
 
NMEA Paddlewheel "black box"

maby said:
I'm perfectly happy with GPS speed most of the time - my primary gripe is that I cannot set my wind display to use GPS speed when calculating true wind speed and direction - otherwise I probably would not bother with the log either.
Click to expand...

I am going to guess you have B&G instruments...If so, good news: I bought a NMEA Paddlewheel "black box" from http://tinleyelectronics.com/products.htm that takes GPS NMEA input and converts it to B&G paddlewheel output that you can wire directly to the B&G control module. It will give you accurate calculations less drift. Also SOG will display on your analog SOW B&G display and FFD.

Hope this helps you

Bill
 
BeBe said:
I am going to guess you have B&G instruments...If so, good news: I bought a NMEA Paddlewheel "black box" from http://tinleyelectronics.com/products.htm that takes GPS NMEA input and converts it to B&G paddlewheel output that you can wire directly to the B&G control module. It will give you accurate calculations less drift. Also SOG will display on your analog SOW B&G display and FFD.

Hope this helps you

Bill
Click to expand...

Not sure why you are guessing B&G, but no, we are on a mixture of Raymarine, Tacktick and Lowrance. We did intend going B&G when we bought the boat, but opted for the cheaper gear once we saw the B&G prices on the basis that we didn't expect to keep the boat for very long. We are now having difficulty finding an acceptable replacement and I'm beginning to wish we had gone B&G!
 
davidej said:
How much are the impellor-less logs - ie the ones thet work by doppler effect. Can they be retro-fitted to a conventional set-up? It is sometimes useful to compare the log and the GPS.

I carefully paint my impellor and casing with thinned antifouling. It is some help but you have to check it will still run freely.
Click to expand...

I have an ultrasonic speed transducer for my Raymarine ST60 set up. It was expensive but it has worked perfectly for the past ten years. It needs no attention, just like the depth transducer.
Well worth the expense.
 
Upnorth said:
Dylan,
Where did you get the transducer and what make is it?
Click to expand...

It was a long time ago! When the boat was completed in 2002 I had an echopilot ultrasonic transducer, but this was not reliable. I got the guy who does all the electronics to change it and he got the latest thing from Raymarine, this was early 2004. I think Airmar do them now.
 
colind3782 said:
If you are in the Spanish med, get some agua fuerte from the supermarket. Works for all kinds of jobs.
Click to expand...

Do mind your fingers - that's moderately concentrated acid and would do a decent job of removing skin as well as fouling! I would not leave the log sender in it for any length of time either - it could play havoc with the axle of the wheel!
 
dylan said:
...the latest thing from Raymarine, this was early 2004. I think Airmar do them now.
Click to expand...

I think you'll find that Raymarine have used Airmar transducers for many years now. The ultrasonic transducer was available from Airmar when I was looking in 2005 and was a recent product, so I guess that's the one.

Rob.
 
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