Euphonyx
Well-known member
Soo.. the paddle wheel and hole for the paddle wheel of my speedo always get blocked after a month or so. What measures do you take to try and prevent this? Does PTFE spray work? Silicone spray maybe?
I've got gunk in my hole
- Thread starter Euphonyx
- Start date
Irish Rover
Well-known member
Personally I gave up on it years ago. No matter what I did it still got choked after a short while.
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westerlylad
Member
I've tried painting each face of the paddle wheel with a thin coat of anti-foul. It seemed to help a wee bit. I'm not sure if it affected the spin speed of the paddle wheel due to a little extra mass.
neil_s
Well-known member
Spotted an old Stowe trailed log on e-bay - works a treat, very accurate and has a lovely analogue speedo.
JFowler
Active member
Clean well then spray with either PTFE or Silicone. Normally last 2 months, then needs repeating.
Minerva
Well-known member
I tend to take mine out when we get back to the mooring as part of the put the boat to bed process. Just need to remember put it back in place before we head off again the next time we're out.
Euphonyx
Well-known member
I'd be afraid to get that wrong and sink the boat!!!
Stingo
Well-known member
Google hasn't helped me find it, but there is a varnish with a very high concentration of tin in it, which worked well for my wheel and underwater lights.
Damned expensive. Your local chandler should be happy to swipe your card in exchange for a tiny pot of the stuff
Damned expensive. Your local chandler should be happy to swipe your card in exchange for a tiny pot of the stuff
Minerva
Well-known member
Ach, you'll be grand.
It looks scary when a large surge of water comes up at you, but reality is you'll let in a cupful of water with practice; remove the paddle wheel with your left hand, cap on with your right.
Stingo
Well-known member
A bit more googling and I see that tin in antifoul paints is now illegal, so it's very unlikely you'll find any.
Euphonyx
Well-known member
I would like one of those for passages but not ideal for racing around the bay
peterhull
Active member
Yes we used to do that but it's a bit nerve racking, removing the paddle wheel and inserting the blank and vice versa when you want it in place again
Thistle
Well-known member
Oh, I don't know. Appropriate signals to show you are constrained in ability to manoeuvre and protest anyone who comes near the log or forces you to recover it.
jwilson
Well-known member
If that worked in Falmouth I'd eat not only my hat but the colony of micro-shrimps and general gunge that sets up camp in the (lightly antifouled) log impeller within a fortnight of non-sailing. They hang on like grim death and at the very least slow the rotation down.
I take out the impeller if boat is not in use for any period over a few days. You really, really are not going to sink even if it took you 2-3 minutes instead of the 2-3 seconds it takes to put in the blanking plug. With practice, probably a single second of inflow.
Refueler
Well-known member
Hows this .....
Thats one side - other side is same ...
Boat has two impellor logs and two sonics ... and depth in centre ... all covered !
Thats one side - other side is same ...
Boat has two impellor logs and two sonics ... and depth in centre ... all covered !
Stemar
Well-known member
That looks horribly familiarHows this .....
Thats one side - other side is same ...
Boat has two impellor logs and two sonics ... and depth in centre ... all covered !
Daydream believer
Well-known member
If it was just a sonic & no paddle could you put a condom over it? Once the barnacles built up you could just change it. Surely the signal would not be affected.Most of these units have a neoprene sealing ring half way up the shaft so the condom could stop at the ring
Obviously this would not work with a paddle wheel, unless you wanted to leave the paddle in for a period of time ( Mislaid plug or cap etc)then remove the condom prior to sailing.
No dirty jokes please, I was being serious
Obviously this would not work with a paddle wheel, unless you wanted to leave the paddle in for a period of time ( Mislaid plug or cap etc)then remove the condom prior to sailing.
No dirty jokes please, I was being serious
Refueler
Well-known member
My Sonics are strange as they are very narrow ... literally width of a thumb. They are fixed and a metal protective bar extends over top of each ...
I have no idea how to extract .. I have a feeling they may exit OUT - not into the interior ! TBH - we can't even fathom out what they are connected to ...
I have no idea how to extract .. I have a feeling they may exit OUT - not into the interior ! TBH - we can't even fathom out what they are connected to ...
Sandy
Well-known member
You need to be very, very brave and just do it.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Think of little boys & dykes & you will get on OK