Speed Log Paddle Wheel

Bouba

Bouba

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Hi everyone, has anyone found the best way to keep the paddle wheel clean on a large fast planing boat?
For example has anyone heard of a way to put a remotely removable cover over it?
 
Dive under the boat and give it a whizz. I've just done it myself less than an hour ago. Other than that you should be able to remove the unit from inside the boat. There should be a blanking plug next to the wheel unit which you can insert whilst you clean the wheel unit. This is not for the faint hearted as water gushes into the boat when you do the changeover
 
Hi Mike, the owner of the boat already removes it, plugs it with the blank, cleans it, soaks in hydrochloric acid , gets a penknife into all the nooks and crannies puts it all back and then mops up his bilge. He doesn't want to waste his oxygen tank going under just for that, he saves the air for his props.
He can't understand why there isn't some sort of cover for it.
 
Bouba said:
Hi Mike, the owner of the boat already removes it, plugs it with the blank, cleans it, soaks in hydrochloric acid , gets a penknife into all the nooks and crannies puts it all back and then mops up his bilge. He doesn't want to waste his oxygen tank going under just for that, he saves the air for his props.
He can't understand why there isn't some sort of cover for it.
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Who said anything about an oxygen tank? Just dive under the boat with a pair of goggles and flick it around a few times with your finger. Dont be a wimp!
 
Back in the 80s my boat had an ultrasonic speed log, I know opinions were divided about them but I never had any probs with it. Last boat had a paddle wheel which only worked for a few weeks after relaunch each spring before barnacles thwarted it. I never had the guts to pull and plug then clean, since space forrad in the ER was very tight and if things went wrong crew would not be able to help. So I agree with the OP, imho this is indeed a bit of a prob which could benefit from a proper solution for us wimps.
 
Hi there

This has always been an issue on our family owned P385. We’ve found it best to throw a bit of quicksilver marine grease on the wheel when out the water before each season and move back and forward on each axis. It’s also failed to work on occasions when the magnet and pick up failed to communicate. We put a new tiny tubular magnetic piece in with super glue each year. Been sound for the last 4 years in a row. Touch wood.
 
simonfraser said:
Why would one still bother with this kind of antique gear, its not as if a mobo can’t compensate for the tide ....
There is GPS on your plotter / Ipad ?
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Sometimes plotter screens go blank and having a working log (and paper charts) might be the difference between getting home and not
 
simonfraser said:
Why would one still bother with this kind of antique gear, its not as if a mobo can’t compensate for the tide ....
There is GPS on your plotter / Ipad ?
Click to expand...

Not sure exactly what you mean by that.

Two answers to your question: Harbour speed limits relate to speed through the water, GPS gives you speed over the ground. Imagine coming into Portsmouth harbour ... speed limit 10knots. Full tidal flow at springs 3k in either direction so your 10k GPS could mean 7 or 13 knots through the water. If you see a flashing blue light heading your way you will know you compensated wrong, LOL.

Second point: when passage planning at pootling speed, surely you don't just point your bow at your next waypoint??? Revise your Dayskipper pilotage work and you will answer your own question.
 
Deleted User said:
Sometimes plotter screens go blank and having a working log (and paper charts) might be the difference between getting home and not
Click to expand...

The fishfinder I have is quite a good one, a transom mount transducer, yet sometimes it loses the depth reading ( and paddle wheel speed) for no reason I have found.

So; OEM fit depth finder ( through hull transducer) for me always works.

The transom mounted VP EVC multi sensor thing always works for speed when out of the water (paddle wheel spun by hand and with an air line)., Shaft lubricated with silicone spray, antifouled rotor and housing etc, stops working 2 days or so after launch year on year! Shame for one of the two large EVC gauges to do nothing all season !

I have GPS speed on the chartplotter, but it only allows a very small text size; too small for instant reading.
 
JerryC said:
Not sure exactly what you mean by that.

Two answers to your question: Harbour speed limits relate to speed through the water, GPS gives you speed over the ground. Imagine coming into Portsmouth harbour ... speed limit 10knots. Full tidal flow at springs 3k in either direction so your 10k GPS could mean 7 or 13 knots through the water. If you see a flashing blue light heading your way you will know you compensated wrong, LOL.
Click to expand...

Scaremongering; surely with a 10 knot limit the plod are not going to come after you when doing 13 knots. VERY difficult to prove the offence, especially when on moving water; ithe water doesn't all move at the same speed.
 
No, not plod, QHM. It's one of the busiest naval harbours in the country so small craft are very tightly restricted, controlled and monitored. So yes you would get shouted at through a megaphone for entering Pompei at 13 knots.

Edit: very sorry to the OP for the Fred Drift, but I felt compelled to reply to some other stuff.
 
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JerryC said:
you would get shouted at through a megaphone for entering Pompei at 13 knots.
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Would need to be a hell of a megaphone to reach southern Italy :p

Anyway, if you only take the log out and clean it, it will gunk up again pretty quickly. Antifouling it after cleaning (there is special stuff available, don't know if it's essential) will delay the process.

I don't have a motorboat, but if I did I don't think I'd bother with a paddlewheel log. Even on my sailing boat I use it little enough nowadays, to be honest.

Pete
 
GrahamHR said:
The fishfinder I have is quite a good one, a transom mount transducer, yet sometimes it loses the depth reading ( and paddle wheel speed) for no reason I have found.

So; OEM fit depth finder ( through hull transducer) for me always works.

The transom mounted VP EVC multi sensor thing always works for speed when out of the water (paddle wheel spun by hand and with an air line)., Shaft lubricated with silicone spray, antifouled rotor and housing etc, stops working 2 days or so after launch year on year! Shame for one of the two large EVC gauges to do nothing all season !

I have GPS speed on the chartplotter, but it only allows a very small text size; too small for instant reading.
Click to expand...

Depth reading problem can be water/sand/mud being churned up by yourself or previous vessel.
 
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