Waterproof underwater connectors

[Athito]

My Bravo 3 trim senders seem to have a life of 2 or 3 years before they fail, and when they fail the outdrives need to be backed off to allow the new wires to be threaded through - making it a "big job" not just 10 minutes to swap out the senders.

Am now thinking to have the wires come out through the outdrives but then cut them and put them into a waterproof connecting block - then re-joining them with the "new" wire tails off the new sender.

Any clever ideas?

40-something knot boat so there's a fair amount of friction and water movement around the drives...

 

[Assassin]

Spray with Waxoyl, the stuff you spray under cars, it comes in spray cans and is electrically inert and great for electrics, cover with heat shrink tubing and shrink down, you can get it with a glue lining in which the glue melts and seals any voids.

Polyisobutylene (PIB) tape is another option, this is markets as self amalgamating tape and once applied it seals into a single mass.

 

[MapisM]

Any clever ideas?

Not sure if it qualifies as clever, but since you asked for ANY ideas, you might consider getting rid of the dodgy electrical indicators altogether.
Wherever an accurate and reliable trim indicator is important, a mechanical push/pull cable is just the ticket.
You can see it in this pic of my old Fountain. Which btw was factory installed, as it is in several other US speedboats - which tells you something about how much some builders trust the original Merc indicators...
I don't think the necessary parts are expensive btw, but you should snake the cable from the outdrive to the helm, and find somewhere in the dashboard to fit the indicator. Which means a bit of work obviously, the reward being a very reliable and accurate system.

 

[superheat6k]

I have used these for weather exposed cable joints on 400v 3 phase cables. For this application I would also fill the void space within with Vaseline, or similar non hardening thick gel. The connector blocks inside are not so clever so I prefer to use small Amp folded crimp pin connectors (I will see if I can find a link to these) ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-3-Pin-...hash=item283bec193c:m:mhl9A8YpZRW06miyMENkpEA

These Amp connectors use the crimp pins I was referring to, but these might do the job required. For added protection I would wrap with Self Amalgamating tape too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMP-Supe...hash=item1ea3020b07:m:m7aivppIO9_Cpfm6zr5AHiw

 

[DinghyMan]

I've used ones similar to these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Connector-Waterproof-Junction-Extend-Electric/dp/B01F0CLIB2 available on ebay/Amazon in two/three/etc. pin configs on underwater fittings for a good while, some used down to 100m.

Double up on the O ring in the joining section and epoxy on as belt and braces and they seem to work happily.

 

[Anthony]

My Bravo 3 trim senders seem to have a life of 2 or 3 years before they fail.

I have thought about doing the same thing before, but what I really want to do is find a way to make the trim sender reliable, not only is it a cost / pain to keep replacing them, you have to wait till you have the boat out out to do it,

Anyonme found a good way to make them last longer?

Ants

 

[Athito]

.....what I really want to do is find a way to make the trim sender reliable.....

Ants

Totally agree!!!!!

 

[MapisM]

Anyonme found a good way to make them last longer?

Simple question, simple answer: no.
Any electronic indicator on equipment hydraulic driven and exposed to salt water is INHERENTLY flawed, because it's bound to be inaccurate even when it works, and prone to frequent failures.
That's the reason why every speedboat builder worth its salt fits the mechanical indicators I posted earlier.
If it were just a matter of fitting a better connector or whatever, they would have done just that, I reckon...