Ultrasonic speed transducer?

[marchem]

Anyone with experience with an ultrasonic speed transducer? I know they're expensive, but I'm tired of pulling ours for cleaning all the time. I've got Raymarine ST60 displays, and an e7D MFD, so an N2K sensor would work, like the Airmar UST800, since it fits the existing housing, as well as the older CS4500, that emulates the paddlewheel pulses.

How well do they work with slime build up? Our bottom is cleaned monthly, so it never gets very bad, but if it needs to be cleaned weekly there's not much advantage.

 

[Maine Sail]

Anyone with experience with an ultrasonic speed transducer? I know they're expensive, but I'm tired of pulling ours for cleaning all the time. I've got Raymarine ST60 displays, and an e7D MFD, so an N2K sensor would work, like the Airmar UST800, since it fits the existing housing, as well as the older CS4500, that emulates the paddlewheel pulses.

How well do they work with slime build up? Our bottom is cleaned monthly, so it never gets very bad, but if it needs to be cleaned weekly there's not much advantage.

We have a number of them out there and the failure rate is much, much higher than we are happy with. They are also not really repairable.

 

[marchem]

We have a number of them out there and the failure rate is much, much higher than we are happy with. They are also not really repairable.

Well that’s bad news. Too bad they can’t get the technology to work well. Seems like a great idea to me. Guess I’ll have to spend my money on something else instead!!

 

[Ted]

I had the CS4500 on my previous boat for 5 years. It was connected to a Raymarine ST60 speed instrument. Worked perfectly.

 

[Jackdaw]

We have a number of them out there and the failure rate is much, much higher than we are happy with. They are also not really repairable.

@Maine Sail ,
Thats vexing, being that they are solid-state devices. Do you have any idea of how/how they fail??

 

[Maine Sail]

@Maine Sail ,
Thats vexing, being that they are solid-state devices. Do you have any idea of how/how they fail??

Not really as neither part is field repairable, or even really able to be field diagnosed without sending both the control box and transducer back to Airmar. Even if you own Airmar's very expensive transducer diagnostics tool they don't work on the Ultrasonic transducers. One of them had severe corrosion and was completely dezincified suggesting an internal voltage leak in the transducer. The others just stopped working.

 

[marchem]

I had the CS4500 on my previous boat for 5 years. It was connected to a Raymarine ST60 speed instrument. Worked perfectly.

How did it handle slime/growth build up? How often was your bottom being cleaned then?

 

[Jackdaw]

How did it handle slime/growth build up? How often was your bottom being cleaned then?

Airmar recommends that you paint the whole damn thing, including the active surface.

 

[marchem]

Airmar recommends that you paint the whole damn thing, including the active surface.

I don’t mind doing that, but even with paint we still get growth. If it needs more frequent cleaning than monthly I don’t see a lot of advantage over the paddle wheel.

 

[Jackdaw]

I don’t mind doing that, but even with paint we still get growth. If it needs more frequent cleaning than monthly I don’t see a lot of advantage over the paddle wheel.

Ah, I see what you are saying. But with the same paint as you bottom, I'd hope it would not start to miss-read before you thought your bottom was slow! ;^)