Instruments: repair/replace? Looking for advice.

CLucas · #1 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Just purchased a 1977 Pearson 30 in great shape with a few items I need to take care of before getting her back in in the water. The PO traded in for a larger boat and isn't reachable to ask Qs. Instruments are original Standard Horizon. Instruments all get power (displaying 0's), but the knotmeter isn't registering when the paddle wheel was spun by hand. Wind gauge -- displaying wind direction, but anemometer on top of the mast is broken (should be easy to replace). Depth... as the boat is on the hard, I'm not aware of a way to test whether the depth gauge will work. Any ideas/thoughts of a way to test out of the water?

The physical condition of the gauges is only fair -- the backing of the depth gauge is beginning to peel away from the inside of the face. While only cosmetic, it calls into question the integrity of the whole shebang. I don't want to get the boat in the water and have to haul it again to install a new depth transducer.

Anyone know if I can use the old Standard Horizon depth transducer with a Raymarine ST60+ display? Maybe just replace the wiring... The marina where the boat is at wants $475 to install an ST60+ Depth system, another $475 for Speed and $685 for the Wind System. I can't probably beat them up a little to do all three but geez...

Options I'm considering are ST60+ Tridata, ST60+ Value Pack, Navman (though I get a little nervous reading some bad feedback on these boards...).

Thanks in advance for advice, feedback, suggestions...

sailortjk1 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Welcome to the world of boat ownership.

Electronics are a problem for me as well. Every year I have to send in a display head for repair.

I either replace the display with a new, and than send the original in for repair and keep as a back up. Or if I feel I can do with out it for a period of time, I simply send it in for repair.

I have Raymarine products. All I can say is that the factory repair deptartmant has been fair with me.

I can't address your specific questions other than to say that we try to do most of our stuff ourselves. Otherwise you end up with the huge yard bills you reffer to. I know $1,685.00 to install electronics is a lot of money.

Unless they have been upgraded, your instruments from 1977 are all outdated anyway. You should probably think about a new install, but I would think you could do-it-yourself, and save the huge yard bill.

CLucas · #3 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailortjk1

Welcome to the world of boat ownership.

Electronics are a problem for me as well. Every year I have to send in a display head for repair.

I either replace the display with a new, and than send the original in for repair and keep as a back up. Or if I feel I can do with out it for a period of time, I simply send it in for repair.

I have Raymarine products. All I can say is that the factory repair deptartmant has been fair with me.

I can't address your specific questions other than to say that we try to do most of our stuff ourselves. Otherwise you end up with the huge yard bills you reffer to. I know $1,685.00 to install electronics is a lot of money.

Unless they have been upgraded, your instruments from 1977 are all outdated anyway. You should probably think about a new install, but I would think you could do-it-yourself, and save the huge yard bill.

Raymarine tech support doesn't think the ST60+ transducers are going to be compatable. My marina's fixed installation fee likely assumes installation on a new boat requiring new holes -- I can probably save a little bit here, though I'll still get another estimate for comparison purposes.

Of the three (wind, speed and depth), depth is critical, speed good to have and wind speed something I would want eventually. The ST60+ package pricing is decent enough that it warrants biting the bullet now rather than waiting until next season and adding it "a la carte" at a higher price.

sailingdog · #4 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Unless you feel like running all new wiring, I'd go with TackTick instruments instead... then you can patch up a bunch of holes in the cabintop.

CLucas · #5 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Unless you feel like running all new wiring, I'd go with TackTick instruments instead... then you can patch up a bunch of holes in the cabintop.

TackTick looks nice and appears highly regarded on this board and elsewhere, but seems a bit pricey. That said, install should be simpler and therefore less expensive, no? If I had more time, I'd consider taking on the install myself, but I have a lot I want to get done before getting her in the water.

sailingdog · #6 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Considering that you pay $XX for labor and XX is often in the neighborhood of $60-80/hour... yes, I would imagine that installation of the TackTick gear is a good deal less expensive. Especially if you are replacing the masthead wind instrument, as running wiring down the mast, through the cabintop and then back to whereever the displays are going to be is rather a pain and a relatively involved process.

The other, really nice advantage of TackTick instruments, is that adding a display to the Nav console area is extremely simple and painless.

I am planning on getting TackTick gear the next time I have to replace my instruments. I've used it on about a dozen different boats. The one caveat is that it can't be used on extremely large boats, as the range of the wind instrumentation is rather limited and on some of the bigger boats, it is too far a distance to work reliably. At least that is what one boat owner told me. Of course, this may have changed since I was told that.

Gary M · #7 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

It really is not that hard or time consuming to install instruments and all you really need to have done before launch is the through hulls.

Most speed and depth through hulls all use a 2 inch hole to it is relatively easy to take out the flange for the old unit. then just clean up the hull, make sure it is adequately sealed if a cored hull, and reinstall the new with some caulking.

Gary

christyleigh · #8 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Since air totally confuses the depth sounder, except for holding a big plastic bag full water up to it with something reflective at the bottom ..... ya right

... it sounds like a total replacement of all 3 is a good bullet to bite

sailingdog · #9 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

BTW, Defender.com has the ST60 Plus Speed/Depth/Wind package for $1340... which is about the same price as just the TackTick wind package IIRC.

CLucas · #10 (**permalink**) 03-19-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingdog

BTW, Defender.com has the ST60 Plus Speed/Depth/Wind package for $1340... which is about the same price as just the TackTick wind package IIRC.

Yeah, PYacht has has the same package for $1327 and the TackTick Wind pkg for $1176. Any opinions on Signet's Smartpak? I noticed that it's NMEA 0183 and not 2000 -- not sure whether that should be important to me at this point -- though I'm certain someone will try to convince me