I pull my paddlewheel when I'm not going to be sailing the boat

There also is a water-based antifoul made specifically for these type of wheels and transducers. Think it's just called 'transducer paint' on the label

 

spray on transducer paint. would redo it every 6 months. Ultra sonic sensor on newest boat and I use the same paint just to be sure it stays clean between monthly diver cleaning

 

Pull the transducer after every sail or when the boat won't be used for more than a day or two. That's what I did when the boat was at Fortman's, no problem with fouling that way. Only takes a minute to unscrew the cap on the Raymarine knot meter transducer, stick in the blanking plug and screw the cap back on. Assume the B&G is the same.

Using anything more than a soft brush or cloth risks scratching the impeller changing it's output. Same goes for paint which I'm sure would screw up the accuracy of the transducer.

 

Once a week sounds like a lot. You could certainly pull it whilst not there, although it's not something that I would want to do immediately before leaving the boat, in case it leaked. Is the paddle wheel smooth? I'd be tempted to try a new one if it's not.

Roger

 

Since you are in California, forget the anti fouling transducer paint. It is illegal here. I use a product called On & Off with a toothbrush when I pull my Triducer. One of the local boat yard guys recommended it. Maybe someone else can chime in on its usefulness. I had my paddlewheel in the water for three weeks and it cleaned the fouling off pretty quickly. It is available at WM.

 

I pull the paddlewheel when not sailing. Easy peasy. If I'm feeling motivated I swish it in a little cup of vinegar to clean off any critters or veg I've picked up.

I use a product called On & Off with a toothbrush when I pull my Triducer.

That will work well. On & Off is mostly dilute hydrochloric acid with some phosphoric and oxalic acid. See https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/pdfs/MSDS/on_off/on_off_hull_cleaner.pdf . You can buy muriatic acid (which is hydrochloric acid) in the swimming pool section of your local hardware store and save a good bit of money.

Whatever approach you use wear eye and skin protection and avoid breathing the fumes. Like most really effective chemicals it is seriously not good for you.

 

I've found that the best way to keep the wheel clean is to sail or motor the boat hard on a weekly basis.

 

I sail the boat at least 4x/week. Once the water warms up, I'll pull it every 2-3 weeks just because (it's unpainted). I get little in terms of growth but do get little shrimp and what I believe are shrimp eggs if I let it go too long. I just use a rag and a couple shots of WD40, which doesn't do anything but chase out the shrimp that my rag doesn't reach (underneath the wheel). I sometimes smear a bit of white lithium grease on the rubber o-ring before replacing the wheel -- but not sure it does anything.

 

I agree with the above comments. Pull it weekly, even if just for a few days, and it's unlikely to excessively foul. Sailing as often as you do, it should not be necessary to pull it each time. Leave it in, if you're sailing a few days in a row, pull it if you are taking a few off.

No way a week's worth of growth should take much more than an easy wipe. In fact, just leaving the wheel to dry on your bilge floor is probably enough ( I would still wipe).

For me, this is never an issue until just about this time of year, when the water gets warmer and growth becomes exponential.

 

Good luck on the ultrasonic transducer. Had the airmar version spec'd for a RM system. Never worked well and failed twice. Was replaced by airmar twice without complaint so they are standup. But due to AP not fully functional without speed input gave up and put in a paddle wheel. Of interest RM no longer will warrenty the ultrasonic last I heard.
Too bad about cal. restrictions. Transducer paint with the little( nail polish like) brush works great. Just use a paper towel and fingers if not spinning well. May need a folded piece of paper to get to spot between house and spinner but need nothing more aggressive.

 

I use vasoline on mine.

Pull it out (replace with plug), clean the wheel, and apply a moderate coating of vasoline. It works surprisingly well (at least in my neck of the woods). I need to reapply about twice a year.

 

I use vasoline on mine.

Pull it out (replace with plug), clean the wheel, and apply a moderate coating of vasoline. It works surprisingly well (at least in my neck of the woods). I need to reapply about twice a year.

Destin Baby Diaper (rash) Cream (- "Maximum" version) works well for a week or two. The principal chemical agent is Zinc Oxide. Just slather it on and let it dry completely before re-insertion.

 

I found the old style blanking plugs (sen-speed-h is same as ST650 with the retaining pin instead of the threaded cap) at Blue Heron. A bit of research at Airmar suggested a 5 year life on the paddles, (mine were ca 2002) so ordered replacements.

With new plugs and o-rings, I'll be able to pull the paddles out when not sailing, and with that ability, can paint them as well. Plan to use Pettit Hydrocoat, which is a waterbased paint that is CA legal.

Thanks for the inputs.

 

Re: boat speed paddlewheel - I've found pulling it every sail and replacing it with the plug that came with the system does the trick. Often I would not even bother putting it in if I was just out for a leisurely day cruise. If it fouled, clean it up good while it's out with a scraper, brush, knife, etc. The paddle wheel is not high tech, just a little thing that the system inside the housing uses to count rotations by. As long as it is clean and spinning freely it should be OK.

Re: transducer that some of the replies are about (mine's the flat thing that measures depth & temp) mine is permanently mounted... Transducer paint worked somewhat well, but when I cleaned the bottom (I clean my own boat) I scrubbed it with the scrubbing brush and scraped anything on it, like barnacles, off with the painter's scraper I used for the prop and shaft.

 

It looks like most of the paddle wheel transducers are actually Airmar units. I use Hydrocoat, applied with a Q-tip, on mine. If it worked within a week of my next sail and isn't spinning, I get up to speed (4 kts or so is sufficient) and back off the retaining ring until I can pull the transducer up slightly. Then I turn it while maintaining a substantial water seal (maybe some weeping) until it "clears" and shows speed. That usually does the trick.

What is annoying is that the paddle wheel provides the speed through the water to my integrated electronics. If it isn't spinning, I won't get the input needed for the autopilot to calculate set and drift. Also, it doesn't input to my log. Oh well, I'll bet Joshua Slocum didn't have this problem and he sailed alone around the world.