I bought a full TackTick setup last season but still do not have a paddle wheel or depth transducer installed since this will require removal of my old Data Marine transducer tubes and installation of new ones - haven't done it yet because the old tubes are glassed in and its a pretty big job to switch them out.

I'm wondering - has anyone found a modern transducer/paddle wheel that will fit in the old Data Marine tubes?

I experimented with using the Airmar transducers by using slightly smaller o-rings to make them fit - it actually worked by they were too tall.

Ideally there is a tacktick compatible transducer that works with the old tubes, but I'd buy and install pretty much any instrument that networked via NMEA and saved me installing new tubes.

-dan

Dan - it's worth it to take the time to change out the tubes. The new xducer setup should have come with a check-valve tube for the paddle wheel so it makes it easier to pull and clean.

Best method to drill out the old tube is to force a wood dowel in the old tube so you can use a circular hole saw with a pilot bit to center it, drilling from the outside. As long as the boat is on the hard, this is an easy afternoon project. You'll be happy that you took the time to install the new xdcrs.

Well that was my original plan, problem is the old "me in Atlanta, boat in Charleston" story. I'm sort of stuck with boatyards for anything requiring the logistics and time of a haul-out. Nobody operates a lift on the weekend down there, so I either have to take vacation time or do back-to-back weekends for anything on the hard.

Given the costs of that, I'm looking for an easy-out since I plan to either move the boat to the lake or offer it for sale after this season.

We installed on Belle Faster (#537) last spring. I couldn't bear to do it, but crew member Chris Derrett happily took a saw to the bottom of my boat.

As Bill points out, it didn't take too long and is a big improvement.

I had this exact problem last fall. My Datamarine depth sounder was heavily glassed into the hull in the space under the vee-berth, port side. I ended up using a Fein multipurpose tool saw and cut it off flush with the inside of the hull. The tube was made of bronze and nothing under the sun was going to get the inside nut to come loose so I could simply pop it out. Once it was cut off flush with the inside of the hull, I used a hole saw to cut a new hole through the hull right where the old transducer stub remained. The hole saw was the size of the new depth sounder tube...about 4.25 inches as I recall.

The hardest part of this whole operation was getting the multi-tool saw to cut through the bronze tube. It was a bugger. A friend loaned me his tool. Ironically, I just bought my own today from Home Depot. I bought the Bosch multi-tool and paid around $150.00. You can put a sander head as well as a bunch of other heads on it...including the saw blade head. Home Depot also makes it's own brand that has a bunch of attachments that can be clipped onto the head. It listed for $129.00.

Bob Rude
#352
Mmmmm