UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

MinUph

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Does anyone have any ideas on what I can coat my transducer with to keep the crap off? I have my boat left at a slip and the bottom paint works great but my transducer is always covered with you know what. I know I can't paint it or can I? What can I put on it to keep it cleaner?
I'm pulling the toon tomorrow to change the transducer. It would be a good time if I can do anything.

Update: I called Lawrance and there is a product at West marine and it is transducer paint :):) I thought I may as well answer my own question maybe someone else is interested.
 

Jeep Man

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

You can put almost anything on it that isn't metal or melts plastic. Bag it, paint it, it don't matter. It will work through pretty much anything except metal.
 

dingbat

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

Use water based anti-foulingpaint only. MDR, Woolsey, Pettit, and Sea Hawk all make water-based anti-fouling paints
 

Andy'sDelight

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

I used the West Marine transducer paint and honestly, it only helps a little bit. The problem is barnacles start to form around the leading edge and cause too much turbulence for the transducer. You can try the transducer paint, but still be prepared to have to clean it off manually.
 

MinUph

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

Thanks Andy,
If it don't work in central NJ I doubt it will hold up in salt.
Does anyone have another recommendation on a transducer paint water based?
 

dan t.

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

I have always just painted mine with regular copper based bottom paint,seems to work fine.
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

I use the spray can transducer paint, Petit I think. It's very expensive and doesn't work very well--just like bottom paint for metals. Wish i could give better news but that seems to be the prevailing experience and opinion amoung salt water slipped boats--nothing works very well.
 

dsiekman

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

You can put almost anything on it that isn't metal or melts plastic. Bag it, paint it, it don't matter. It will work through pretty much anything except metal.

"bag it"...now there's an interesting idea. Anybody ever tried that? What if you made a neoprene "sock" for it? Would you get disturbance in the signal? You could pretty easily pull the sock off and eithr throw it away or pop the barnys off. Sort of a transducer condom...
 

Andy'sDelight

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

"bag it"...now there's an interesting idea. Anybody ever tried that? What if you made a neoprene "sock" for it? Would you get disturbance in the signal? You could pretty easily pull the sock off and eithr throw it away or pop the barnys off. Sort of a transducer condom...

Hi, I am actually slipped in the salt, so my experience would be typical to yours.

As far as the "sock", not sure if it would work or not but you'd probably be the first to practice safe transducing. :D

I'll be here all week!
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

Considering "bagging" an intriguing idea: you don't need it bagged while running, only when sitting.

so slide a bag on it when you get in the slip; remove it when you pull out.

Pun intended

I saw a system once advertised where you have a plastic pool around your boat similar to the "jellyfish pools." You sink it to drive in/out. then raise it so it floats around and under the hull and supposedly keeps stuff off the hull. I didn't fall for it, but it makes sense on a smaller application. Maybe even for an outdrive on an I/O?
 

dsiekman

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

Hmm...I might just have to try that. How big (small) is a barnacle before it attaches? I feel like there's money to be made here...:D
 

crazy charlie

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

Use regular bottom paint.Just before you launch,wipe a handful of marine grease all over it.This is my proven method.Charlie
 

Texasmark

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

You can put almost anything on it that isn't metal or melts plastic. Bag it, paint it, it don't matter. It will work through pretty much anything except metal.

It works through metal....acoustic. Hits the transducer with either 200kHz or 50 kHz frequencies. Metal is an excellent conductor of sound and it sails right through it. Current tin boat has it inboard mounted as have 2 or three other tin lizzies that I have previously owned. I also have a second system on the current boat of the same type with the transducer mounted to the trolling motor and I see no difference between the returns other than slight varations in the positions of targets due to the distance between the units.

Oh and the units contain electronic thermometers and the readings are within 1-2 degrees if you give the boat a couple of minutes at a new location for the temp to stabilize so that isn't a reason not to mount it inboard either......and inboard it will NEVER get ripped off while you are fishing downed timber, tree stumps, or accidentally hitting the dock or your trailer.

HTH,

Mark
 

Andy'sDelight

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

Use regular bottom paint.Just before you launch,wipe a handful of marine grease all over it.This is my proven method.Charlie

Charlie, if you're launching then you really don't need to do anything at all. It's really only relevan to boats that actually sit in the water all season. Not that wiping marine grease on can hurt, but I'd skip it if you store on a trailer or drydock just for the sake of not spending the day with marine grease residue on my hand.
 

MinUph

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

I think these ideas are great a transom condom greased and ready to go if I run out.
In all seriousness I painted the transducer with the transducer paint and will see how it goes. I am also changing my bilge pump for the live well and will be spraying that with the bottom paint used on the logs. I'll spray a couple very thin coats first to have them flash quickly. It shouldn't melt the plastic much f any that way. I can then find out what holds up better.
Thanks for the comments and ideas. Salt water is quite a change from lakes.
 

crazy charlie

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Re: UPDATE! What to put on a transducer left in water?

Charlie, if you're launching then you really don't need to do anything at all. It's really only relevan to boats that actually sit in the water all season. Not that wiping marine grease on can hurt, but I'd skip it if you store on a trailer or drydock just for the sake of not spending the day with marine grease residue on my hand.
I didnt mention it but my boat is in the water from late May until mid October.Charlie
 
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