Please help identify this picture.

houstonnoob · Jun 12, 2012

Can someone identify this picture below with the red arrow point at it and its purpose? It also appears the tip of it is clog up.

wcsellers · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

That is the speedometer pick up

alloffroad · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

That is your speedometer pitot

Tregs · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

It's called a Pitot Tube. It is connected to the speedometer. if it is clogged, I'll bet your speedo isn't working......

kfa4303 · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

yup

jdlough · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Marine-Speedometer-Pick-Up-Pitot-Tube-Seachoice/dm/view_id.70526

houstonnoob · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

Thank you everyone. Base on Tregs comments, I am assuming the tube is not suppose to be clogged. My speedo does bounce around alot and manage to stop at 35PMH top off at 4000 RPM. I will attempt to remove the dirt from the tube.

UncleWillie · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

Remove the tube from the speedometer and blow it out.

Do NOT leave it unhooked, at 35mph it will make a fine super soaker and you will soon know if your bilge pump is working properly.

Edit: By "Clogged" do you mean you can see dirt in it?
Or, do you mean you can not blow into it? (Which you should NOT be able to!)

houstonnoob · Jun 12, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

UncleWillie said:
Remove the tube from the speedometer and blow it out.

Do NOT leave it unhooked, at 35mph it will make a fine super soaker and you will soon know if your bilge pump is working properly.

Edit: By "Clogged" do you mean you can see dirt in it?
Or, do you mean you can not blow into it? (Which you should NOT be able to!)

"Clogged" like there is about an inch black RTV gasket maker in it at the tip. Initially I thought it was normal with the hole being sealed by something like black RTV sealant until I decided to post the picture here. You can see it in the picture above if you look at it closely.

I will remove it and blow it out with air. Thank you.

UncleWillie · Jun 13, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

If it looks intentional, it may be that someone plugged it because the tube to the speedometer was leaking water and they did not want to fix it.
The speedometer system should be open at the pitot end and nowhere else.

If you can pressurize the pitot end of the tubing to check for leaks ...

2 psi = 17 mph (Typical pressure produced by a set of health lungs.)
6 psi = 30 mph
11 psi = 40 mph
90 psi = 116 mph and Damaged Speedometer and Hoses!

houstonnoob · Jun 13, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

UncleWillie said:
If it looks intentional, it may be that someone plugged it because the tube to the speedometer was leaking water and they did not want to fix it.The speedometer system should be open at the pitot end and nowhere else.

If you can pressurize the pitot end of the tubing to check for leaks ...

2 psi = 17 mph (Typical pressure produced by a set of health lungs.)
6 psi = 30 mph
11 psi = 40 mph
90 psi = 116 mph and Damaged Speedometer and Hoses!

It looks like it was intentional plugged, it looks like an inch of a cloth wire hanger cut and stuff into the pitot end. But somehow my speedo manage to bounce and hit 35mph, how?

I've remove the plug from the pitot end and blow 10 psi air into it and my speedo max at 20mph. I was afraid I might damage the speedo so I didn't push more air into the pitot end.

Let me ask anyone this, the hose that connect to pitot is a single hose connect straight to the speedo? If that is the case, it would be easiest to just replace the entire length of the hose, agree?

Is it really possible the speedo will leak water? How? Assuming the hose inside the boat is cut, should that much of the water will enter the small hose? How does the pitot and speedo work? Does the speedo suck water through the pitot end?

UncleWillie · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

The speedometer is really just a water pressure gauge with the face calibrated in mph instead of psi.
Note that the calibration is exponential and not linear. The physics of dynamic pressure causes that.
A 60 mph speedometer will have 43 mph at the half way point. And below 10 is nearly useless.
It is a single simple hose connecting the speedometer to the pitot tube. Easy to replace.

At 30 mph the hose will have 6 psi of pressure in it and will have a 6 psi water leak if it has a hole in it.
Leave the hose off the speedometer and you could have a gallon a minute leak at speed.
In normal operation a small amount of water is pushed up the hose and is then pushed back out when you stop.

ezmobee · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

And now you know why many of us just don't mess with the silly things and stick with GPS for speed

houstonnoob · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

Ah I see now, thanks for explaining. Now since you've brough up I could have a gallon of water a minute at speed. I am a bit concern of my boat sat on top of the water. It seems the boat without any passenger, the boat sat low in water. Now I am thinking the boat may have been taking water through pitot tube that's why the previous owner blocked it off.

Should my boat sat on top of the water this low without any passenger? The red line represent the water line. I am thinking I may have some water in the hull under my feet that I can't see? I have no way of seeing below my feet as the floor is solid.

ezmobee · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

That seems a little low. Was your swim platform in the back submerged? It shouldn't be.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Sunbirds were absolutely bottom of the line. The probability of one being waterlogged and rotted, is pretty darn high

bullcity101 · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

Do you not have a bilge pump? I think it would either be punping or it isnt working. What about when you take the bildge plug out after you pull the boat out with the trailer. How much water are you seeing?

ezmobee · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

bullcity101 said:
Do you not have a bilge pump? I think it would either be punping or it isnt working. What about when you take the bildge plug out after you pull the boat out with the trailer. How much water are you seeing?

If he's carting around a bunch of soaked flotation foam, the pump may not pump anything.

houstonnoob · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

This is my family first boat and so far we enjoy every bit of it. Will be getting a little bigger next time.

I only have one bilge pump, the one that is under the engine. And the only place I can see the hull of the boat is at the engine compartment, which is about approximately 3x5 in size? Yes my swim platform is submerged about an inch. Just think how the boat look with 2 adult and 2 kid on it.

Base on my observation on other boat with similar size and passengers, it just doesn't seem right. LOL, I told my kids they're too FAT.

ezmobee · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

There's no way the swim platform should be underwater with no load unless it's an improperly installed aftermarket one. I think you may be carting around some extra water weight.

QC · Jun 14, 2012

Re: Please help identify this picture.

UncleWillie said:
The speedometer is really just a water pressure gauge with the face calibrated in mph instead of psi

Actually an air pressure gauge. Water compresses the air

Please help identify this picture.

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