Speedometer

[john200]

Well I am trying to get my boat in tip top I just got it this spring and I am doing a few mods to it. I had a speedometer on the boat when I got it but the pickup was broke and there was no tubing to the gauge. So I bought a brand new speedometer today and put it on. I pulled out all the old screws and replasced with the new ones that came with the kit all new tube clips new tube and new head. so it's all mounted were the old one was same place. now my problem is that I have no reading so I puled the gauge at the lake and I can get water to come up out but not at speed. just air once the boat is on plain. so I know that it's not in the water but it is mounted in the same place as the old one. so do they make a longer ? Am I going to have to move it down under my boat? this is a fiberglass bass boat and the bottom is notched back in on the bottom probably 6"back in and is about 3" up. my live well pickups are mounted on the top of that step and the two live and one boat drains are mounted to the face I just don't want to be putting holes in the boat that don't have to be there so Any help would be great thanks Robert

 

[QC]

Re: Speedometer

I think we'll need pics, but the pitot ("pickup") is supposed to be in the water at speed. Has to extend below the hull.

 

[gcboat]

Re: Speedometer

I think we'll need pics, but the pitot ("pickup") is supposed to be in the water at speed. Has to extend below the hull.

Yup - with it riding out of the water there's no way to force the pressure into the reading unit.

 

[john200]

Re: Speedometer

I know it's out of the water I had said that this is were the old one was mounted but it was broke and there was no tube coming out of it

 

[AZChapBoat]

Re: Speedometer

Mine didn't work when I bought my boat even though I could blow air both directions and when I did from the pitot end, the speedo moved. With more research I discovered that the pitot's are pretty inaccurate so I bought a GPS. Garmin makes a cool unit that is for your auto, boat, trail, etc (buy an additional mounting unit and just take it from your auto to the boat). Although the maps are kind of expensive, you can buy them for just about every decent sized lake in America, not to mention all the coastlines. Check it out here: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134&pID=27442

 

[QC]

Re: Speedometer

GPS gives you accurate speed over the bottom, it does not tell you how fast the boat is traveling on the water. I boat in current often, I like both . . .

There are an awful lot of bass boats out there with bottoms like that. What do they do?

 

[john200]

Re: Speedometer

well I got the speedometer working today I mounted it lower. I can't figure out why it was mounted up so high It must have never worked

 

[AZChapBoat]

Re: Speedometer

Congrats! I got mine working too. After seeing the pictures of yours, I realized my pitot tube bracket was in the 'up' position. Was that way when I bought the boat and the new one I got from the boat shop comes in that position too, which I think is strange, if not misleading if you don't know better. Anyway, put that baby in the down position and speedo started working. Now I can compare to my GPS! Only 'bout 2 MPH difference at around 30MPH.

 

[john200]

Re: Speedometer

that's cool I am glad the photos helped you as far as my speedometer being accurate I took the tom tom out in the boat and my speed read the same at wot and varied by 2-3mph as I got up to speed top speed with my 14,1/4x23p is 55mph at wot"5600"

 

[madurodave]

Re: Speedometer

Congrats! I got mine working too. After seeing the pictures of yours, I realized my pitot tube bracket was in the 'up' position. Was that way when I bought the boat and the new one I got from the boat shop comes in that position too, which I think is strange, if not misleading if you don't know better. Anyway, put that baby in the down position and speedo started working. Now I can compare to my GPS! Only 'bout 2 MPH difference at around 30MPH.

Good job!