Transducer face got sanded

[WSMFP]

I hired a kid to take the bottom paint off my hull. I forgot to tell him about the through hull airmar transducer. It’s the round one with the black plastic face.

He went over it pretty good with 60 grit. I forgot to mention it so it’s on me. The black plastic is scuffed up pretty good obviously. If it’s destroyed I’d rather replace it now. I know in the install instructions it says not the wipe with solvents like acetone. I’d hate to splash the boat and then find out. Thanks.

[AKA-None]

This is a guess but you might get by with polishing using ever finer sandpaper. The face needs to be smooth so the sonic chirps are in a beam. The rough face will distort the ping and echo.

[Island Time O25]

Sand with 400/600 grit, then 1,000, then 1,500 or even 2,000/3,000. Will be as good as new.

[WSMFP]

Great news. Thanks.

[Capn Jimbo]

With all due respect to those who took the time to answer, although it is possible to restore a smooth surface as noted, it is not entirely clear that the lost thickness of the plastic is of no consequence. Likely so, but does it not make sense to (easily) contact the manufacturer and to do all the favor or reporting what they advised?


Thank you...

[gonesail]

if a depth transducer can shoot thru a half inch of fiberglass .. how could a little roughed up plastic make a difference?

[Capn Jimbo]

if a depth transducer can shoot thru a half inch of fiberglass .. how could a little roughed up plastic make a difference?

Exactly. How is a reasonable question worth making a 5 min call to the manufacturer. Keep in mind that in the OP the mfr. recommended against even wiping it with acetone, which would seem - otherwise - to be trivial. Splashing the boat and then discovering an issue would easily be obviated by a simple phone call.


I'm curious. Let us know...

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by gonesail

if a depth transducer can shoot thru a half inch of fiberglass .. how could a little roughed up plastic make a difference?

Never thought of it that way, but very true. We have shot thru 2" of solid f/g on our current boat plus bottom paint and had good readings. (We still keep the interior housing installed just in case the thru hull stops working to use the back up transducer). Shooting thru the hull doesn't work if you are trying to go thru a cored hull.

Would still try to polish as many of the scratches out as possible and then see if it works. If it doesn't work well, when you buy a new one (and have a solid f/g hull section), set up a "well" attached to the hull and shoot thru the hull. This will work until you haul out again.

Bill O.

[Squanderbucks]

Sand it again with 120 sandpaper and paint it with transducer paint a coat or two. Everything will be just fine.

[stormalong]

I agree that you should call the transducer manufacturer.

My $.02 is that the potting compound (usually epoxy) is very thin and sanding may expose the element of the transducer. Water in the element will destroy it. Maybe rather than further sanding a thin application of epoxy would be better. Ask the manufacturer.

[Russ]

Allegedly you can test it on land with a piece of 4" PVC pipe filled to the very top with water and transducer will read 4X the length of the pipe.
Never tried it though. Russ

[smbdyiam2]

reminds me of about 65 years ago. was cleaning a reel , got bumped and lost some parts. Dad said" it not any good now . Put it in box and send back to company. Most you can lose is postage(65 yrs ago). Added a note asking if they could fix it. Week later got new one in mail with a note thanking me for using their reels.. Call them most it can cost is a little time and the price of free call. 800 #? Lee

[Compass790]

FYI,
about 12 years ago I cut open a Lowrance 50/200 khz skimmer transducer & epoxied the round transmitter/receiver into a plastic round skin fitting as I wouldn't spring for their bronze thru-hull transducer. I'm not recommending this, it's just an example of what you may be able to get away with
I could not detect any difference in performance btwn my DIY & original.
I would just sand smooth. You could ring them sure but they might tell you to buy a new one.

[WindwardPrinces]

Whatever you end up doing, please note it here - along with whether it works, so the next person who does this ends up with a solution.

[MarkSF]

Am I the only one a bit uncomfortable with the concept of hiring someone with apparently no idea to sand the bottom for you?

Did he take due precautions to control the sanding dust, to protect both the environment and himself?