Advice needed for replacing instruments on E38-200

[Chris Miller]

I'm getting ready to replace the instruments on Sequoia from the 1987 original order form Datamarine stuff to Raymarine ST-60. I wanted to check with all you experts to see if there is anything specific I need to watch for? I'm planning on keeping the transducers in the same holes up under the v-berth and running all the cables past the nav station for ease of integration later in other systems.
Any pitfalls or things I should watch for other than the obvious?
Thanks,
Chris

 

[chrism]

I have nothing to say regarding the ST60's, but I am curious if you looked at the wireless/solar TackTick instruments? They're pretty cool, and I think worth taking a look at.

I hope you're getting the best deal. Somewhere (the exact site escapes me memory) they were selling a complete set of ST60's with a repeater and transducers for a low price... But that's not helpful without the site.

Let us know how you do,

Chris

 

[u079721]

Removable Transducers!

IF you haven't already purchased the units, allow me to suggest that you special order the depth unit with a removable transducer.

When I had to pay to have my boat hauled mid-season just to replace a nonfunctioning permanently mounted depth trasnsducer, I was determined not to have to go through that expense again. They do make a removable version, which really only differs in having a max depth of 400 vs 600 ft, which was fine with me. Having it be removable also means you can remove each each fall, and then don't have to worry about forgetting NOT to paint over it in the spring. Highly recommended.

 

[Chris Miller]

Tacktick not necessary

Thanks Chris, I did find the whole set on Defender.com and got it at boat show price due to the Miami boat show going on. This set ended up being less than half the cost of the Tacktick stuff. We spend most of our sailing time racing on a friend's Farr 395, and thus I'm not too worried about having top of the line stuff on the cruising boat. My goal is just to upgrade from the 20 year old technology that is currently on it, which is starting to fail.
Thanks for the input!
Chris


Besides, I figure all the cash I can save now is heading for Sequoia's racing sister that I'm shopping for (a used Melges 24), right?!?

 

[Loren Beach]

"I think I know how this movie ends..."

We replaced the old "basic package of three" on our Olson a few years ago.
Originals were Datmarine, DS, KM and Wind, installed in '88.
The new Raymarine hull transducers are removable for KM and DS, and the KM paddlewheel has the self-sealing unit. A seapage of water when you pull out the paddlewheel sure beats a gusher! :eek:

My biggest job was "shrinking" the three holes in the cabin back. As I recall, the cut-out for the Raymarine readouts was 1/2 inch smaller diameter than the old Datamarine holes....

So.... I took some pieces of scrap FRP laminate and first cut an accurate circle that would fit the old holes. Then I cut out the centers for the new ST60 heads. Then I used some thickened West epoxy to bond the resulting "rings" in place in each of the 3 openings. The good news is the the square bezels on the new ST60 faces just barely cover my work, and from the outside there is no sign of the changeover.
I would have to say that shrinking holes in a boat is a LOT harder than enlarging them!

It was a worthwhile project for me. Now I read true or apparant wind at the tap of a button. The large displays are wonderful to read at a distance, from the wheel. I do also plan to add the AP (Autohelm 4000S) to the bus sometime.
Always more projects!


Keep us posted.

Best,

Loren in PDX
Olson 34 Fresh Air