My waterproof fishfinder

[phooey]

I have a LOWERANCE unit and although the screen has always been fine the 5 pin connector on the head has corroded twice. Its almost unusable now and will be going back a 2nd time

 

I sent Hummingbird an E-mail suggesting with the emergence of the yak as a highly popular fishing platform, they should make one that can stand a dunking and which has NO connections between the head and transducer / power supply.

 

That was over a week ago...

 

 

Haven't heard anything back....

[Martin Hurst]

thats a top call phooey problem I get is the pins distort slightly and its a struggle to connect up.

[snakey1]

I've had the same corrosion problem as phooey with my humminbird but with the pins on the power lead instead(despite cleaning and using wd40 every time i had been out) up to the point where one of the pins snapped off (a replacement was quickly arranged by Andrew at johnson outdoors top service again). Another thought for a fish finder designed for a kayak would be to make the housing a bright colour(orange or yellow) a friend of mine had his fishfinder actually detach from the connection when he got wiped out in the surf and although the humminbirds float(very handy at the time), because they are gray and black in colour it was a right game to find it in the surf(luckily we did find it.)

[orduna]

As I see it there are three separate problems.

 

1. Waterproofing. We would naturally expect that marine electrical equipment exposed to a marine environment would be waterproof. However, it would be nearer the truth if manufacturers replaced the term ‘waterproof’ with ‘splash proof’, and although many are designed to be fitted to an exterior cockpit, not many are truly designed for regular immersion or fitting so close to the waterline as required in a yak. Connectors are always a source of worry, even those with double sealing o-rings, and can they ever be 100% waterproof?

2. Condensation. All units will suffer at one stage or another from condensation, unless the sealed units are purged with nitrogen at the time of manufacture – the same process is used for ‘anti-misting’ binoculars. Condensation is simply due to differences in temperature, either moving your equipment from a cold to a warmer environment or vice versa. I had a fishing mate who always complained about constant condensation problems and it was only much later that I realised for added protection, he used to transport his GPS and fishfinder in his coolbox! Naturally, screens were indecipherable until the inside temperature warmed up sufficiently. Condensation also occurs when moving the equipment from a nice warm car or house to outside exposure. Maybe someone should invent a double glazed screen!!

3. Corrosion. Almost all GPS and FF are plastic and we are left with only connectors to worry about. As a precaution I always lightly coat both the male and female parts with Vaseline on every trip and so far this has worked. No ingress of water and no corrosion on the terminals.

 

Finally, can members name and shame the equipment that fails? This could prevent yakkers buying equipment that really is not up to requirements and prompt development by manufacturers. Why not a dedicated FF for yaks – surely there are sufficient yakkers worldwide to make this a feasible market? All we need is a unit that is:

Waterproof

Sealed connector/cable

Purged – nitrogen, no condensation

Shorter transducer cable (no more coils of cable)

 

I cannot believe it is beyond the capability of manufacturers to produce such a unit!

[Simon Everett]

The trouble is to develop such a unit would COST MONEY - which anglers are generally loathe to part with. To whit - how many posts on here about dodging the system and buying from the States, or buying the cheapest unit available.....if you want good kit you have ot put your hand in your pocket, you can't have it both ways. You either pay for the R&D to get the better kit, or make do.

 

Specimen and I both have Raymarine units - they are NOT cheap (somewhere in the region of £500) but they are submersible. Contacts do survive if given vaseline protection - much better and much cheaper than WD40 (which is just a mixture of various fish oils and some additives). The Hummingbird units HAVE BEEN built with kayaking in mind - which is why they have dedicated fittings for the Ocean Kayak angler models.

 

Raymarine were brilliant when my screen filled up with water - it turned out it was a unit that had failed to be sealed - the replacement does get some condensation at first but it clears and the picture is bright, clear and very detailed. The screens ae sealed, as are the housings. The Hummingbird units are very similar in performance and the more upto date ones are probably more advanced than the older one I have.

 

Starvin - I thought the whole idea was to have signs on your screen. That is the fish that is....

[overrun]

Just a few more thoughts.

 

The mating connectors have a definite life, that is the gold flashing will wear off with use, lubricants may help, but leave the finder plugged in at all times, including transport/storage if you can.

 

The surest way to kill the connector is to get it wet/damp while power is present, the contacts are effectively electrodes in bath of fluid, result, they corrode. Fit an inline switch and switch off or disconnect the battery before breaking the finder connector.

[Mark Crame]

Thank you for all the replies.

 

I didn't want to name the finder intially, on purpose, however as others have posted very positive comments about the units I think I can - as mine is more likeley an exception. It's a Humminbird, and a new model. Now, I will also add that the customer support I have received is above the usual expected, and I can have it looked at and sorted no problem at all whenever (that's why I bought it in the UK from a proper dealer. 2 year UK warranty, great backup. Good advice I got given, that.)

 

I assume that the moisture has got in with waves hitting it at launch. Something to do with the pressure generated by the force of it. It's stored inside, in the warm, and screen down so any moisture can (hopefully) vent - after being rinsed, dried off and WD40'd. I'm not going to take it to be opened up yet though, as I will take the advice of waiting to see if it clears first. I haven't subjected it to sudden temperature changes though. And Simon's point of the cost being a factor is very true - yet which we lose sight of with the consumer electronic wars we take for granted now.

 

My plan now is to wait and see if it clears of its own accord (or else get it sorted) and then tape a protective cover over the back to deflect any wave pressure at launch. I am loathe to pipe silicon over all seams and around the connectors in case of invalidating the warranty but would consider doing this when the two years is up.