Sorry for all the newbie questions, I am slowly figuring this out as I read new information online. So as of now, obviously this is an after-market depth gauge and they appear to be a standard size and available from various brands at my local shop for $100 - $150. I've also read about the slow curing epoxy that should be used to avoid air bubbles etc to install the transducer and that yes, all of these can be installed against a fiberglass hull as long as it's not cored, and yes fish finders work fine as well. So I'm learning... lol! But I do have some questions on this current sensor:
1. The old sensor easily came off the hull with a gentle tug and the epoxy job was clearly crap as there was just a bit of epoxy used and there was clearly large gaps/air pockets under it. So, I am wondering if the transducer was getting bad readings because the epoxy was no longer properly bonded to the hull and water and oil etc was getting under it. Is this a possibility?
2. Before I buy anything, I would like to take out the boat this weekend and try to temporarily adhere the transducer back to the hull (it was located right next to the bilge pump) and see if it works. I read a trick that someone used to temporarily create a seal between the transducer and the hull without air by using a big ol glob of petroleum jelly. So for the sake of testing the transducer for a few minutes out on the water, what do you guys think about taking a big scoop of vaseline, pressing it to the mounting spot and then pushing the transducer in until it's flush? Would this work for the sake of testing? Unfortunately the wire isn't long enough to get it more than 8 inches from the engine compartment, otherwise I could have just held it over the edge of the boat in the water itself to take some readings.
EDIT - I read another trick for testing... fill the hull with enough water to submerge the transducer and then lay it down flat and cover with a sandbag to hold it down.
3. Getting away from the depth sensor, quick question about the bilge pump... if the bilge pump engages due to water, how long is it normal for the pump to keep running once all the water is emptied? I tested it out last night and the bilge worked but kept running a good 2 minutes once there was no water left. I was worried it was jammed or something so I disconnected the battery to stop it.
EDIT - I figured out what kind of depth finder this is... it's a Humminbird HDR 610.
Thanks for bearing with me... this is the first time I own a boat like this and I've only had it for a week so you can imagine just how intimidating this is for me.
Dan
