Smartcraft (Airmar) In-Hull Transducer Replacement

[jason78]

Has anyone had to replace the transducer (and housing) on a 2004-up Sea Ray? This is the Airmar transducer used with smartcraft. The housing appears to be leaking slightly when on plane. I believe the sharp pressure of the water when on plane is forcing some past the seal.

It is barely seeping but something I want to fix. I have a replacement housing that came with the transducer insert that I replaced about a year ago. It only has a single rubber gasket to seal it. It appears the screw down ring in the bilge has some caulk under it.

Can anyone tell me if this housing was attached with 4200 or 5200 at the factory? I am having the boat pulled and trying to get an idea as to what I am getting in to.

Thanks
Jason

 

[Fun Times]

Has anyone had to replace the transducer (and housing) on a 2004-up Sea Ray? This is the Airmar transducer used with smartcraft. The housing appears to be leaking slightly when on plane. I believe the sharp pressure of the water when on plane is forcing some past the seal.

It is barely seeping but something I want to fix. I have a replacement housing that came with the transducer insert that I replaced about a year ago. It only has a single rubber gasket to seal it. It appears the screw down ring in the bilge has some caulk under it.

Can anyone tell me if this housing was attached with 4200 or 5200 at the factory? I am having the boat pulled and trying to get an idea as to what I am getting in to.

Thanks
Jason

Most likely they used something like 3M 4200, Because if they had used 5200 then the repair would be next to impossible to do.:smt021:grin:

It will take some effert to remove the transducer working from both inside / outside of the boat.

Once you get the ring / Nut off from the inside you will want to find a way to safely hammer the top of the transducer to help break away the caulk. I have used a piece of a 2 X 4 board for example to hammer on.

Then you will need to scrape off the old caulk using a sharp plastic scraper tool, so that you can remove the old caulk and not scratch the gel coat.:smt001

Marine sealants must be manufacturer approved for below the waterline use for sealing Airmar transducers. In all cases, we recommend using more sealant than less sealant when working below the waterline. Sealant must be applied both outside and inside the hull. Please refer to the specific transducer model's installation instructions as installation procedures will vary with models. Products such as Boatlife, Sikaflex, 3M5200, and 3M4200 will work fine.

http://faq.airmar.com/index.php?action=artikel&cat=1&id=187&artlang=en&highlight=caulk

Good luck with it.:thumbsup:

 

[bankshotbankshot]

At my shop we use boat life brand and yes put tons on you can always wipe some off

 

[jason78]

On a friend's boat, same model, they drilled the hole oversized, so there was absolutley no way to seal it. On his, they had to re-fiberglass the hole, and re-mount the transducer.

Good luck.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Scott- in your friend's situation since it was clearly a factory defect, do you know if SR covered the repair under warranty?

 

[mawyatt]

We had an Airmar B60 transducer installed next to the factory unit. I had MarineMax install the B60 since the boat was in for service. They drilled a thru hole and used 3M 4200 sealant for reasons above.