Speedos

[Monad]

So, new to Nautiques.. I have two speedos? They seem to be the same thing..like maybe one is a back up speedo.. ;D

Worst part is, besides not knowing something that's probably obvious to small children and smarter dogs, neither of them work..

WIld stuff.. if I'm ok not knowing how fast I'm going, is there another reason to prioritize the fixing?

[DanielC]

Are they the Airguide speedometers? What year of Correct Craft boat did you get?

If they are Airguides, it is a very simple system. There is a pitot tube, a small strut on the back of the boat, with a hose commected to it.
There is a hose, and maybe a bigger tube, that is behind the gas tank or on the transom of the boat.
There is the speedometer. it is just a pressure gauge, calibrated in miles per hour.
The pitot tube has a small hole in it facing forward. The faster you go, the more water pressure is built in the pitot tube, and the gauge reads higher.

Most common problem, some debris gets stick in the pitot tube. Find the small hole in the bottom of the pitot tube, and use a 1/16 drill bit to clean it out. You can also a small paper clip, or a safety pin. Unscrewing the nut that clamps the hose on the pitot tube and blowing air backwards will also help clean out the pitot tube.
Next most common problem, the hose comes disconnected somewuere between the pitot tube, and the speedometer.

Be careful blowing air into the hose, toward the speedometer. I think only 10 PSI equals about 25 MPH. Direct high pressure air from an air compressor can easily damage the speedometer.

There are two, because in the old days before GPS speed control, slalom boats has a backup speedometer, so if one pitot tube got clogged during a slalom run, the driver still knew how fast the boat was going. At the end of the run, the driver could easily clear the pitot tube, and have two speedometers for the next run.

[TeamAllen]

There is a company that converts them into GPS for better accuracy.
http://www.nauticlaugic.com/airglide.html

[DanielC]

I would trust a working Airguide over a GPS speedometer. To me, it seems that GPs tells you how fast you were going the last time it got an accurate fix, or sample.
Airguides tell you how fast you are moving THROUGH THE WATER.

[TeamAllen]

You're right. You will want a pitot tube or paddle wheel IF you are riding on a river or body of water with current. Otherwise I would say GPS otherwise.

[Monad]

Hi Daniel, they are Airguides..

Great info, I'll dig into it and follow up!@

I have a great GPS app on my Nokia WinPhone.. Going to check it out, didn't think of using it for the boat~

Are they the Airguide speedometers? What year of Correct Craft boat did you get?

If they are Airguides, it is a very simple system. There is a pitot tube, a small strut on the back of the boat, with a hose commected to it.
There is a hose, and maybe a bigger tube, that is behind the gas tank or on the transom of the boat.
There is the speedometer. it is just a pressure gauge, calibrated in miles per hour.
The pitot tube has a small hole in it facing forward. The faster you go, the more water pressure is built in the pitot tube, and the gauge reads higher.

Most common problem, some debris gets stick in the pitot tube. Find the small hole in the bottom of the pitot tube, and use a 1/16 drill bit to clean it out. You can also a small paper clip, or a safety pin. Unscrewing the nut that clamps the hose on the pitot tube and blowing air backwards will also help clean out the pitot tube.
Next most common problem, the hose comes disconnected somewuere between the pitot tube, and the speedometer.

Be careful blowing air into the hose, toward the speedometer. I think only 10 PSI equals about 25 MPH. Direct high pressure air from an air compressor can easily damage the speedometer.

There are two, because in the old days before GPS speed control, slalom boats has a backup speedometer, so if one pitot tube got clogged during a slalom run, the driver still knew how fast the boat was going. At the end of the run, the driver could easily clear the pitot tube, and have two speedometers for the next run.

[Monad]

Good info on the conversion, thank you!!