On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:49:09 -0500, cavelamb
wrote:

Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:34:52 -0700 (PDT), RichH
wrote:

Putting the paddlewheel on the centerline will also generate some
potential problems ..... it has to be mounted so that it cant be
destroyed by the sling of a travellift when the boat is hauled ... not
an easy thing to do.

The easiest way to manage that is to pull the paddle wheel and insert
the dummy plug before haul out. If you are really religious about
your instrument calibration it is best to pull the paddle wheels every
time you come back in from sailing. It helps to prevent growth or
slime from forming and throwing off the speed readings. When you are
trying to accurately compute true wind direction and speed it doesn't
take much knot meter error to throw the whole calculation out of
kilter.


I want to pull my paddle wheel out and clean it, but I've never done it before.

OR even seen it done....

Seems like it's not that far below the water line that water would
come gushing in real big.

But it's still a hole below the water line!



Mentally rehearse the steps and have the dummy plug ready to put in
with one hand as you pull out the live one with the other. Even if you
are very clumsy, you won't get more than a quart or two of water. I do
it all the time, and I get about a cup full at most. The water comes
in about like what comes out of a garden hose. Maybe a bit less
pressure.