knot meter broken. any ideas?

[ramble on]

I am probably the newest Com-Pac 23/3 owner as we made the deal this Saturday am. My wife and I are thrilled and worn out from maiden voyage!

First problem; the knot meter does not work. I assume I have the correct switch thrown as the depth finder works fine. The seller only had her for a few months and didn`t have a clue.

Any ideas???

thanks,

Ramble On

[Windhawk]

Congrats on the boat.  Knot meters are prone to becoming clogged with marine growth.  There is a little paddle wheel that needs to turn freely.  Most times you can unstick them with a simple poke of the finger a few times.  The manual should have something to say about this.  Mine came with a cap for plugging the hole while she's in the slip, but since that means a trip underwater, it didn't seem too practical.  I have freed mine on occasion by beating to windward in a chop.

[ramble on]

Sea Bird,

thanks for the hint. i have just got hold of my manual and it suggested the same thing. the previous owner swore there was no paddle wheel and that it must be electronic...

i am so excited about my new boat! i went to the slip last night and just coundn`t stop admireing the lines.

how is your new boat doing? can you still smell the new fiberglass smell?

ramble on.

ps sorry about my overly sarcastic reply of a few weeks ago.

[Windhawk]

Hey, no problem.  I realize I fired off my mouth a bit too much as well.  I was convinced you were just trying to stir the pot, and you caught me on a bad day.

Fair Winds.

[ramble on]

sea bird

i would really like a couple of more pics of your new ship. I will be buffing out the hull and possibly redoing the graphics.

thanks,

ramble on

[ramble on]

Sea Bird,

We checked it out. The unit is plugged into  wire that goes to the paddle wheel. My son went over last Friday and found it not spinning at all. It would turn freely and fast but not by itself. There was no reading.

Kyle said it has a missing paddle.

Have you ever pulled a knotmeter out from the inside? I have the plug but am a little frightened. Can the wheel be replaced or do you have to buy wheel/plug/wire assembly?

Ramble On

[John on the Bay]

Ramble,

Did you have any luck getting your knotmeter up and running?

I replaced my paddle wheel, but get a reading of zero on the screen while under way. I'm not the fastest sailor on the bay, but was disappointed I saw zero digital progress!

John on the Bay 1989 CP-23/3

[ramble on]

yes, i did have success. i followed instructions i found on the net. the water flowed in but not like a pressure hose, as i feared.

i had messed with adjusting knob before and still have to recalibrate using my gps.

the wheel had been smashed, the axel was bent . it was a little difficult swapping the hubs out from old to new. i had to sand them a little to make the fit.

thanks for asking,

Ramble On

[John on the Bay]

Ramble -

I bought my used CP-23 on June 1 of this year.

The knot meter didn't work, so I pulled the wheel which on mine is located forward on the port side of my boat. You can access it by removing the cushions on the port side. There is a wire that connects to a plug, and you should have a dummy plug also.

Pull the plug with the wheel on it, and replace it with the dummy plug (so the boat doesn't sink). Check out the wheel. Mine was bent, so I simply replaced it in mid-June.

HOWEVER, my knot meter still did not work, and I didn't know why. HOWEVER, I went for a sail two days ago and like magic, it was working fine. Hope that helps - let me know if I can help with additional information.

John on the Bay

Tai Chi
1989 CP-23

[ramble on]

i did make repair as reported above. i was surprised that the water did not flow right to the bilge. i really had to sop it up.

in a previous boat, the knot meter seemed possessed and would work when it darn well pleased.

thanks,

Ramble On