Replacing Datamarine Instruments CD36

[mahalocd36]

Our instruments are reaching end of life I think....

Wondering if anyone has replaced their Datamarine instruments and has info:

Speed Log - has never worked, and the expensive replacement part from DMI worked for the first week only. Frankly, we haven't missed it much with the GPS but sometimes it would be nice to know what the current is. Does anyone make a reliable speed log that fits in the same size hole as the Datamarine?

Depth Sounder - this is actually still working fine, but I assume will
need to get replaced with the rest. I assume no one makes
a display compatable with this transducer, correct ? I'm sure it will be a ton of fun getting the old transducer out to replace it.

Wind Instruments - This seems like the easiest part to replace, in that no holes are involved in the hull Our speed is working but the direction is extremely flakey. Unless we go wireless ($$$) this "just" involves pulling wires through the mast.

[Russell]

I replaced the Datamarine insturments when I bought my CD36, only the depth sounder was working. I went with the Raymarine ST60 package, it was a very good deal as a package compared to everything else.

The thru hulls for the speed and depth transducers had to be replaced, but the hole sizes were the same and it didnt involve much work swapping them out.

Speed works fine, but like any speed transducer, it needs frequent cleaning, I just pull out the transducer occationally and clean it.

It was all generally a pretty easy install, the whole sizes for the raymarine insturments is not as big as the datamarine ones. So I made a teak panel for the insturments to mount on, the panel covered the old holes and the new insturments mounted on new smaller holes on the panel.

I am very happy with the setup.

Russell

[Domenic]

I had mine rebuilt to keep the original look. At Datamarine Customer Service. 4 Barlows Landing RD. sweet 19. Pocasset, MA 02559 I mailed it to them from NJ. They did a great job and they are all working well for the past two years.

[Ron M.]

On both of my CD's when instruments failed, (Standard Horizon and Lowrance) I replaced with Moor units. On my CD30 ; speed ,depth, wind. The company is out of Albany, N.Y. I recall. Their engineers are available any time there is a problem . They sent me a new speed log to replace a two+ year old one that crapped out , not under warranty. No charge. Defender used to carry them or look up their website. I've been very satisfied with their stuff.
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[Ron Turner]

I've been looking for an economical wind instrument and these guys have it.

http://www.esgdirect.bigstep.com/catego ... UCIDs=5783

[Matt Cawthorne]

DMImarine.com has a line of instruments and transducers that fit. I bought a new transducer to work with my depthsounder and it is working just fine after two seasons. I believe that you can send your Datamarine stuff to them and they may be able to fix it. Often times it is something like a bad display, and that is a plug in part.

Matt

[Warren S]

Seems to be the speed logs with these Datamarine units, no? Mine powers up, and the mode changes to reveal the last valid readings (average), but speed is 0.0.

As far as troubleshooting, does anyone know the nature of the signal coming off the speed transducer? Pulse train? DC voltage? I'd like to isolate the problem as much as possible before shelling out for a whole new system.

[Leonard Lookner]

The only data marine instrument I have that doesn't work is the most important, the depth finder that seems to thinks everything has a depth of 18.8.
It will tell the correct depth at the dock only.

[mahalocd36]

DMImarine.com has a line of instruments and transducers that fit. I bought a new transducer to work with my depthsounder and it is working just fine after two seasons. I believe that you can send your Datamarine stuff to them and they may be able to fix it. Often times it is something like a bad display, and that is a plug in part.

Matt

Yeah, one option is to go with DMI but we already tossed some money at that (new speed log that worked for 1 day, literally) so not sure if we want to go that route. It certainly would be easier, but the instruments are 16 years old so we wanted to try to see what it would take to just go with new ones, from someone else. They don't seem to have the 'Link' display we have on their website, so we are concerned that if the display goes we are SOL. (These are not the round datamarine instruments). The nice thing about our DataMarine instruments is there is only one wire that goes up the pedestal for speed, wind, depth. I don't think that's true with say the Raymarine instruments.

[John D.]

My Datamarine S-200DL depthsounder does not work, and I need to replace or repair it.

I also would like to have fewer holes below the water line, and the wood fairing block with the old transducer is starting to show its age.

The knotmeter transducer (Datamarine #A-120) is retractable, and locks into the through-hull with a cotter pin. The newer units seems to offer a single combination transducer for depth, speed, and temperature. Is anyone aware of a depth transducer that will fit into the existing through-hull for the speed transducer?

Thanks for any help.

[rodcapedory]

I purchased new to me cd 330 last Aug. Had a problem with datamarine instruments. Replaced them with Raymarine. Had to add new through-hull for transducer..Cost to have yard install was originally $ 3 to 4 thousand dollars. Had to pull mast for rewiring by the time we finished it cost about 5,200 which included pulling mast and remounting it and the basic wind,speed,depth, and wind direction.

[Carter Brey]

Here's a link to the relevant page on their website:

http://www.dmimarine.com/service.html

I had them fix my 26-year-old Datamarine S-200DL depthsounder, and the service was excellent. As a freebie, they included plastic protective snap-on external covers for the instruments.

It's very easy to remove the electronic guts of the instruments; you simply remove a retaining snap ring and pull it out from inside. The round face for the readout stays attached to the bulkhead.

Best regards,

Carter Brey
Sabre 28 MkII #532 "Delphine"
City Island, NY

[Dean Abramson]

Melissa,

I have just sent my non-functioning Datamarine knotmeter off to DMI; I have not even gotten the repair estimate yet. Your comments make me a little nervous. Can you tell us which part(s) they replaced?

Domenic's and Carter's reports are more encouraging, obviously. I'd really like to believe in DMI.

Dean

[Ed Haley]

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Rich and Melissa,

We had a problem with our Datamarine knotmeter in 2004. It didn't work at all -- no readout whatsoever. What was wrong? Bruce replaced the BNC connector which is attached to the cable that connects to the display. That's all it was. So try replacing the connector and clean up the contacts on the back of the intrument if you can. Corrosion may be the culprit. If it's not the connector, then you will not have spent too much money but will have to continue troubleshooting.


Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay