Speedometer Problem also Hydrofoil Information

[Seagull6]

After about an hour of cruising last week the speedometer on my 2002 Starcraft 170LE stopped working. Today I had the boat out and initially the speedo worked fine, but then quit after about one hour again.<br /><br />A couple of questions... 1. How do Starcraft speedometers work? and 2. Has anyone else experienced/solved these type of probems?<br /><br />The boat is still under warranty, but I'd like to try to solve the problem myself before having to dag the boat back to the dealer.<br /><br />PS Incidentally, I had my GPS along and was getting my speed off of that. Top speed before installing the hydrofoil was 37 MPH. With the hydrofoil I was getting 35 MPH - with three adults on board, a full gas tank and a 6 HP 4-stroke kicker hanging off the transom and a 4 gallon auxiliary tank that I didn't have last year when I measured 37 MPH. Bottom line is that I don't think I lost any top end with the hydrofoil. I'm still very happy with it!

 

[DJ]

Re: Speedometer Problem also Hydrofoil Information

Chuck,<br /><br />I assume your Starcraft has a pitot tube type speedometer.<br /><br />Look on the transom of the boat. You should see a small thin "pitot tube" sticking down below the bottom of the boat. They are usually white.<br /><br />Check the tube going to it. Also, sometimes waves and wash from the engine can kick them up out of the water. See if it's downforce is adequate.<br /><br />If you do not have a pitot tube, on the hull, your engine may have one in the lower unit. Again, you should see a small tube going down to the lower unit from the cowl. Make sure the connections on the tube are tight. You may also wnat to blow some air through the pick up and tube to clear out any obstacles.