Airspeed Pitot Tube Conversion to Measure Waterspeed

Posted by Anthony DiMare on May 10, 2015 at 1:59pm

Hey All! 

I'm super new to the group, but I'm exploring low drag options to meausure speed through the water, not based on position. I was hoping to try to convert the airspeed pitot tube setup for use in the water. 

Has anyone had any experience converting pitot tube setups for water? Any suggestions to get it working? 

Thanks all! 

-Anthony

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Tags: pitot, tube, waterspeed
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Replies

  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III May 10, 2015 at 2:24pm

    @Anthony,

    I would say that a small propeller attached to a small dc electric motor which can act as a generator and produce a voltage proportional to the propeller speed as the boat moves through the water might be more practical.

    Regards,

    TCIII AVD 

    • Anthony DiMare > Thomas J Coyle III May 10, 2015 at 4:16pm

      Thanks for the suggestion Thomas, holding on to this as a fallback option, but I'm working with higher than average speeds where drag is a critical factor. The water wheel is an option, but won't work for the application. Lots of chop will prevent consistent readings. Whatever the solution is, it will have to be relatively deep >50% hull length below the surface. To ensure healthy readings. 

      Are you convinced the pitot tube mod won't work?

  • David Boulanger May 10, 2015 at 2:10pm

    Interesting idea !  However, the likelihood of it getting clogged is pretty high I think.

    Regards,

    David R. Boulanger

    • Anthony DiMare > David Boulanger May 10, 2015 at 4:13pm

      Working out ways to try to prevent that. Any ideas? Will water ingress up to the sensor if I I place it far above the tube? 

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