pulltabfelix -- there is some misinformation here, in what the Minelab tech apparently told one of our forum members.
FIRST -- I want to note that on an Equinox, the "watertight seal" DOES NOT OCCUR at the handle-to-shaft interface. Take your handle apart and remove it from the shaft, and note that there is NO RUBBER GASKET OR O-RING between the two parts of the handle that fit together around the shaft. The watertight seal occurs farther up inside the handle -- at the door of the battery compartment (there are two rubber o-rings inside the battery door), AND, as I understand it, farther up inside also, where the handle and the control box meet/join. SO -- the handle-to-shaft interface is NOT a "watertight seal," and so there is no benefit to be gained by trying to over-tighten the screws, for any perceived "helping the unit to be watertight" reasons.
SECOND -- You would not want to over-torque those screws for any OTHER reason, either. ANYTIME you are screwing a screw into a threaded insert, and that threaded insert is installed into plastic, you want to be careful not to over-tighten/over-torque. Reason being, if an "improper" type of threaded insert is spec'd/used by a manufacturer (i.e. one without OUTSIDE threads, or barbs, to keep it from pulling free from the plastic), OR if the plastic itself is brittle, or simply not sufficiently strong, then there is risk that the insert can be pulled loose from the plastic if you over-torque the screws. And so, IF Minelab has had cases where these inserts are indeed "broken loose" from the plastic, then it likely suggests either weak/brittle plastic, OR improper inserts are being used (no outer threads or barbs on the inserts). The reason I say this, is because a person should NOT be able to generate sufficient torque, using an Allen wrench/key, to pull an insert free from plastic. If you are using an electric drill, or impact wrench, that's a different story. But with an Allen key, this should NOT HAPPEN. I would also note that any such issue of screw overtightening doesn't have anything directly to do with a carbon-fiber shaft per se; tightening the screws too tightly is possible at any time, irrespective of what type of shaft is being used. Bottom line, it is always good to keep in mind not to "over-torque" those screws, so as not to risk damaging one of the threaded inserts, but this is true no matter what shaft you are using.
THIRD -- while I agree that over-tightening one of those screws to the point where one of the inserts is pulled loose IS, obviously, a problem, the problem would be that there would be no way to ever tighten that screw again (no insert to screw into). BUT -- pulling the insert loose would, I am 99.9% certain, NOT have ANYTHING AT ALL to do with affecting the water-tight seal of the unit. Here's why. If you remove your control box/handle assembly from your shaft, you will see that those threaded inserts are HOLLOW. They HAVE to be hollow/open-ended, as such inserts are designed to allow the ends of the screws to extend through/beyond the inserts when the screws are tightened. And so, since a screw is NOT a "water-tight seal" (i.e. water can seep past a screw that is screwed into another metal item like a nut, or a threaded insert), and since those inserts are "open-ended/hollow," then that means that the unit must be designed to be watertight BEHIND/BEYOND the location of the threaded inserts (or else, simple water leakage past the screws themselves would cause unit failure). And therefore, accidentally pulling loose an insert would not have any affect on the water-tightness of the unit. NO -- you don't want to over-tighten a screw, and risk breaking the insert free from the plastic. But, the reason is NOT because the unit would no longer be watertight, it is instead because you would then not be able to tighten one of your four screws, that hold attach your control box/handle assembly to your shaft.
The bottom line is this...as a carbon-fiber shaft builder, I wanted to chime in, because obviously, such misinformation could lead to hesitance on those wishing to switch over to a carbon-fiber shaft, and yet would have no effect whatsoever on "fixing" the water leak issues with the Equinox. If the Minelab tech really said this, to one of our Equinox-using forum members, I'm quite disappointed. The fact is, using a carbon-fiber shaft DOES NOT, in any way, risk the "water-tightness" of your Equinox. Period. Obviously, there is a well-known issue with some Equinoxes failing, due to water water intrusion into the control box. As such, I would like to believe, and will choose to do so until there is more solid evidence otherwise, that Minelab is being honest enough with their customers to take responsibility for the failures as being either a part of a normal, small, anticipated, "acceptable" rate-of-failure, or a manufacturing defect, BUT not instead trying to shift any of the blame onto customers, OR onto aftermarket equipment manufacturers, for these failures.
FINALLY, I will note one last thing that should entirely debunk the information apparently provided by a Minelab tech. Felix, you said that the tech said that "most" of the leakage issues come from these inserts being pulled/broken free from the plastic handle. So...let's just accept for one moment, for the sake of argument, that an insert breaking free, does affect the watertight seal (even though it doesn't). With this assumption in place, I ask this question...how many times have we heard someone on a forum, Facebook, or elsewhere who is using an Equinox, mention that one of their threaded brass fittings broke free from the handle, when tightening the screws? NOW -- how many times have we heard someone using an Equinox mention that their machine suffered a water intrusion? Personally, I have never heard of a customer having a threaded insert break free (though I am sure there have been a few), but I have heard dozens, if not hundreds, of first-hand accounts of water intrusion issues. SO, ask yourself, does it make sense that "most" of Minelab's Equinox water issues are to be blamed on Equinox users -- i.e. that "most" the "leaks" are the result of Minelab's customers tightening their screws too tightly, to the extent that the brass inserts are being pulled/broken free from the plastic handle? Does this seem accurate/true/correct?
Steve
