Splash proofed my Sovereign GT

Diggin Dave · Sep 16, 2013

Waterproofed Sovereign GT

I decided to give some added protection to my Sov GT. I had a couple of close calls in the surf this Summer while having it hip mounted. With my new set up I have the control box enclosed in a water tight Plano box, and held in a back pack. This will allow me to go out in the surf further and not worry about frying my detector. I have a total of $41.00 invested, cheap insurance. Thanks to a few of our forum members for sharing their designs (OBN, Max). Hopefully this can help someone else looking to do the same thing. Thanks for looking.

lorraine · Sep 22, 2013

You did a terrific job on that project, Dave! :headbang:

Lorraine

MiamiFox · Sep 22, 2013

Good job I like it. Thanks for sharing.

OBN · Sep 22, 2013

Dag there goes all the Gold In OC.....Nice job Dave!!

jyt2017 · Sep 22, 2013

I jammed mine in a plano box too. Ups...water proof to more then just a dip. Cons? Heavy, and adjusting controls is a project. Costs lots of time, and can hurt your day. Bottom line, crank sensitivity as high as you can. And just go. I hope minelab makes a fbs dive machine soon, soon.

search and recovery · Sep 23, 2013

Great looking setup! I like it as well.

bootybay · Sep 23, 2013

I love that, gonna see if I can get me one made for my gt. great looking idea and so neat as well. thanks for sharing.

Diggin Dave · Sep 23, 2013

That's funny Joe. I'm gonna hit it hard on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning, with no distractions. Hopefully I'll have something to show!

onthespot · Sep 25, 2013

I did mine too, and it is more than splash proof. I used two clams, one for the coil, and the other for headphones. Just a FYI, the bend you have in your coil cable will end up breaking the cable or at least it broke mine. I'm going to build another one and it will have the coil cable coming straight in!.

Diggin Dave · Sep 27, 2013

onthespot said:
I did mine too, and it is more than splash proof. I used two clams, one for the coil, and the other for headphones. Just a FYI, the bend you have in your coil cable will end up breaking the cable or at least it broke mine. I'm going to build another one and it will have the coil cable coming straight in!.

Hi OTS, I hear what you're saying. There is a fair amount of pressure on the cable where it turns 90° in the box. That concerned me to the point where I've already ordered a new box, a Pelican 1170 waterproof case. It is also is a more durable case and the dimensions will allow me to run the coil cable straight in. I hunted a few days with my current setup and what a relief it was not having to worry about getting splashed. I'll post a pic once I get the new box configured.

onthespot · Sep 28, 2013

Look forward to seeing it!

n800 · Sep 28, 2013

Ive been using the same box with two clams for a year.....works great and not a problem yet.

Diggin Dave · Sep 29, 2013

So this is the new, and as for now, final version. I didn't like the pressure put on the coil cable when using the Plano box. The cable had to turn 90° and was jammed into the end of the box. I was worried about potential breakage in the cable over time with all of that pressure. I started searching for other types of water tight boxes and found one with the dimensions and weight I was looking for. I chose the Pelican 1170 box, weighing in at 2 pounds. It did need some small alterations to work the way I wanted it too, running the cables in through the side of the box. To get the cable clam, Blue Sea (pn1002), to seal properly I had to carefully dremel away some material from the box, and leave enough to not affect the seal. I ground it down to about an 1/8" from the top edge of the box (sealing surface) at the narrowest point, following the outline of the clam. I checked the the seal under water and it was not affected by the alteration, no leaks. I could've mounted the clam to the underside of the box and saved myself a lot of trouble, but I wanted the cable to run straight in and not be bound up in any way. I strain relieved the coil and headphone cables to the handle of the box so I didn't have to leave a loom of cable on the inside. A much cleaner look, and the flexibility in the cables allows me easy access to the control box. This job also could've been easier had I moved up to the next largest Pelican box, the 1200. I wouldn't have had to do any cutting on the box. But the trade off is the size and weight. The 1200 weighs twice as much, 4 pounds, so I opted for the lighter less bulky box. I then custom cut the foam insert, and it's a nice tight fit with no movement in the control box. My detector is now surf ready and I'm just waiting for some time off work to use it. Good luck and stay safe everyone, thanks for looking.

wild eyed willey · Sep 29, 2013

Can you explain what were looking at in the pics, for those of us who have no idea.

onthespot · Sep 29, 2013

I was waiting on the finished product, you did not disappoint, it turned out great, nice and clean. I will be remaking mine soon, though I dought as sharp as yours. Now go get it wet and post some fines! HH

Diggin Dave · Sep 29, 2013

wild eyed willey said:
Can you explain what were looking at in the pics, for those of us who have no idea.

The pictures are showing the steps I took in making two different watertight housings for my not so waterproof Sov GT.

Diggin Dave · Sep 29, 2013

onthespot said:
I was waiting on the finished product, you did not disappoint, it turned out great, nice and clean. I will be remaking mine soon, though I dought as sharp as yours. Now go get it wet and post some fines! HH

Thanks OTS, I know I'll be happy with the latest. I can't wait to see what you're gonna do with your's.

Dave

wild eyed willey · Sep 29, 2013

What is the sliver round thing with the hole in the center? Is it some sort of water proof seal purchased at a store? what makes the wire entrances water proof?

Diggin Dave · Sep 29, 2013

wild eyed willey said:
What is the sliver round thing with the hole in the center? Is it some sort of water proof seal purchased at a store? what makes the wire entrances water proof?

Willey that's a cable clam, made by Blue Sea Systems. It's a waterproof connector that you can run cables through without removing the ends of your cables. They are run through a rubber insert in the clam and when tightened make a watertight connection.

wild eyed willey · Sep 29, 2013

Diggin Dave said:
Willey that's a cable clam, made by Blue Sea Systems. It's a waterproof connector that you can run cables through without removing the ends of your cables. They are run through a rubber insert in the clam and when tightened make a watertight connection.

what is the yellow plate?