Embedded Files
Geo-Positioning Buoys - FAQs
The CSMYC Buoy Development Team
If you have built your buoy well, maintain it, and prepare it correctly for deployment you should have very few problems. The 2025 spring was very windy at our lake. It was a good test for the durable of the entire buoy system.
Why does a buoy have water in it?
If you have a buoy that was manufactured and built as instructed it should not leak. We have found small amounts of water in buoys on occasion. In each instance we:
Check the hull and lid for cracks in a dark room with a high intensity light. Cracks were never found on our parts.
Ensure that the thrusters screws are tight. A couple were found to be loose in our case after about numerous uses.
Inspected the wire tubes. These have not leaked yet.
Evaluated the hull/lid seal. We have observed that water leaked in through this seal. We discovered that the lids had not been secured correctly. Because the lid seals around the entire top of the buoy, you must make sure the lid seals against the rim around the hull before the thumb screws are tightened, otherwise the seal will not be waterproof. This was the case a few times.
Do the thrusters get fouled with debris in the water?
Yes, this is true of any underwater prop and noticeable on most ROVs (remote operated vehicles). Every body of water (except for a swimming pool) has some natural material, plant and animal, that can get drawn into the thrusters. We found that you must check the thrusters after each use, and:
Clean them using tweezers, dental pick and tooth brush.
Once a month we remove the hub and thoroughly clean the prop and housing.
Lube the shaft on the thrusters once a month with WD-40.
None of the actions take a lot of time but ensure proper operation of the thrusters.
What kind of maintenance is required on the buoys?
The routine maintenance is pretty self-explanatory. Some of which has been mentioned in the responses to the other questions. You should:
Have correctly printed 3D printed parts.
Check the thrusters for fouling and clean.
Make sure all of the possible sources for leaks are checked routinely.
Make sure the lid is sealed against the hulls rim before deployment’
If there is water in the buoy when it is opened dab it out with a sponge.
Be careful of the Bluetooth antenna wires.
Do not touch the satellite antenna on top of the control board with your finger.
Replace a flag when necessary (very seldom) .
NOTE: You must have buoys that were printed using the print parameters we provided. See our instruction manual for further information.
How do you handle and store the buoys?
We have the ability to store our buoys in a shed in the boat house at the lake where we sail. We have a custom hand truck, “The Octopus”, on which we store, work on, and move the buoys to and from the water’s edge.
You will have to come with up a solution for your specific location. If you need to move the buoys to and from your venue you will have to come up with a protocol that you can use to transport, assemble, and maintain your buoys.
What type of battery do you use?
We are allowed to charge our batteries in a charging station in the boat house where we sail. We are cautious about the type of battery we use and charge in this location. We therefore use a 7.2 volt, 6200mAh, NIMH battery, 6-cell flat pack rechargeable battery pack and an inexpensive, simple, NiMH/NiCd universal RC charger battery charger with six connectors.
These take a full charge, are left on the charger between sails (we sail five times per month), and have been lasting 8+ hours in 20 knot winds.
Why did I lose all control of the buoys when retrieving them?
Why did I lose all control of the buoys when retrieving them?
When retrieving the buoys, make sure you leave the HUB buoy in the water and turned on. Retrieve all of the spoke buoys first, then lastly, retrieve the HUB buoy! All communication goes through the HUB, so that will be the first to go into the water, and the last to come out.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse