Your routine is a bit excessive IMHO.
I use a very liberal amount of Dielectric grease. So much that its almost hard to get the connector onto the head unit. Basically filling up all the holes on both male & female sides. When I plug the head unit in, the excess grease gets squeezed out & creates a barrier to prevent water coming in. Thats about it for my "terminal hygiene ritual ". Put grease on & leave it on. Bare exposed connectors are gonna get corroded. I reapply appx every 10 trips or so.
Saltwater is inevitable, but do what you can to minimize the unit getting soaked. I use a gallon ziplock over the head unit when surf launching. I know lots of guys put the fish finder on the rail, but I think that's a pretty wet location on most kayaks. I like it mounted up front in the sail mast, because it stays decently dry up there.
Also don't leave the unit plugged into the battery when its not necessary. Don't plug it in until you launch, and unplug it as soon as you are off the water. Don't leave it plugged in if you land for a shore launch, or leave it on when you go back to get your car. The electricity + the salt water is what causes issues.
Steve
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