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Topic: Finally set up my FF and Bait well pump  (Read 4205 times)

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Need2hav

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I finally stayed home this weekend and hooked up my FF and bait well. I tried experimenting with liquid tape, different types of goop, waterproof connectors, etc. If I were to start over and redo this, I'd just use the waterproof twist connector. I still haven't decided on the permanent location for the transducer so I just used a clamp for temp hookup.

I wanted to be able to adjust my FF close to me and also  way back if needed. Since the battery box for the ff is in the hull, I wanted the on/off switch to be reachable from the top without having to remove the hatch. I still need to do some housekeeping with the wires but the wiring is pretty much done for now.


chaeki

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Wow, looks nice!


Need2hav

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Thanks Chaeki. You, Jim and the others on this site inspired/helped  me a lot with your ideas, pics, and identifying the parts needed. So I have you folks to thank for helping me out :)

I used velcro on the inside hull and to the bottom of the battery box. When it's on there, the back of the box is wedged against the kayak along with the velcro so it seems pretty sturdy and shouldn't bounce around. I also put goop under the velcro attached to the hull so hopefully it stays there for awhile.

The thru hull adapter and other parts were suggested by you Chaeki and it works great. Snug as a bug for the FF power cable and the extra waterproof power connector(EBAY) I rigged for an L.E.D voltage reader(EbAY). I used velcro to attach the voltage reader under FF. I installed the L.E.D toggle switch (Ebay) next to the FF  power cable hole.  Like I said, this was so I can turn off/on the power while in the water but mostly for the coolness factor. The switch probably isn't waterproof but not too worried about it. If the switch gets wet and shorts, It' just means the power will stay on. No danger and there's an inline 3 amp fuse to keep the Lowrance warranty in check.

 I selected the placement of the holes hoping that keeping it on a vertical plane will have less chances of water seeping in. I also can slide the FF up/down the track and tilt if forward and backwards so this seemed like the better spot for it. Also, I'm short. Only 5'6" so there's a lot of leg room on my kayak past the foot pedals. This area is free and I usually have my bluetooth speaker there.

The wiring I used was 14 gauge(Ebay). Got confirmation from Lowrance that 16 gauge would be ok to use too. Heat shrinkable waterproof 14-16 gauge butt connectors(Home Depot), marine grade heat shrink(Ebay), marine grade silicone(Home Depot), 14-16 gauge female blade connectors(Evil Mart), inline fuse(Ebay), general goop(Home Depot), liquid tape(Home Depot), and various other waterproof connectors. I soldered some of the wiring when I used the female blade connectors or folded the wires over so there would hold better when I crimped down on it.

For the water pump, I gouged the plastic lock nut on the outside  as Jim suggested so water can flow out  thru the scupper hole ( I'll send pics of that later). I made a separate battery box from scratch for it too. It's the green one in the pics(The waterproof twist connectors were from Home Depot) Not that I needed two battery boxes but I wanted to make one just for kicks. I bought a bunch of connectors off of Ebay and  they sell it in packs pretty cheap so I get to experiment with them. The box is an ammo box  (Harbor Freight 7 bucks) with some weak looking rubber seal under the lid  to make it believable enough to be water resistant. I doubt I'll be using the bait well much but it's there if I need it or I can use the battery box as a backup power for my FF since I used the same power connectors for both boxes.  The bait well, pump, and timer is of course from Jim at Santa Cruz Kayaks and fits perfectly. He gave me an idea with one of his pics to just mount the timer on the battery box. If you notice the transducer is attached by a clamp and the clamp(Harbor Freight around 5 bucks)) is just clamped down on the kayak.Locks and unlocks in seconds. This is my ghetto idea because I'm too lazy to properly mount it for now.

Thanks again for all the suggestion and pics from everyone :)



G-Whiz

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Makes me miss my Raptor!!! :smt010

Nice work!

One recommendation:

Instead of using "wire nuts" on your electrical connections, use "waterproof butt connectors", vaseline and heat shrink tube; will make a better seal against wire corrosion.

First apply some vaseline to the wire ends before crimping them with the waterproof butt connectors, then apply a thin coat of vaseline on the butt connector and then slide the heat shrink tube over the butt connector and apply a heat to shrink it snugly over the connector. BE SURE to put the heat shrink tube on the wire before using the butt connector or you'll have a Homer Simpson moment; also make sure that you have at least a 1/2" long heat shrink tube  on each side of the connect too.

Did some work on one of Chaeki yaks; he can validate my work :smt003
The one who dies with the most toys, WINS!



Need2hav

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Oh man, I should've  done exactly what you just mentioned. Great idea!  I noticed some gooey petro gel stuff in the waterproof wire nuts but  that concept didn't hit me till you pointed it out. I was using heat shrink to cover my waterproof butt connectors  for some connections but now I wished I added vaseline too. Oh yeah, I did have some Homer moments already. I crimped down, then heated up the  "waterproof heat shrinkable butt connectors". It looked great. Then I went to slide the heat shrink over, that's when I saw it laying on the table instead. lol. Got lazy and just let it go or just gooped it on the ends. I suggest doing these installs when you are wide awake and not late at night when you are 1/2 asleep. I'm surprised I didn't turn my yak into a toaster :)


Need2hav

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I had a million questions before I did this install  so I posted pics of parts, tools, updated yak pics and all that stuff on my Google drive. I noticed that some of the recommended hole sizes for some of the parts were too large in diameter. So I made my own hole measuring piece which was leftover from when Jim built my kayak. I found that you can use a smaller bit size in some instances and file it just a little with a dremmel. Then you get a very snug connection that should keep water out better.  Hope it helps other newbies like me on what to do and not to do.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B93_b4iTlIIWfjdMaVpNU0JJYnhoWDlxd0FTalFsQW1kRFhvTF96dUIyejhGbW5ZSjA5ZHM&usp=sharing


DG

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Lots of detail.  Love the pictures as I always do better with pictures than written explanation. 
-----------------------------------
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2018 NCKA - DOTY Committee Member

2017 DOTY 2 biggest fish awards
2016 DOTY 2nd place / 4 biggest fish awards
2016 Triton X - 2nd place
2016 Triton Open - Biggest Lingcod
2014 DOTY - 1 biggest fish award


G-Whiz

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When drilling holes for the mounting screws, use a drill bit that is the same diameter as the screw shaft; not the thread size. Then use the screws to tap threads into the plastic and then, while holding the screw so it does not turn, put a washer and nylon nut to tighten it down. This will create an near water tight seal; just make sure you dont turn the screws to tighten it down or you strip out all the plastic threads you just tapped and loose the water tight seal.

For wires, use a drill bit slightly small than the outside diameter of the wire, then warm the wire slightly with a bic lighter and feed it through the hole; this should make it thread easier through hole and when it cools, it will expand back to its normal size and kinda seal the hole. Adding some marine silicon on the inside of the hole/wire will finish the water proofing...

Hope this helps!!! at least for your next kayak install....
The one who dies with the most toys, WINS!



Need2hav

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Thanks again for the tips. Next kayak? lol. What's the going rate for Jim's new carbon fiber Raptor?


 

anything