The start of my ultra 4.7 project

So after a week of thinking about what I wanted on my kayak,  I finally decided to go ahead and start this weekend and set up my fishfinder.

So the first things first, I had to remove the plastic plate on the hatch, and drill some holes in it for the screws and wires. This is where I ran into my one and only problem of the day. One of the screws was really tightened down, and stripped as well so I couldn't remove the plate. I ended up just swiveling the plate around, and it seemed to work fine, just made things a bit more annoying.


After this, it was time to drill the hole for the battery cable. I decided to store the battery in the center hatch for easy access. I put a 13/32 size hole from the center storage area and into the scupper. I had nightmares for a week about doing this, ranging from an earthquake happening and me putting a gigantic hole in the bottom of my boat, to me accidentally drilling the wrong walls somehow, but when I did it, I had 0 problems and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.


It was all uphill from here. Now it was time to mount the transducer and run the cables through the boat. The ducer was extremely easy to install, it was just put it in the rubber mount, stick it in, and tighten the plate from the other side.






The wires were then coiled up, the mount was screwed down, and then finally I re-secured the plastic plate.





And then I was done!




The only things I have left to do as far as the fishfinder goes, is to put in a few grommets into where I drilled the holes for the battery cable(thought I had the right size at the house but I didn't, will pick them up tomorrow or the next day), and to install an inline fuse. Now, onto the next part of the project, which will probably be a QRAS/trolley.

It looks like a clean install so far. I can't wait to do the same to mine. I'll be keeping my eye on your progress. Keep it coming.

i'd guess you'd want that hole in the scupper water tight? 

i'd guess you'd want that hole in the scupper water tight?

Yes Steve that looks to be a concern to me also. The higher , the better on that hole. Water will get into that area in certain situations and pool in the bottom.

Initially I was concerned about water getting into the hull through that hole, but I plan on making it as watertight as I can get it. Also, there looks to be a small amount of drainage around the transducer, so I believe that any water that gets in there wont be a problem.

Those ultra's are a sweet boat!  Very clean install, I look forward to watching it progress.

Matt

Initially I was concerned about water getting into the hull through that hole, but I plan on making it as watertight as I can get it. Also, there looks to be a small amount of drainage around the transducer, so I believe that any water that gets in there wont be a problem.

Just launching in surf conditions will fill the scupper hole. But probably only that kind of condition. I am getting an ultra in a couple of weeks. I fish in the salt a lot so I have to think about waves crashing over the deck with any install. Looks cool though. Hows the weight of the 4.7 working for you so far? 17 lbs heavier than my T-15 has me worried a little bit.

It's not too bad to move it around. I did get the wheeleez cart though, so I really only notice the weight when loading/unloading it on my car, and even that isn't too rough. I've never played with loading/unloading a t-15 though, so I can't say how much of a difference that will make.

I just carried mine off the racks to the garage and it doesnt seem that heavier than my T-15 really. Excited as hell now. Install FF/GPS and fish basically. The moulded nutserts are terrific. Photos soon Dey.

Nice and clean Great job. Sand around the holes before you seal

Thank you for the nice and detailed instal report.  I'm waiting for my transducer mount for my new 4.7,,, but I'd be interested to hear how your battery cable hole worked out after a paddle.

With a grommet gooped into the hole, not a single drop of water gets in the hull, even when I purposely filled the scupper full of water. It also drains surprisingly fast around the transducer so water doesn't stay in there for long.

That's awesome Dey!!!  Thanks for the report.

I saw some post from NZ showing the battery in the hanging bag that OK makes in the forward bow area. I also think it wise to have it in the well below the hatch for reasons of connection problems that need to be remedied on the water. Nice to hear about the water test. OK is currently out of the transducer kit but is supposd to have more in stock by May2nd.