Started tricking my yak out....But got a couple questions...

Hey all,
 So since getting my yak(Tarpon 120) on Thursday I added a fish finder w/ gps, rod holder and made a cargo basket for the back storage area. Here are some pics. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with what Ive added so far and took her out for a test drive yesterday to get a feel for her and make sure the electronics work. So far I'm pretty happy with what I got set up but I dont like how far the rod holder is from me on the front that I added. So I want to get me some mounting points for the slide track system to add a couple rod holders closer to my seat position. After taking her out and cruising around for awhile yesterday I love the feel. I can stand up and move around pretty good only time I get a little unstable is when Im sitting and trying to reach behind me and grab stuff from the rear cargo area but I think Ill get use to that after a couple more trips out.

Ok now for my questions

1) what type of battery do you use to power your stuff. I purchased a 12v 7.2 amp hour battery from frys Saturday but it only powered everything for about 3hrs before I got a low voltage warning. Should I switch to a motor cycle/jet ski battery or a full on marine battery. The only thing that needs power right now is the finder but I want to get more than 3hrs use.
2) The ram mount I have for my ff does not lock down all the way. I can still move the arm up and down on the mounting ball of the base even with the thing as tight as I can get it. Has anyone else had this problem if so is there an easy fix or is the ff to heavy for it.

Thanks
Flip

Nice work. So for your questions....

1. The battery you have should get you WAY more then 3 hrs. I suspect one of three things happened.  1. you didn't get a full charge on it. 2. your FF is running with the backlight on (hard to see in daylight) but that. 3. the battery is a dud and isn't holding a charge.  A volt meter will be able to sort out 1 and 3.

I have a similar battery and I run a color ff with GPS and can get multiple days. Also the FF will still run with a low voltage reading.

2. Sand your ball! Just take any grit of sandpaper and scuff up the ball on your ram mounts. Works like a charm.

As for reaching behind you. Until you get comfortable reaching backwards just sit side saddle when you need to reach back there. And I agree that rod holder will be a pain in front of that FF. Move it to the rail or in front of the FF.

Thanks for the info EWB, will check the items for question one. I bet its the backlight will check my settings cause the screen did look very bright still even with the sun on it. Will do the sand paper tip too on the ram mount. Thanks for the tip on getting to the gear in the back as well. I appreciate any info, always hard once you start a new hobby.LOL.
Thanks
Again
Flip....

I like the clean install of the FF.
I've gotta get a new one & set it up like that. Nicely done.

Thanks for the info EWB, will check the items for question one. I bet its the backlight will check my settings cause the screen did look very bright still even with the sun on it. Will do the sand paper tip too on the ram mount. Thanks for the tip on getting to the gear in the back as well. I appreciate any info, always hard once you start a new hobby.LOL.
Thanks
Again
Flip....

No worries, I hope those simple fixes do the trick....We've all been there.

I have a 7ah battery and I just went about 25-30 hrs+ on a Humminbird w/gps. What charger are you using? You need to have a good low amp auto charger and make sure it is fully charged. My old bat was starting to not last as long as it should so I replaced it. Even with the light on you should get way more hrs out of the battery. It does not look like a color unit so it should not use a lot of power. Yak looks good. I would move the forward holder too. Use the slide trax and also a height extender to clear your legs. You cant put it too close to you or it will get in the way of your paddle stroke. Getting behind you just takes practice. 

I have a 7ah battery and I just went about 25-30 hrs+ on a Humminbird w/gps. What charger are you using? You need to have a good low amp auto charger and make sure it is fully charged. My old bat was starting to not last as long as it should so I replaced it. Even with the light on you should get way more hrs out of the battery. It does not look like a color unit so it should not use a lot of power. Yak looks good. I would move the forward holder too. Use the slide trax and also a height extender to clear your legs. You cant put it too close to you or it will get in the way of your paddle stroke. Getting behind you just takes practice.

Good point on the battery, I did the math and figured I should get at least a full day before it would go so low.I got a charger from harbor freight its one of those float chargers that you keep it plugged into. Maybe it wasn't fully charged. I took a volt meter to it yesterday morning though and it said 13. something volts on it. But maybe it wasn't fully charged still. I think Im gonna buy another charger as well to make sure it gets a full charge now. Then use the float charger after each use to maintain it.

hmmmm that is odd i have one of the HF cheap ones and it works fine...I am suspect of anything from frys 

I could see that battery being returned and placed back on the shelf.

Here's some more info!
1) That battery should last more than 3hrs, for sure. I usually get 2 or 3 trips out of my 12v brick. Good idea to buy a charger then use the trickle in-between trips. But it m/b a dud battery...OR...it m/b the connections to your FF. I have to replace the terminals every 6 months or so (lots of saltwater corrosion). I know your issue is probably not corrosion (YET!) but they can be fickle. Double check those power connections.
2) I have used RAMs and Micro RAMs for a few yrs and they would all be able to support a Humminbird 500 series FF. So it seems like you might need to adjust the internal screw/bolt inside the arm. They're both the same size ball right? And the right size arm? I haven't had to sand my Micro ball yet (because they don't need to support as much weight) but I did sand my regular ball that has a rodholder on it.
3) Reaching behind you to get stuff out of the tankwell seems awkward at first, but it becomes second nature after a while. A lot of guys have fallen out while trying to retrieve something from the tankwell! I always turn to the same side (right) and throw my right leg over the side for stability.
4) I agree with moving your rodholder. Leave the flush-mount base there because you can use it in the future for a light or camera mount or a rod/net/gaff holder. Then get a base and mount it to the Slide Trax. I like to slide my rodholder forward when I'm paddling hard, and then slide it back to me when I get to the spot. You can make bases out of cutting board, wood, plastic, etc. But I know Harmony has some new bases that looks pretty slick too. Here's a homemade one with the bolts inset to fit flush.






 

Here's some more info!
1) That battery should last more than 3hrs, for sure. I usually get 2 or 3 trips out of my 12v brick. Good idea to buy a charger then use the trickle in-between trips. But it m/b a dud battery...OR...it m/b the connections to your FF. I have to replace the terminals every 6 months or so (lots of saltwater corrosion). I know your issue is probably not corrosion (YET!) but they can be fickle. Double check those power connections.
2) I have used RAMs and Micro RAMs for a few yrs and they would all be able to support a Humminbird 500 series FF. So it seems like you might need to adjust the internal screw/bolt inside the arm. They're both the same size ball right? And the right size arm? I haven't had to sand my Micro ball yet (because they don't need to support as much weight) but I did sand my regular ball that has a rodholder on it.
3) Reaching behind you to get stuff out of the tankwell seems awkward at first, but it becomes second nature after a while. A lot of guys have fallen out while trying to retrieve something from the tankwell! I always turn to the same side (right) and throw my right leg over the side for stability.
4) I agree with moving your rodholder. Leave the flush-mount base there because you can use it in the future for a light or camera mount or a rod/net/gaff holder. Then get a base and mount it to the Slide Trax. I like to slide my rodholder forward when I'm paddling hard, and then slide it back to me when I get to the spot. You can make bases out of cutting board, wood, plastic, etc. But I know Harmony has some new bases that looks pretty slick too. Here's a homemade one with the bolts inset to fit flush.

Hey Sin thanks for the info. Quick question can you get hardware that fits the slide trax locally from a hardware store or do you have to order it online only.

You can buy the screws @ OSH, Lowes, Depot but they won't have the knob-heads (then you have to bring an allen wrench with you OTW). And you probably won't find anything that could replace those rectangular brass fittings. So I'd say buy the hardware from Hook1 or the local yakshop, then make a custom base out of cutting board.
http://kayakfishinggear.com/search.aspx?find=trax

But depending on how many Trax mounts you're making, it might cost less to just buy the new Harmony mounting plate.
http://www.harmonygear.com/product/441430/8023066/_/SlideTrax_Mounting_Plate