2014 Fall /Winter and 2015 Spring boat projects

[Sculpin]

R&D (Rip off and duplicate) all you want.

Have a great weekend folks .

 

[Reel-Knotty]

nice job on the lighting:


cheers

 

[TheHurtLocker]

Not as much light as Sculpin! Replaced the old halogen spots on the front with new LED spots. Should be a bigger and more consistent pattern.

 

[bones]

whats the reasoning behind raising downriggers? i've seen this done few times but don't understand why?

I also raised my riggers

 

[JAC]

The risers are nice to clear a kicker motor if your trolling a 3rd downrigger. Also they are nice in boats with low gunnels don't have to bend down as far. You need a strong gunnel as there is much more leverage with the extra height

 

[Fish Assassin]

Less bending over, means less people having their feet slip out from under them. Safety and laziness

 

[demco99]

sweet work as usual Sculpin... How many batteries do you have in the boat to power all the accessories you have installed?

 

[bones]

no big advantage?, looks like they could get ripped right off when hali bouncing and you grab bottom, all that extra plastic. buddy lost a rod last year due to scotty rod holders

The risers are nice to clear a kicker motor if your trolling a 3rd downrigger. Also they are nice in boats with low gunnels don't have to bend down as far. You need a strong gunnel as there is much more leverage with the extra height

 

[Fixit]

no big advantage?, looks like they could get ripped right off when hali bouncing and you grab bottom, all that extra plastic. buddy lost a rod last year due to scotty rod holders

probably shouldnt have the drag set so high that the rod holder can snap.

 

[gunnerlove]

whats the reasoning behind raising downriggers? i've seen this done few times but don't understand why?

The lower they are the more they hurt my back.

 

[Sculpin]

sweet work as usual Sculpin... How many batteries do you have in the boat to power all the accessories you have installed?

I have 2 12 volt batteries in the back cabinet and 2 6volt batteries under a passenger seat in the cabin.

 

[demco99]

Can you give me a basic rundown on your electrical setup? Which batteries run which stuff?

I'm going to be installing a kicker on the new boat and am wondering what the best way to set it up would be. I'm thinking the alternator in the kicker while trolling should use its alternator to power a battery that runs the GPS, depthsounder, stereo and downriggers. Keep the other battery separate for starting the mains(apparently the optimax draw alot of power on ignition)?

..but I would want the kicker to be connected to the starting battery somehow if Im sitting at anchor or drifting listening to music/GPS and somehow kill it - could pull start the kicker to get enough juice to fire up the mains. I don't know much about electrical but am eager to learn. If anyone could point me in a direction of good reading material that would be much appreciated as well...

 

[bigbruce]

Demco - Go to the Blue Seas website and check out their ACR system. It will allow you to use either engine to charge your batteries and ensure your starting battery is always charged.

 

[Sculpin]

Demco - Go to the Blue Seas website and check out their ACR system. It will allow you to use either engine to charge your batteries and ensure your starting battery is always charged.

That's how mine is wired. Great products and great resources on their site.

 

[SpringVelocity]

I was going to suggest that.. I really suggest you get someone who can do it for you.... I found this way better I had Brian from Trotac down in Vic rewire mine.... The ACR system you can do but its nice when you can at least get that all wired in etc with your panels and then do rest yourself so you understand how it works....

I have two batteries in rear on ether side... one that has electronics running off it, and one is just for starting, and that is the one the kicker alternator is hooked into...But I do like idea of having smaller batteries up front additionally..... But couldn't do that with space I have.... I doubt with two batteries on an ACR you would drain battery at all with GPS and music etc... If you do you have one hell of a current leak somewhere. And for kicker to truly charge batteries it has to be going fairly good not trolling...

 

[casper5280]

Heres a Blue Seas system that I built for my boat. Built it all on the bench and mounted it to Starboard and then mounted it in the boat.

 

[SpringVelocity]

good example

 

[casper5280]

Here is the panel mounted in the boat

 

[fshnfnatic]

Here is the panel mounted in the boat

That is a thing of beauty.Nice job on that,casper.

 

[Sculpin]

Here is an old shot of mine when it was just finished. It's not as clear as Caspers photo but generally the same idea. One of the nicest things I did was buy a Brady labeling machine and labeled all the wire ends. It's vinyl tape with waterproof ink.