i know nothing about the electrical system on boats, let alone mine. i plan to buy a vhf radio and fishfinder this week, will i have difficulty installing them, or would i be better off having a professional do it. and how much would it cost to have it (them installed)?
the previos owner had a fishfinder and radio, so there may be some wires still under there that i can use…
yes i have an antenna already installed…
Tags: Boat, electronics, etc.., fishfinder, Hard, Install, radio
please hire a professional
It’s not hard and will a little common sense you should be able to handle it. They will come with very specific instructions. You do need to check to see what type transducer the fish finder uses. Some will attach to the outside of the transom just below the water line. Some require drilling a hole in the bottom of the boat. Either way the boat will have to be out of the water, but if yours uses the thru hull transducer, have it done by a professional. The wiring is straight forward, you just need to determine if you are going to wire directly to the battery, or to a bus bar on your main electrical panel. Remember, the red wires go the the positive side and black to the negative.
realtor.sailor
I’ve always said the hard part is hiding the wires. There’s a lot to know, but each boat is different. You can’t run some wires to close to some of the other wires, due to interference how and where to connect to your 12V power, how to drill and cut holes without cutting wires you can’t see. Often I would remove panels all over the boat, but in the end, you can do it……just think ahead, and look at other boats to see where you like your equipment. Good Luck!
You should not have any problems installing yourself. Hiding the wires is always the hardest part but I believe you have a center console. The radio, antenna, and fish finder will all mount there and the wires will be hidden inside the console. Run your transducer wire from the stern to the center console. There should be a cable run right under your console – (look for the control cables, steering cable and power wires) – there may even be a rope or cable tied off there that runs to the battery compartment. You can use that to pull, under the deck, the transducer cable to the console. Make sure you tie another small rope or cable to the wire too so you will still have a cable pull there for the next time. If there is no cable pull you can remove the fish rod holder on the starboard side and run the cable behind that up to the console.
Make sure that you place them on separate fuses or circuit breakers,
Good Luck – Boat Safe !
It’s a do-it-yourself project for sure. get yourself a good quality crimping tool and use high-quality materials — the environment is tough on electrics, lots of shock & vibration and moisture & salt water is worse than fresh.
ABYC standard for DC systems on boats is marine-grade tinned copper stranded wiring, and crimped or crimped and soldered connections (but not solder only). No wire nuts. I use automotive wiring (freshwater) but I expect it might not last as long.
If you wire your fishfinder to the same fuse box as other accessories you might get some electrical noise on the screen, in which case it’ll need its own 12V wire direct to the battery. Might also get some noise if you bundle the transducer cable with electrical wiring — mine is routed alongside the wiring harness but not in the loom with it, works just fine.
They are both easy to install.
The wiring is simple for both. You only need to put power to them. How you choose to route the power to the radio and fish finder is up to you. You can run power to both of them with an accessory switch, or just wire them to a bus bar or fuse panel if you have those. Its your choice.
For your VHF, you may already have an antenna installed on your boat. If you do, chances are you already have the antenna wire which simply plugs into the back of the VHS. If it were me, I’d buy a brand new antenna.
For your fish finder, you will have to install the transducer that comes with it on the transom. Look at the directions that come with it, and it will show you where and how to install it.
The hardest part of that job will be snaking the transducer wire up to your console.
This mob supply ready made wiring looms. http://ezacdc.com/Scripts/default.asp
If you are reasonably handy and able to follow the directions it is not hard at all. A competent professional will do it quickly, and you have backup if something goes wrong, also your insurance company will be much happier and possibly offer a reduced rate (you can but ask!) for your use of a trained installer.
I would not use old wiring, If you are going to do the job do it completely from the batteries forward, then your new equipment has equally new wiring and fusing hooked up correctly. Don’t assume the previous owner had it right.
Never ever use any part of your boat as a ground or earth!! Corrosion issues are very serious on boats. The above link has further links regarding this and other matters.
Good luck.
if you don’t know what you’re doing, hire a pro to do it. You could set fire to your boat if you mess it up. The cost will be worth it.
No problem at all, provided you know how.
The fishfinder transducer may need to be installed when the boat is out of the water. Just as a “for instance”.
The antenna may need to be tuned, is another.
Adequate size wires, and fuses/ circuit breakers also.
Really, get a professional.