Boat Makeover: Step-by-step electronics install

As a dedicated bass-fishing fanatic and a boat owner, I understand that upgrades have to occasionally be made to keep up to date with the rapidly advancing technology.

But, if you own a boat that isnât brand new, like mine, you understand that getting creative to put modern equipment on your rig is a part of the game. I have no intention of upgrading my boat for several years, so I scrambled my creative juices to rig my 2007 Ranger Z20 Comanche with Humminbirdâs Helix units complimented with Minn Kotaâs new Ultrex, complete with the companyâs i-Pilot Link. This total-boat control system is groundbreaking and is a technology that the bass-fishing world has hardly tapped into. Trust me, this complete system will change your life.

As youâll notice I started with two units at the console, a Humminbird 1198 and a smaller, flush-mounted Lowrance graph. Both of which worked perfectly and contributed to many limits of bass. I think youâll also see that putting two 10-inch units on this dash doesnât seem very feasible. I had to get creative with a sawzall and most of my woodworking tools to get it accomplished. The following images show step-by-step what I had to do to re-rig my boat with new electronics.
There is plenty to be learned here, and if youâre the DIY type, youâll enjoy tackling this project as much as I did. However, there are a few things Iâd do differently if I had to do it all over again, I made some mistakes, and learned a bunch. So take notes and know that youâll be better equipped to troubleshoot if something does go wrong after youâve done the legwork and installation. Plus, youâll save a ton of money being self-sufficient. Use this gallery as a blueprint to make upgrades to your rig.

I decided to use the same position that the 1198 was in for the new Helix 10. Make sure you export your waypoints from your old unit before taking it off. Disconnecting everything made extracting those waypoints more difficult for me. Learn from my mistakes!

This smaller Lowrance unit was fully operational and very useful, except the location made it difficult to utilize when running the boat on pad. Since I didnât have an ideal set up to mount a second unit on the dash, I decided this graph would come out and Iâd have to build a base that could handle a heavier unit to be positioned directly above this one. The Lowrance unit has been promoted to my Old Town Predator PDL kayak.

At the bow I was running a Humminbird 899CI with Side Imaging, sonar and GPS. Iâll be upgrading this to a Helix 12 on a Dek-It mount with a customized lift kit so itâs higher and easier to see.

This boat came with a 24-volt trolling motor battery system, and a couple of years ago I upgraded to a 36-volt Minn Kota Fortrex, which required an additional battery in the rear of the boat. That in turn required an upgrade to the on-board charger. I went with a 4-bank MK 460 Precision Charger. Itâs been very reliable. Space in the power plant of the boat was very limited, and I decided to employ a trick I learned from Bassmaster Elite Series angler Gerald Swindle.

I attached it to the underside of the rear hatch, and that opened up a ton of room beneath. Now I can easily access the livewell infrastructure without having to unscrew and remove the charger. This was a good move, and the first change I felt the boat electronics remodel required. Thanks G!

Next step was removing the Lowrance.

This cavity was to become a mounting base for a large Ram Mount to hold a second Helix 10. I noticed immediately that it would require some creativity, and elbow grease.

The faceplate certainly wasnât new looking, but I wanted to keep it and re-use it. It actually provided a template for the new base.

The tabbed cavity was going to require a sawzall to remove the perpendicular piece that provided internal support for the flush-mounted Lowrance. To build my base, I had to cut that out.

I donât care who you are; attacking your expensive bass boat with a power saw is not a comforting process â although required. Make sure you have the right blade type, blade length and you know exactly where and what you are cutting. Make sure there are no wires. AND, make sure power is completely cut off before you start any of this.

That inner cavity is where the internal pieces of the base plate would fit. As you can see, it took a little jury-rigging.

Hereâs a shot of the trimmed cavity ready for the baseplate installation.

Per Swindleâs recommendation, I decided to use PVC board, which is very lightweight, durable and fully weather resistant. I could have used marine-grade treated plywood, and that would have worked just as well I think. Here you can see I had to use two pieces of the PVC board to match the height of the face cover.

Eventually, this is how it will function. But I felt like it was essential to put two pieces behind the dash to sturdy it up â¦

â¦ which would look just like this.

It was proving difficult to fasten to the inside of the outer dash layer, so I chose to use J-B Weld to hold it into position until I was able to fasten the front face plate with carriage bolts.

This image shows how I clamped it into position allowing the glue to set.

Not super pretty, but this area would not ever be seen, and it is fully functional.

I painted up the front pieces. As you can see, the colors arenât a 100-percent match, but itâs close enough for what Iâm striving for.

Hereâs a quick look at how I hoped it would look once completed.

Hereâs an example of a problem I created for myself. Donât do it this way. I decided that I wanted to use carriage bolts because of the smooth, rounded head of the bolt would prove more cosmetically pleasing than a hex head. But what I didnât account for was that the PVC board is much softer than regular treated wood, and when I went to tighten the nuts on the backside, the top of the carriage bolt would turn. So, I used vise-grips to hold the bolt in place while I tightened the nuts. I said a lot of bad words during this process, so Iâd suggest hex heads.

Youâll also notice the two holes on the far left. Thatâs a mistake on my part. I measured incorrectly and drilled unnecessary holes. Way to go, Thomas â¦ But, the silver lining is the faceplate would cover it and no one would ever know. Measure twice, says I. I had to take the steering wheel off to get the bolts put all the way in, as well. Didnât see that one coming, and is another fine example of the unforeseen obstacles you run into when tackling a large install like this. Lesson after lesson.

Finished and ready for the Ram Mount. Again, itâs not going to win any beauty contests, but it’s fully functional and sturdy.

To have the necessary reach and flexibility to conveniently position the second dash unit, I went with a 2 1/4- Ram Mount base that extends 11 1/2 inches. The larger ball bases can take more torque when tightening, and therefore will not move as much when running in rough water. The specific model is a RAM-D-111-KNOB9HU.

Here the 2 1/4-base is installed.

And here you can see the positioning I was hoping for. They seem high in this photo, but Iâm over 6 feet tall, and have an easy viewing window between both units, and I can sit up straight and see just fine over the top. But, the cool thing about the left-hand Ram Mount is I can reposition it if I need to during long runs. Or even take it off completely.

Now weâre going to get into wiring. Before I go on, keep in mind that I have quite a bit of electrical experience from my days working in the construction world. If you are at all uncomfortable with running wires, ask for help! Or, perhaps take your boat in to have it done professionally. However, my goal in the following images is to mildly show you how I did it. Some specific tools and materials are required. In this image, I put both power sources to both units into one line on the battery.
I could have run the wires to the electrical board behind my dash, but Iâve actually found that those connections arenât as secure and have a tendency to break. I prefer to run the lines straight to the cranking batter. Again, this is my method of connection, and I did place an inline fuse on each line as an added precaution, but neglected to take a photo. See the blue and yellow electrical tape? More on that to come.

I decided to color coordinate each unit so I know exactly which line goes to which unit. The wires will be eventually run inside the boat gunnel, and knowing which line runs to which unit will be of tremendous help if I ever have to trouble shoot a potential problem. Plus it just adds a level of organization youâll be grateful youâve implemented. Canât claim responsibility for this idea; Doug Vahrenberg mentioned it in one of his many YouTube videos. His channel is a tremendous resource for Humminbird strategies and tips, and Iâd suggest checking it out.
I tape both ends of every cable to relate to which unit it will be connected to.

The next task was installing the in-hull transducer. This seemed like a difficult task, but it only took a few minutes and it works perfectly.

That round gooey hole is where the previous transducer was, and as you can tell I had a bit of cleaning to do. You need the areas to be clean and dry before applying the adhesive, which comes with the transducer kit.

Once I had the area cleaned and dried, I used a hand grinder to remove the old adhesive, which came right off. I also lightly cleaned the area where the new transducer was to go. Be careful to not accidently hit your livewell infrastructure, or youâll have another unwelcomed issue to resolve.

Now, that area is all cleaned up and ready for the âducer and adhesive.

The pink area is the raw fiberglass. You donât need to dig into it with the grinder, just scuff the surface and remove the paint. I used a fine-grit sandpaper to smooth it out as much as I could. Here you can see the position objective.

Use nearly all of the adhesive that comes with the âducer kit. Put it in a blob like this. Iâd suggest keeping a small amount to put on the bottom of the âducer.

Just like this.

Use a tongue depressor to finely smooth the adhesive over the bottom of the âducer. Make sure there are NO bubbles.

Place the âducer in the glob of stuff and give it a quarter turn while pushing it down to the bottom of the glue. At this point, I let it sit for 24 hours to make sure the adhesive fully set up. Regardless of how long you choose to wait, donât let it get wet until fully cured.

This cable will actually attach to a dual transducer cable adapter, and run into the right-hand unit, which will be the âslave unitâ, but to keep the cable unique and easily identifiable, I color coordinated it with the unit to which its information will be relayed to. In other words, Iâll run the in-hull sonar through the right-hand unit, but share that to the left-hand unit via Ethernet and the Humminbird Ethernet hub. More on that to come.

At the rear of the boat Iâll be attaching the second transducer, which will provide Side and Down Imaging to the right-hand unit.

Itâs very important that the transducer be flush with the bottom of the boat in this position.

I hate drilling holes (again) into the back/bottom of my boat. But to get this thing installed without risking leaking, use marine-grade silicone in the screw holes and around the edges of the âducer mount. Donât let it get wet for 24 hours.

Once you have it positioned correctly, tighten the bolts.

Notice the yellow tape? Again, thatâs to keep myself organized after each wire is run through the gunnels.

Blue tape indicates the in-hull transducer, yellow is Side and Down Imaging.

The plug on the left is for the SI and DI, on the right is standard sonar.

Make time for refreshment. Trust me on this; youâll cuss much less.

Ok, this is an electricianâs cable snake. They cost $12 to $15 at just about any hardware store, and this will make running cables in your boat much easier. Iâm so thankful I had one of these handy. For most boats, a 25-footer is all youâll need. Basically, I tape the cable-end running the opposite direction of the cable snake, and I tape it up good. Eliminating all hard edges with electrical tape will reduce the changes of it getting hung up inside the gunnels.

After running the blue power and transducer cables they can be easily managed at the unit head.

Same with the yellow cables and unit.

The dual transducer adapter is to be used if you want to run one of your dash units as the âslave unit,â which serves information to your other Humminbird units. You can run the in-hull âducer cable directly to itâs associated head unit, but with the advancement of Ethernet connectivity, all the information can be shared throughout your boat. More on the Ethernet hub later.

Placing the cables into the correct slots on the main cable connector is simple and each has a unique shape, so thereâs no messing it up.

I was surprised at this, too. The first attempt to connect and power up the two Helix 10s was successful. One of the best attributes to these units is they are very easy to set up and turn on. Right out of the box they work. The time consuming part on my end was rigging my boat to effectively accommodate this new set up â actually setting up the units is a breeze.

The Ethernet hub is still yet to be installed and explained. Read on.

At the bow, I needed a Dek-It bridge-style mount
that would sit forward of and above the trolling motor pedal. I decided to go with the Dek-It 22.5 GPS. The mount is angled backwards to provide a user-friendly angle. On the front side of the mount you can also mount a GPS puck. The Helix units have the GPS transponder installed internally.

Like I mentioned, Iâm a taller guy and it can get tiring having to bend over to look at your bow graph, the Dek-It helped tremendously, but I wanted it a couple more inches closer to my nose. After seeing how Terry Scroggins and Gerald Swindle mount their bow electronics, I picked up this tip from them. Two pieces of PVC board add stability and raise it up the desired amount. Youâd be surprised at how effectively that little lift can be. This is your choice, but Iâm glad I did it this way.

Another look.

Here you can see how the unit will sit, and Iâm pointing where it will eventually be permanently mounted. But, before I can do that I have to install the Minn Kota Ultrex, and run all the wires together. So, that part of the project is on hold.

I decided to move on to setting up and installing the Ethernet hub. Here the picture shows me adding a length of cable on the existing hub power cable. Again, I could have simply attached it to the main power board beneath my dash, but I elected to run it straight to the battery in the back of the boat, which required cable extension. I wrap the entire length of cable with black electrical tape to add durability and reduce the chance of tangles.

The hub requires a power cable, so I chose green electrical tape to make it easily identifiable.

Hereâs a look at the cable ends before I installed the ring terminals.

I use heat-shrink tubing to further insulate and cover the main connections. Overkill? I donât believe you can overdue protection of your electrical connections. Youâre in a boat where water is kind of a key component. Water and electricity do not mix, so I take the extra steps to protect each connection. Iâll also tape each end with the corresponding color.
Yes, Iâm somewhat OCD, but trust me on this organization thing, if you ever have to pull cables or fix something, youâll be very glad you did it this way.

To run Ethernet from the bow, youâll need a 20-foot cable, 10-footers will suffice at the dash.

I also color coordinated the Ethernet cables to coincide with the respective head units. Yes Iâm OCD, we already discussed this. Stop making fun of me. J

The Ethernet hub is ready to be installed and hooked up to the battery. Weâll come back to this.

Next step was to remove the existing Fortrex to make room for the Ultrex.

Safety Note: Turn off the power to your trolling motor before messing with this connection. Iâve learned this the hard way by accidently crossing the points with a wrench. I saw a bright light. Call me Sparky. Seriously though, turn off the power.

Once unplugged, I was able to remove the Fortrex. I kept the trolling motor on the Minn Kota Quick Release bracket, but this is a personal preference. You can attach the trolling motor base directly to the bow of your boat if you like. But for my purposes, I prefer the base plate.

Here is the bottom of the Quick Release bracket.

Short bolts with a phillips head in a No. 2 hold the bracket to the base.

Hereâs a look at the bottom.

If you havenât tried one of these TH Marine prop nuts, youâre missing out. Basically, this thing threads onto the trolling motor prop shaft and adds stability and reduces noise when your prop is spinning at high rates of speed.

I install the base without the actual trolling motor on because itâs much lighter and easier to maneuver. The single Allen head is the only bolt that needs to be removed, then re-installed when you connect the motor to the bracket.

If you have a recessed foot pedal slot on your rig as I do, youâll need strong stainless screws, I used 2-inchers in a No. 10. Youâll also want a driver extension. For all the projects on my boat, I used an 8-inch model, but longer might be necessary depending on your personal situation. Youâll want an extension to install the screws that hold the trolling motor pedal securely inside the recessed foot pedal area. And pre-drill your holes with a drill bit just a shade smaller than the diameter of the screw threads. Too big and youâll strip out your holes. Trust me on this.

Youâll want to semi-deploy the trolling motor so you can raise and drop the foot pedal in order to reach each screw hole.

Connect to the power hub.

Install the kickstand so that it will sustain the weight of the motor when itâs fully stowed.

This motor features i-Pilot Link, which is an advanced navigation technology that connects the Humminbird units to the Ultrex. Iâll be producing demonstration videos down the road, but you can literally sit at your console and drive the trolling motor with a state-of-the-art handheld remote, among many other applications. You can also connect to the trolling motor via Bluetooth and run it from your smartphone or tablet. Howâs that sound?

To make this technology work, youâll have to run Ethernet and universal sonar from the trolling motor head down the drive cables. I cleaned the mess up with zip ties.

Left is Ethernet and right is universal sonar from the Ultrex.

Again, keep the cable snake handy to run cables from the front of the boat to the console to be connected to the Ethernet hub.

The purple electrical tape is to represent the trolling motor Ethernet. This cable will run from the bow to the console and the Ethernet hub, thus allowing the Ultrex to communicate with all three Helix units.

A key component to making all of this work is the GPS puck for the Ultrex. I set this up on the rear of the boat, where a previously existing GPS puck was positioned. The puck has an âupâ arrow above the Minn Kota label; this is to point towards the front of the boat.

Just like this. The power cables will run straight down into the bottom of the boat.

That round thing beneath the label is an indicator light that will be used when paring and calibrating the Ultrex. Read the instructions on that process. Itâs very easy.

To reduce clutter, I combined the GPS puck power cable with the Ethernet hub power.

This looks like a mess, but the white tape indicates the GPS puck and the green tape the Ethernet hub as youâll recall. Excess cable is organized as such and held together with a zip tie.

Moving to the bow again, and after the trolling motor is installed and ready to go, itâs time to wire and color coordinate the front Helix. This time, rather than run another cable all the way back to the battery, I decided to connect it via the electrical connection motherboard at the front of the boat. Iâm skeptical as to whether it will work long term or not, but Iâm going to give it a shot.

Here you can see the front Helix power cables are connected, and the main power source on the left with the blue top is ready to be reconnected.

All connected and ready to be installed beneath the cover plate.

Time to run Ethernet again. The purple is for the Ultrex, the orange is for the front Helix. Since, the purple tape has been confiscated by my 8-year-old daughter and used for a myriad of crafts. I canât complain about that. 😀

Iâve seen many boats have this unit installed inside, and to the rear of the front left â or driver side â rod locker. I think that would have worked just fine, but would have required me to put a couple additional holes in my boat. And, I wasnât super excited to do that. Instead I placed it beneath the console, and itâs completely out of the way of my knee when Iâm running the boat with the TH Marine Hot Foot. Also, notice the green tape? The adapter on the far right of the hub is the power source. So you can run up to five Ethernet cables through this unit.

Hereâs another look at it.

All the cables have been run from their respective units, and solidly installed into the hub. Yes, it looks like a mess, but read on.

After I straightened up the miscellaneous cables and Ethernet lines, it looks much better.

And, once again I surprised myself with a first attempt âturn-on,â and everything worked like a charm! I donât typically get that lucky, especially twice.

Hereâs a look at the installed Dek-It.

Youâll notice the trolling motor drive cable runs through the Dek-It.

The Helix 12 is installed and operating perfectly.

There are a couple of i-Pilot remotes to choose from, the one on the left features a touch screen and is Link compatible. These things are very cool, and offer the boater who has family who fishes with him an option of complete operation without actually standing on the trolling motor pedal. You can run it from the back of the boat, at the console, or wherever it makes sense. Talk about versatility.

The unit on the right is connected to the rear transducer, which also features AutoChart Live. Which means I can build a map of uncharted lakes. This is a key feature that has changed the game for me. Watch for more content on AutoChart Live down the road.

The Mega enabled Side Imaging is pretty amazing. Here, Iâm about to pass a structure in a small lake.

Look at the detail. You can literally count each fish that is positioned on the ladder-like structural element. Think thatâs the kind of information that will help you make better decisions on the water? It has for me.

The first test run.

The Ultrex is so easy to run, my 9-year-old son is already a pro. It has a progressive âthrottle,â meaning when you step on the button to engage the prop, it doesn’t just take off and nearly knock your passengers on their cans.

Our first trip helped me map a few spots on this lake with AutoChart Live, and identify specific areas that Iâd not known about before. As a result, my son and I caught 16 pounds between our best five bass.

We enjoyed our first run with the new Helix units, Ultrex and the i-Pilot system. I promise it was all worth the blood, sweat and tears of the install. And Iâm confident in the system because I did it all. Very satisfying.

Boat Makeover: Step-by-step electronics install

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