A productive few weekends.
The batteries went in - I'm running with a Group 24 Starting Battery, with a Group 27 Bank Battery. The smart battery switch is being wired in. This will allow me to run my bank battery for the trolling motor down to almost nothing, and still have reserves to start and motor back to the dock.
In the battery picture, you can see the plug where the trolling motor will be installed on the rail. The T/M was previously wired directly to the battery. With the plug, I can now put an inline fuse on, and not risk frying the rest of my electronics if the T/M shorts.
You can see the plate on the inside of the splash well that will hopefully add some strength to the single piece transom wood. It's not plywood, it's a single piece of douglas fir, and some were concerned about the torsional strength. Hopefully the plate adds some guts to it. But I'm only hanging a 20 Hp two stroke on it, so I'm thinking it will hold without issue.
I had an extra battery powered LED light, and a big hole from the previous owner in my bow, so the light was installed there, right behind the new LED bow light.
The switches were also installed in the dash. I have a six gang switch panel with fuses, a voltage meter (with three-way switch so I can check either battery), two 2-position toggles, a 12 volt socket, and a two plug USB charger. I don't know which switch will work which electronics yet, but I think I have more than enough. Likely some will be left open to add other electronics later.
Just behind the front bench, and in front of the rear bench, are directional LED lights. These can rotated to be pointed 180 degrees. So, when we're fishing at night and have to tie a knot, I don't have to turn on every light in the boat.
Also, just in front of the console and in front of the rear bench I've put another 12 volt plug and USB plug. There's one of each in both locations. People will be able to charge their phones, or I can move the position of my underwater light. The 12 volt plug in front of the console where will be where my aerator will plug in. The bait bucket will sit between the console and the front bench.
There will be inline fuses on most of the runs.
If you look closely, you can see the bus bar under the console. All the power from the batteries will be sent there, then distributed to the dash. This will allow me to trouble shoot electronics right under the console, rather than chasing bugs all over the boat.
Last, I replaced the data plate. I had to drill out the rivets on the metal plate, and before I could punch the rivets out, my son grabbed the plate and bent it. I hammered it as flat as I could, but it's pretty warped. Another imperfection I'll have to live with, as the plate no longer sits flush with the rail.
My daughter has been jealous of her brother helping Daddy on the boat, and wanted to contribute something. She's been drawing pictures, and asking what she can put on the boat. She has a shirt that has a picture of a giraffe on it, and it says "MOO, I'm a Goat." She thinks it's hilarious. She comes up with different incorrect animal combinations. When I had extra space on the data plate, she suggested it say "Quack, I'm a Donkey". It's her contribution to the boat that will remind me of my goofy little 4 year old as long as we have the boat (no matter how old she gets).
I also added red LED strip lighting under the rails on both sides of the boat. That was a pain in the butt. The adhesive on the LED strips is awful, so I had to put outdoor double-sided tape on the underside of the rail first. But of course, the tap was too wide for both the rail and the strip lighting, so I had to cut it. That was awful - trying to cut it with an exacto knife while not destroying it was frustrating. Then laying it out on my back, and again to stick the LED strip to it. Ugh. The LED Strips will have RF remote sensors installed, so I can dim them, make them flash, etc. It's a vanity project, to make the boat look cool while we're running at night. Maybe it will be useful while we're anchored and fishing, but I doubt it.
More wiring next weekend!
Hopefully the OB will be done soon, because we're getting really close to putting her back in the water. SPLASH!!
