I will probably leave it as is for now until I get to use the boat more and give me a better of idea on what I want to do. I just know in the past we always utilized that space for co angler storage or a day box to throw scale, rain jackets, cull beam etc in. It is nice to have the dry storage of a sealed box. I'm sure for the foreseeable future it will be a diaper bag, snacks, toys, and wife's bag.Originally Posted by bass-o-maticjm
Thanks Lea. I agree, batteries are getting moved asap! I asked about the center section because I just didn't see why champion would build a boat from the factory with two ridges that stuck up in the floor for people to step on. Not a huge deal you just don't see stuff like that in the fit and finish of today's bass boats. I had also seen many of the older 20+ foot models that have the drop in deck insert. Didn't know if this was made for something like that.
The boat had two previous owners that I know of. Yes, the previous owner seemed to prioritize function over fashion. I have found a few things that leave me scratching my head but that has always been my experience buying used boats. Part of the fun I guess!
Thanks! I appreciate the info. I will definitely try messing with the Tach before I toss it for a new one. I hate to admit my ignorance here, but I don't even know how to tell the difference of the 2.5 vs the 3.0. How do I know which one I have?
When I can afford a new trolling motor, (not anytime soon) I will probably opt for a 24v just so I can save weight, space, and battery cost by eliminating a battery. 90% of my fishing will be on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend with possibly an occasional trip to check out other East Texas Lakes. I really think a 24v will suffice. Thanks for all the advice
OK, As I thought, Brochure shows plain carpeted flooring between storage/rod lockers.
You can post the motor vin number on the mercury board and they will tell you what size motor you have.
On my 190, I don't think I could have fit a third TM battery in the bilge if I had wanted to because of the gas tank. Your tank may be different. You might want to measure carefully before changing things. That could be why the previous owner put them up front. I was about to fall asleep on my last response and didn't even think about it. But yeah, the 3.0 made it sit pretty dang low in the water. With anyone on the back deck, the splash well drain tubes were partly submerged.
Great story about a great boat! Congrats and looks great.
Thanks for the info! I posted on the Mercury forum yesterday and according to those guys, I have a 2.5L. That's a relief to me as I really did want the boat sitting too low in the rear and having to deal with the water over the splash Well.
Here is a picture of the rear compartment with batteries in place. I believe I've got plenty of room for everything. Yours was different than this? You see any reason I shouldn't proceed forward as originally planned?
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Well life has been in the way and I haven't gotten around to updating my progress. I'm Gonna try to update this thread while I am off for thanksgiving break. I was able to get most of the big projects on the boat finished and got it moved to the lake house garage. I thoroughly enjoyed working on it...but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for that part to be behind me. (My Wife more so lol) Now on my days off I can actually go fishing or take the boat out instead of working on the darn thing. And my wife gets her carport back so she is happy. Now that Football season is over for me....I plan to hit the lake and get some long needed time on the water. Pics and Progress to come....
Good luck and keep us updated.
Next up was the electrical project. I was a little intimidated to tackle this....but I really wanted reliability on the water and peace of mind knowing things are safe and done right to eliminate future headaches. I also knew it was going to cost me some money and time, but still well worth the investment IMO. I wanted things set up to my liking with fuse box, easy access to breakers and charging ports, cleanly run wiring etc... and if I was that far into it, it only made sense to go ahead and rewire the whole thing. After hours of planning and research, I dove in. First step was removing all old existing wiring. It didn't take long to feel better about my decision when I found multiple suspect connections, burnt wire, wire nuts with rusted connections, inadequate wire or fuse sizes, bare wire showing etc. Here are a few pictures of the wiring I pulled out of the boat.
Trolling Motor wire ran through the rod locker. Was under sized and the wrong type of wire.
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Lights were wired into rod boxes but loose hanging wire and electrical tape connections
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Rusty connections caused by wire nuts
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Janky loose connections, some didn't even have electrical tape to cover bare wire
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melted wire
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Original wiring harness that was ran through gunnel to the bow. Nav lights were about the only thing left being used
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Old trolling motor wires left running in gunnel but not being used.
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Last edited by CoachClark; 12-05-2023 at 11:41 AM.
ALMOST all of the wiring that I removed from the boat.
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Attachment 537597
Old Trolling motor wire hanging in the bilge area unused
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Last edited by CoachClark; 12-05-2023 at 01:30 PM.
I played around on the computer to help map out the wiring and get things straight in my head. After a few different battery layouts I decide this one gave me the cleanest battery setup while allowing me to put breakers where I wanted.
Here is the rough drawing but doesn't show all the details
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Let the fun begin! The first of many Amazon orders delivered to the house. I spent the money and bought all marine grade stuff and from Blue Sea Systems on just about everything. Tinned copper Wire, Fuse Blocks, breakers, perko switch, Lugs, Butt connectors, heat shrink etc. I'll admit, the cost adds up quicker than I anticipated...and I ended up needing several more things to get it how I wanted so I lost track of how much the rewire cost me.
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A big job, but somebody has to do it !
Good call on the re-wire.
I began the rewire with a new trolling motor plug and receptacle from Marinco. I had to make new panels to mount them on as the old ones were not original and had been rigged with whatever material someone had laying around. I used ABS plastic ordered from Amazon. I cut the square panels with a miter saw with a wood blade, and the round holes for the receptacle with a hole saw. The miter saw works pretty well because it was quick, but the hole saw had a tendency to heat up and melt the plastic a little as it is cutting. Not a big deal, it still came out great...but I got cleaner holes by letting it rest some to cool off. I filed/sanded the holes a little after to clean the edges up. I think using a router to round the edges of the panel might class it up a little, but it works for now.
Marinco 70 Amp plug I used. The original plug was a small cheapo walmart plug not rated for bigger trolling motors. No clue how it hadnt burnt down yet, but I got a heavy duty one rated for the 36v trolling motor.
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Front of the panel
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Back of panel
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Wiring up the plug. I had previously wired the plug into the old wiring, so when I installed the new wiring I had to order more ferrules off Amazon. The plug only came with 3, so if you ever upgrade trolling motors or have to rewire, you'll need more.
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The original trolling motor wire was unused but still running through the gunnel so I was able to tape them together and pull the new wire through. I used 6 gauge Tinned copper wire from Ancor. (25ft roll of red and black)
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I was most excited to get started on the bilge area. For cleanliness and convenience, I wanted everything set up on breakers and switches...and mounted where it looked good and was easy to get to. I also felt better knowing I could cut the power off to everything when I left the boat at the lake house. During my research, I found a thread on here by "86 inches" and I really liked how he had his set up. I reached out to him and he was helpful getting me started in the right direction. Big thanks to him! I used his setup and pictures for reference...and tweaked mine as I went.
I used heavy duty poster board to for a template to make the panel and mounting holes. This panel will go in the bilge on the port side and will house the Charging port for the NOCO onboard battery charger, and the 60 amp breaker for Trolling Motor.
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Test fitting into the template. All is good, time to cut the plastic
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Placed template over ABS plastic, traced the holes, found the center, cut plastic with hole saw, then mounted onto the wall in the bilge where I wanted them.
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I mounted the plate to use as a guide for the hole saw. Word of advice....Drill these holes BEFORE you put the gas tank back in!Luckily I had enough room to still get it drilled without removing the tank, but it would have been MUCH easier without the tank in the way. Because I had to drill at an angle, I had to take a file and make the fiberglass flush with the bottom of the hole to get the breakers to fit. It did give me an excuse to buy a new tool though! With not much room between the tank and wall, I had to buy a 90 degree screw driving adapter to drill the mounting holes. This added a little time and mess to the project, but still turned out great.
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Mounting the charging port and TM breaker
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Last edited by CoachClark; 12-07-2023 at 01:25 PM.
Same process for the starboard side. This panel will be for 30 amp main breaker for all my electronics, as well as a battery cutoff switch to the motor.
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Ran into a bit of a problem that might help someone down the road. I cut the inline fuse off the jack plate wiring because I was going to run it to the fuse block with everything else. After some reading, my blue sea fuse block has a 30 amp maximum for each slot. The Jack plate calls for a 40 amp fuse...(previous owner also had the wrong size fuse by the way with a 30 amp installed) It worked without blowing the fuse...but I wanted to do it right. The cheap solution was to just put another inline fuse coming off the battery for it....but I really didn't want to do that since I had spent so much time and effort trying to make everything else look clean and nice. Plus I liked the idea of having all fuses in one location for troubleshooting instead of having multiple inline fuses all over the boat...
I decided to put the jackplate on a 40 amp breaker instead of a fuse. I couldn't find anybody else who really did this...but I don't see why it would hurt. Plus, it would also allow me to turn power off to the jackplate as well to prevent my kid from raising and lowering the jackplate when playing in the boat like she loves to!
I got lucky and had enough room. I cut a new panel and drilled another hole to mount it on the starboard side.
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Time to wire up the breakers and cut off switch.....
Had to buy a special crimping tool off amazon. It worked well. All tinned copper, with Marine Grade heat shrink. Got everything wired and mounted but forgot to take a final pic. I will upload one of bilge area later.
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Last edited by CoachClark; 12-08-2023 at 10:11 AM.
Before I got too far into it, I wanted to get the fuse block wired in and hook up things as I go...just to make sure things work properly without getting ahead of myself. The fuse block was originally just laying in the bilge area, but I decided it might be best to move it under the console. This will keep it out of a damp/humid bilge environment, and will allow much easier access troubleshooting on the water. It's a lot easier to get under the console than in the bilge area when on the water. This would also allow shorter runs to my switch panels and toggle switches on the dash, making adding accessories in the future much easier. It will still be protected from rain and the elements and is made to be waterproof/resistant.
Blue Sea fuse block mounted under driver console. I drilled holes through the rod locker wall and mounted the fuse block with bolts.
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Beginning to get things hooked up. I ordered wiring with the protective jacket for a cleaner look, as well as allowing me to label it for easier troubleshooting.
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Getting wiring tidied up and ready to be hid in cable sleeves
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