Upgrades - time to get started

Fplcman

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Tomorrow I get access to my boat to start my projects. I spent the winter spending all my money on boat upgrades. So here is list for the next few weeks:


under the seat lights - blue to match the other blue lights


underwater lights - 4 DS lights from Coastalnightlights.com


Garmin 53DV 


and other goodies... :)


I am so ready to get started!


84C7F47D-222C-49E1-A9D9-E023CC0AB48F_zpszgox07qr.jpg
 
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Good Luck fplcman, many on here probably want to do the same things.  Keep us posted and updated on how it goes as well as how you did it
 
Good Luck fplcman, many on here probably want to do the same things.  Keep us posted and updated on how it goes as well as how you did it

Will do. I will also post up before and after numbers on the engine upgrade. We will see if this big boat can hit 50 mph this year.
 
Nice project, take lots of pics.
 
Well I put in the ECU, installed the 4 underwater lights and installed the new Garmin. 


For the new lights I had to add a bracket.


This is weekend I will finish the wiring and get a picture of how they look. Then on to the LED lights for the seats. 
 
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Is that bracket glued on? The water will sure light up!
 
I'm thinking of upgrading to the Garmin 53DV and am torn between having Bennington add it with the boat build or if I should do it myself.  Looks like the 53 will fit just fine but being new to pontoon boats I"m not sure how the wire is run down the rear of the tube.  My understanding is that the 53 sits on a pedestal and this is how it gets it's connections.  I can't tell from the pictures if you used the pedestal?   I'm also curious as to how you ran the cable from the head unit to the sensor.  I'm a pretty handy guy but I just want to make sure I can run the cable myself with all the splash guards and everything else underneath.   Bennington is charging me around $950 for the upgrade yet I'm seeing these units available for under $500 - seems like a lot of money to have the factory mount.


Also, I'm curious as to how you plan to mount and power the LED seat lights.  I have read where people have attached to the bottom of the seats but I'm wondering how well that holds up when constantly opening and closing the seats to access the storage areas.  I'm thinking that attaching to the seat base at the top would be a better way to mount but am interested in seeing what you did.   Also, most LED systems that I am seeing, and from your pictures it looks about the same, it seems there is a AC power supply that powers these.  I'm curious as to how everyone is powering these with AC on a battery powered (DC) boat?   I'm wondering if there is a DC powered LED system?  
 
Well, I toyed with the same thing regarding the Garmin unit.  Yeah I could install it myself but I chose to just let them do it for a couple of reasons.  If they do the install it's covered under warranty for 7 years and I learned that Bennington had Garmin make a special cable for the transducer.  There's a connection about 4' from the transducer itself that gets tucked into the port tube.  If you ever damaged or had to change out a transducer it would be a piece of cake.  If you buy the Garmin unit off the shelf the transducer cable is one piece.  I was spending a lot of money on my new pontoon so spending another $500 was a no brainer for me.  It really is a great little unit.  Very detailed and a snap to use.
 
I'm thinking of upgrading to the Garmin 53DV and am torn between having Bennington add it with the boat build or if I should do it myself.  Looks like the 53 will fit just fine but being new to pontoon boats I"m not sure how the wire is run down the rear of the tube.  My understanding is that the 53 sits on a pedestal and this is how it gets it's connections.  I can't tell from the pictures if you used the pedestal?   I'm also curious as to how you ran the cable from the head unit to the sensor.  I'm a pretty handy guy but I just want to make sure I can run the cable myself with all the splash guards and everything else underneath.   Bennington is charging me around $950 for the upgrade yet I'm seeing these units available for under $500 - seems like a lot of money to have the factory mount.


Also, I'm curious as to how you plan to mount and power the LED seat lights.  I have read where people have attached to the bottom of the seats but I'm wondering how well that holds up when constantly opening and closing the seats to access the storage areas.  I'm thinking that attaching to the seat base at the top would be a better way to mount but am interested in seeing what you did.   Also, most LED systems that I am seeing, and from your pictures it looks about the same, it seems there is a AC power supply that powers these.  I'm curious as to how everyone is powering these with AC on a battery powered (DC) boat?   I'm wondering if there is a DC powered LED system?  

The 53dv comes with the flush mount hardware. Really easy to do and only took a few minutes. The wire was hard. I fished a line down the side following the other wires then pulled the Garmin wire down. I took the line across the center to the other side (you can use your phone to see under the rail). I ran out of wire so I have to order the extension. Took the extension up the hole with all the other wires and into the back of the Garmin. I have about $350 in the garmin and wires. 


I plan on doing the under seat lights later. It is raining and cold right now. 
 
Wow that is a heck of a savings from the $950+ the factory wants.  May be worth the effort.  Doesn't seem too bad, with the exception of the fish of the wires.  I am reading a lot about the splash guards being very difficult to remove and work around.  I may have to go take a closer look at the dealer to decide. 


Thanks for all the detail - it really helps me think through my project.


I found that Wet Sounds actually sells LED lighting for interior use with a pretty nice remote.  It also powers using DC connections.  That is the first I have seen of this type of power vs. the AC adaptor.  I'm anxious to see how your turns out.  


Thanks again for sharing!
 
Wow that is a heck of a savings from the $950+ the factory wants.  May be worth the effort.  Doesn't seem too bad, with the exception of the fish of the wires.  I am reading a lot about the splash guards being very difficult to remove and work around.  I may have to go take a closer look at the dealer to decide. 


Thanks for all the detail - it really helps me think through my project.


I found that Wet Sounds actually sells LED lighting for interior use with a pretty nice remote.  It also powers using DC connections.  That is the first I have seen of this type of power vs. the AC adaptor.  I'm anxious to see how your turns out.  


Thanks again for sharing!

My lights are DC not AC. Ready to be hooked up. 
 
I used electrical wire pulling sticks and had little trouble pulling a transducer cable for my Dragonfly unit.  
 
Fplcman, can you tell me who manufactures the LED interior lights that run on DC?
 
The 53dv comes with the flush mount hardware. Really easy to do and only took a few minutes. The wire was hard. I fished a line down the side following the other wires then pulled the Garmin wire down. I took the line across the center to the other side (you can use your phone to see under the rail). I ran out of wire so I have to order the extension. Took the extension up the hole with all the other wires and into the back of the Garmin. I have about $350 in the garmin and wires. 


I plan on doing the under seat lights later. It is raining and cold right now. 

This is exactly what I experienced when I tried to install the 547XS transducer. I fished it all the same way, bought a cable extension to run across, etc. I had the sticks and fish tapes from doing electrical work, but it didn't really help much in this case.
 
Too bad they don't run conduit of some sort, even pvc to make these installations easier. I'm finishing my Aunts basement and I ran pvc to the outlets where the TV's will be located. This way as technology changes over the years you can easily pull out one cable and easily insert another. A couple bucks now and a little time to save a lot of money and time later.
 
Especially when they know owners are doing these kinds of upgrades.  Internal to external such as upgraded depth finders, and lighted hulls.
 
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