installing a depth finder

Hey fellas. I bought a new boat last fall. It is a 2008 Bass Tracker 175 TXW. I did not have a depth finder installed on the front when i purchased it(thought i would save money, but now I wish i had got it then). I have just bought a depth finder and have no experience installing them. I was wondering if any one could give me some tips. I have been told to connect it to the trolling motor power in the front, and then some one else will tell me not to do that. Just wondering what you guys thought.

I have hooked alot of them up to the back of the trolling motor plug without any problems.. Just be careful routing your transducer cable down the sides of your trolling motor mount so they don't get pinched or cut into... that is if you are gonna put the transducer on the trolling motor..

Have A 2007 Red 175twx Tracker Wiring Up Front Remove The Panel Board With The Trim Switch And Plug In In It Pull Out The Wires You Should Have Two Wires That Are Ready To Hook In To Just Skin Your Red And Black Wires From Your Depth Finder Back Place Into The Fittings And Crimp The Ends Should Be Ready To Go If Not You Can Run Off Of The Power To The Trim Switch Just Make Sure To Run A In Line Fues If You Do Hope This Helps You

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Originally Posted by acgriggs

Hey fellas. I bought a new boat last fall. It is a 2008 Bass Tracker 175 TXW. I did not have a depth finder installed on the front when i purchased it(thought i would save money, but now I wish i had got it then). I have just bought a depth finder and have no experience installing them. I was wondering if any one could give me some tips. I have been told to connect it to the trolling motor power in the front, and then some one else will tell me not to do that. Just wondering what you guys thought.

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Is you trolling motor running only on 12V ?
You don't want a DF hooked up to anything other than a 12V connection.

There is the possibility of elec. interference from the TM.
Test your wiring setup, first, before mounting the DF ... if you wire into the TM plug/front panel/trim switch. Turn on DF & whatever accessory you are wired into, and check to see if DF reacts negatively (screen distortion, frequency interference, or shutdown) If you get these things, when both units are "on/running" (specifically the TM, since you'll be using them at the same time) ... you might want to consider running the DF wires back to the starter battery, rather than connect them to the TM power source.

... cp :cool:

I would personally run a marine grade wire back to the crankin bat with a fuse, thats what I did with my pt185, that away I am sure there wont be any interfearence. I ran the wire down the side the trolling motor is located, I peeled the carpet back on the gunwhales and tucked it down and ran the wire to the rear of the boat and there is a little opening there and what I did when I got to that little opening was I got some string and a coat hanger and taped the string to the hanger and pushed it through till I could reach it and then taped the wire to the string and pulled it through, the reason I used the coat hanger over a fish tape is I can bend the hanger to the shape to go around all the stiffners in the rear of the boat. I would also sit in your front seat and set the df bracket down while in the seat and see where you would put the df, where you are comfortable with. My boat is pre wired for a df under the panel up front also but it is connected in the cockpit and who knows what that is split off of, thats why I ran it directly to the crankin bat

I have an older model PT 175, 1998. In mine, there was a PVC channel from the bow to the battery compartment that held the wires for the trolling motor and the power trim switch from the bow. I used an electrical fish tape and followed that channel from the front to the back, after removing the carpeted plate below the step on the bow. I was then able to fish the power cord that came with the depth finder from the battery box to the bow, pretty easily. This preserves using the original wiring, with inline fuse for the depth finder. If you wish to mount the transducer for the bow depth finder at the back of the boat, do same. I think somebody, maybe cane pole, had a neat diagram on here or pictures showing how best to run the transducer wire from the unit to the trolling motor prop unit. I have a minn kota powerdrive and just zip tied it at various points, making sure that it would not get pinched and that the trolling motor could be deployed / stowed without messing with the wires. I cant be sure but some tracker models provision for power to the bow as well and run an extra wire that feeds from the panel under the console, jsut for this purpose. Dont recall if mine had that or not.

Good luck!
chris

Hey MT where is that pvc in the front, is it visable I am trying to get a six gauge wire down the boat from troll motor to crank bat the boat is pt 185 2001 anybody with same boat tried to do same thing.

All the guys have given you some good advice. I would add, if you are mounting the transducer to the trolling motor, I always get a long piece of small rubber hose and split it down the middle. I open it up & put my transducer wire inside of it and wrap it with electrical tape in a few places. This really protects the wire. It has saved my butt on several occations! You can get the hose at about any hardware store. I like the clear. but fuel line hose works good too.

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Originally Posted by ezgo

Hey MT where is that pvc in the front, is it visable I am trying to get a six gauge wire down the boat from troll motor to crank bat the boat is pt 185 2001 anybody with same boat tried to do same thing.

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Mine is located on the right side of the boat, console side. If i recall, it was about 1" Iniside diameter, grey in color. From the console to the battery box in the back, there is a larger diameter for all of the steering cables, etc.

Once you remove the front plate, screws across the deck and then across the floor of the front of the boat, feel back under the right side of the front deck. Mine had some sort of foam all over the place as well, so its a little tight.

Hope this helps,
chris

Hey MT thanks I will check that I just recently bought 70 pound maximum but when I am on the lake and it is windy that 10 gauge wire that they provided it struggles the motor will cut in and out Thanks for the reply.

if you mount it on the back of the boat will you still get the same reading as you would if you had mounted it on the front?

Hey guys. Thanks for all the info. Got installed this morning. Works like a charm. Unfortunately did have time to catch any:mad:. But I am ready now. :D