[Hobie_Fisherman]

I eventually managed to spend some time modifying my Hobie Sports to add a fish finder, adjustable light and 12V power for an aerator.
I used a sealed lunch box to keep the battery dry and all the wiring to the switches and fuses. There are 3 illuminated switches (all fused) with a main fuse to the battery. All connections have been soldered and are covered with liquid electric tape. The lunch box sits on the ledge of the Hobie off the floor away from any water that may get in. The box does not move from the weight of the battery and is also secured by a velcro strip. The box is easily installed and removed after each outing and the battery can easily be removed from the box or left inside to charge (I have not had to charge it as yet after 3 outings).
All wiring inside the kayak is cable tied to the roof of the kayak off the bottom of the kayak.
The fish finder and light have a thin layer of silicon around the edge to prevent any water from getting inside. All screws, washers and nuts used are marine grade and will not rust.
The sounder I installed is an Eagle 168 and has improved my fishing greatly as it takes the guessing out of fishing. The light is also handy for very early morning starts or when you want to stay out that bit longer.
The battery also has potential to add more devices if required down the track
All of the parts were bought from Dick Smith and Bias Boating.
I hope this helps some of you.

 

[Hobie_Fisherman]

more pics

 

[YakAtak]

Nice work m8, love the adjustable light.

 

[Guest]

Nice job HF

One of the tidiest and most well thought out DIY jobs I have seen on here mate.

 

[RedPhoenix]

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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[Dodge]

Great work there HF, and looks the goods

 

[Blaen]

Very very nice, you have obviously put a lot of time and thought into it and it has paid off.

 

[Mattdogger]

Awesome work on the yak!! :shock: Very very impressive. I think you have given me the motivation to tidy up my wiring and get some switches and lights mounted on my battery box too! Sweet idea with those sticky flex clamps... great idea. 8)

Have you thought about putting the rudder sleeving in those flex crimps or would this impede the rudder's function?

Cheers

 

[Phoenix]

great job

 

[Hobie_Fisherman]

Awesome work on the yak!! :shock: Very very impressive. I think you have given me the motivation to tidy up my wiring and get some switches and lights mounted on my battery box too! Sweet idea with those sticky flex clamps... great idea. 8)

Have you thought about putting the rudder sleeving in those flex crimps or would this impede the rudder's function?

Cheers

Thanks Matt. That was the plan to give others ideas on how to mod there yaks as I have picked up alot of tips and ideas from this website.
The rudder cables go tight and move when used and is not necessary to use the flex crimps as they have the sleaving to protect it. The main reason to do it to the electrical wires was to keep it away from these moving cables and to keep it neat and out of the water, if any. I am using velcro on the strips as the double sided tape it comes with is not strong enough.

 

[onemorecast]

All great stuff especailly since I just got my Sport last week and am looking to accessorise it. I especailly like the aerator plug.

I (mentioned in another thread) have found that I may not be able to add a flush mount rod holder in the front of the seat as I don't thing there is room without cutting down some of the edge. So I am thinking of another removable one. That leaves the me thinking about the sounder as 2 forward rod holders may limit where I put it.

Anyway great job, you've given me some good ideas, if you don't mind might need to ask you a few questions when I get started

Eric

 

[Hobie_Fisherman]

All great stuff especailly since I just got my Sport last week and am looking to accessorise it. I especailly like the aerator plug.

I (mentioned in another thread) have found that I may not be able to add a flush mount rod holder in the front of the seat as I don't thing there is room without cutting down some of the edge. So I am thinking of another removable one. That leaves the me thinking about the sounder as 2 forward rod holders may limit where I put it.

Anyway great job, you've given me some good ideas, if you don't mind might need to ask you a few questions when I get started

Eric

No prob Eric.
I find I only use the front rod holder for holding my light flick stick with plastics - I don't use it for trolling, only the back 2. I reckon the fish finder is more important unless you can find somewhere else to put it.

 

[Mattdogger]

Hey hobie fisherman, cheers for the answer. I was wondering how you attached the flex clamps, didn't think double sided tape would be up to it. I was thinking kwikgrip or something... velcro is a good solution. 8)

I asked about the rudder cables because when I have the hull loaded up especially in the rear hatch area the cables sometimes get caught under the gear and its a real pain to stop and fix this up whist hanging to get amongst the fish ( usually a stray hiking boot is the culprit) :x Can you see any probs with using the clamps as long as they are in a position that is straight/under tension? I was thinking that this maybe why the sleeving is provided on the cable, so as it can be fixed and still be allowed to glide freely. :?:

Cheers!

 

[Hobie_Fisherman]

Hey hobie fisherman, cheers for the answer. I was wondering how you attached the flex clamps, didn't think double sided tape would be up to it. I was thinking kwikgrip or something... velcro is a good solution. 8)

I asked about the rudder cables because when I have the hull loaded up especially in the rear hatch area the cables sometimes get caught under the gear and its a real pain to stop and fix this up whist hanging to get amongst the fish ( usually a stray hiking boot is the culprit) :x Can you see any probs with using the clamps as long as they are in a position that is straight/under tension? I was thinking that this maybe why the sleeving is provided on the cable, so as it can be fixed and still be allowed to glide freely. :?:

Cheers!

Matt, I think your right about the sleeves so you can fix the cable - never thought of that. I have never needed to load up the yak like you so I have not seen the need to fix these cables as well.
The velcro has worked well for me so far - they have not seperated as yet (I wiped the surface of the yak with 100% alcohol before applying the velcro strips to remove any oil or dirt). I used quality velcro from work - not too sure were to buy it, don't buy the cheap stuff though.

 

[Mattdogger]

Dan?? I hadn't thought of it either till I saw this post and those clamps . I will give it a go shortly and let you know how it goes. I think the quest has a much more narrow rear taper than the others so it probably isn't such a hassle in the other models.

Hope the fish jump aboard to check out your fine work! :wink: