255 FSH Sport E Trolling Motor Project

[Roger Vrooman]

Sorry, yes, another one ;-)

A couple of weeks ago, decided to pull the trigger and start buying the pieces/parts/equipment/tools to install a trolling motor on our FSH!!! As I get into a few questions, would like to thank the following for helping so far:

@MilesPrower -- has been a good local friend who has been "barraged" with questions, and always takes the time to provide a very good answer!!! Sure I owe him dinner/drinks in the future!!!

@FSH 210 Sport -- checks in on me every now and then to see how things are going, really appreciate it!!!

And the numerous visits to their install threads -- @Zackdadams , @PerkDaddy and Riley Porter from the FSH Facebook Group.

Here is the gear I have so far:

Motorguide Xi5, 72", 105, 36v trolling motor:


Sorry for my mess, and should've taken a picture when I first opened the box...

The rest of the gear, so far:


Shuttleslide-EXD-7--everyone talks about how nice and helpful this staff is, and after a couple of interactions, I can vouch for them 100%!!! On one call, a tech said, give me about 30 minutes, and I will go mount a MG on the EXD-7 plate to ensure that is going to work for you... Now, that is great customer, service.

You can see 3 different thru the deck plugs, I ended up going with the Minn Kota, based on Riley Porter's suggestion and it just looked beefier than the rest... 6 ga primary wire, still waiting on my rolls of wire split looms... MG NMEA 2k gateway kit to connect to the Simrad... I will try to remember to come back and attach links for everything... 90%, if not more, were just off of Amazon...

Test fitting, trying to figure out the best installation points, etc...
Looks like the EXD maybe a little wider than the UHD looking at pictures of other installs... Right now, I am trying to balance how far inward or outward the motor-head fits, and it is hard trying the find the goldilocks "spot" ;-). Too far outward and I worry about the trailer post guides catching when I load/unload, too far inward and I am worried about where to install the Ram Mount stabilizer... 1st world problems I guess, lol!!! I don't get my Ram Mounts until the 16/17th, so that has been a thorn so far...

Batteries/charger/etc:


One of my Air Force buddies is a bass fisherman in Texas and recommended the Ionic's to me, so I went with 100ah batteries, their Ionic 3 battery charger, and also got their aluminum 3 battery tray... Kind of funny, that most of the battery choices I've seen since I've been researching have all been different brands... Chalk up another brand to the FSH trolling motor projects... I almost went with 50ah batteries to save some cash, but my gut said to drop the money now and don't leave room for regret when you're out fishing and have no more juice!!!

Finally, onto my first questions
Q1) In the head cabinet, underneath lip on the bow/starboard side, has anyone successfully drilled in this area to run wires into the trash can cabinet??? I would "love" to install my external NOCO Power socket on the starboard side of the boat where I have my other one for the Yamaha batteries... Reasons, 1) I'm lazy, that's the side closest to the house where I plug-in ;-), 2) will be easy for me to take a quick glance and ensure both are plugged in, and 3) would prefer to have the charger installed on this side under the lip... I may be able to get the NOCO 12' cord to reach from a port-side installation, but see #s 1 and 2 above ;-).



Q2) Is there any reason to "raise" the battery tray off the deck here??? I have some 3/4" thick starboard that I could make some feet out of, just don't know if there is a good reason to do this or not...

Well, that's it for now... Will report back it I make any progress or headway!!! TIA for helping out with your advice, tips and tricks...

Thanks much

vr
Rogman

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I cannot comment on question 1.

Q2. Does the battery tray have drain holes in it? It probably should just in case water gets in there so it will drain. The battery looks like it is sitting on dry deck? To answer your question, I do not think it needs to sit on anything. My plastic battery trays are screwed right to the grey liner.

Be sure you charge the batteries before hooking them up in series.

You will be happy you went with the 100Ah batteries. The only suggestion I have for you on the batteries is to get a Victron energy smart shunt. I put one on my trolling motor battery bank and it works great! You can then just look at your phone and the smart shunt will tell you state of charge, voltage and how many amp hours / kwh‘s you’ve used. Takes all the guess work out of knowing how much energy you’ve used and how much you’ve got left.

I have the MinnKota plug on my trolling motor and it is beefy and I’m happy with it.

I don’t see any 3M 4200 sealant in your pile of goodies… may want to get a couple of tubes of that so you can seal the trolling motor mount screws and such when you do the final assembly so you don’t get water migrating past the mounting screws as time goes on.

NOCO makes a splitter version of the socket to plug the AC cord into for the chargers, rated for 15A.

NOCO - AC Port Plug - GCP2

A remote AC Port Plug with an integrated extension cord that requires zero cord modifications. Perfect for engine block heaters, chargers, and more.

no.co

That way you have just one plug to use instead of two. I have one of these splitter types mounted in my center console port side, and this is connected to two MinnKota chargers, a 10A (30A total) three bank and a 10A (20A total) two bank, that’s a total of 6 amps on the AC side so you should have no trouble using one of those splitters.

Looks like you have done your homework! Now its just a matter of the doing!

 

[Roger Vrooman]

I cannot comment on question 1.

Q2. Does the battery tray have drain holes in it? It probably should just in case water gets in there so it will drain. The battery looks like it is sitting on dry deck? To answer your question, I do not think it needs to sit on anything. My plastic battery trays are screwed right to the grey liner.

Each of the 4 corners of the battery tray were not welded, so it is just bent aluminum with about an 1/8" in each corner... I did cut out 6 blocks of Starboard so the tray is raised another 3/4" off of the deck!!!

Be sure you charge the batteries before hooking them up in series.

You will be happy you went with the 100Ah batteries. The only suggestion I have for you on the batteries is to get a Victron energy smart shunt. I put one on my trolling motor battery bank and it works great! You can then just look at your phone and the smart shunt will tell you state of charge, voltage and how many amp hours / kwh‘s you’ve used. Takes all the guess work out of knowing how much energy you’ve used and how much you’ve got left.

Copy, and I would probably not have charged them in that manner without your advice... Thanks much!!!

I have the MinnKota plug on my trolling motor and it is beefy and I’m happy with it.

I don’t see any 3M 4200 sealant in your pile of goodies… may want to get a couple of tubes of that so you can seal the trolling motor mount screws and such when you do the final assembly so you don’t get water migrating past the mounting screws as time goes on.

I keep at least 5 packs of 5200, 4200, and marine silicone in my work bench, but great advice, thanks!!!

NOCO makes a splitter version of the socket to plug the AC cord into for the chargers, rated for 15A.

NOCO - AC Port Plug - GCP2

A remote AC Port Plug with an integrated extension cord that requires zero cord modifications. Perfect for engine block heaters, chargers, and more.

no.co

That way you have just one plug to use instead of two. I have one of these splitter types mounted in my center console port side, and this is connected to two MinnKota chargers, a 10A (30A total) three bank and a 10A (20A total) two bank, that’s a total of 6 amps on the AC side so you should have no trouble using one of those splitters.

Looks like you have done your homework! Now its just a matter of the doing!

Love this idea, but I know I would have to run an "extension" from one of the dongles to reach the head compartment... I originally installed my single NOCO opposite of the fuel tank filler door... I would not hesitate to swap it out for a double, but after asking NOCO, they did not recommend any extensions between their plug and the plug for the charger... I would guess I would need an extension about 20-25' to run from rear starboard, to rear port, to forward live-well and over to head compartment, unless there is a way to run down the center by the fuel tank, then I would estimate about 15'-ish feet between the NOCO plug-in and my IONIC charger in the head compartment.

I am looking at the shunts, and trying to figure out where I would put it and how to wire it into my current wiring plan... Thanks again,

vr
Rogman

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The shunt would mount on the wall of your head compartment behind the batteries. You connect the 36V ground to the battery side of the shunt and the other side is where the ground from your trolling motor goes. There is an app you download from Victron very svelte.

I can see why NOCO would advise against running an extension cord but the amp draw for your three battery charger is very small.

10Ax3=30A, 30A x 14.4= 432Watts / 120VAC=3.6A.

Pretty sure you can just run a 14AWG extension and not experience any voltage drop. But if it’s cleaner and easier to run it outside adjacent to the head compartment….

 

[Roger Vrooman]

The shunt would mount on the wall of your head compartment behind the batteries. You connect the 36V ground to the battery side of the shunt and the other side is where the ground from your trolling motor goes. There is an app you download from Victron very svelte.

I can see why NOCO would advise against running an extension cord but the amp draw for your three battery charger is very small.

10Ax3=30A, 30A x 14.4= 432Watts / 120VAC=3.6A.

Pretty sure you can just run a 14AWG extension and not experience any voltage drop. But if it’s cleaner and easier to run it outside adjacent to the head compartment….

Copy on the Shunt, thanks much!!! Thinking along the same lines on a 14AWG extension cord... Might shoot Ionic a quick question to get their take as it is their charger this time that would have the EXT cord in the loop... I can prolly guess what they are gonna say, but I will ask anyway ;-)

Put the batteries on the charger tonight based on your advice, thanks again... Batteries have internal bluetooth BMS, and here are a couple of screenshots on each battery...



May try this a trip or two with just the Ionic BMS App on the Iphone... The smart shunt is a more elegant solution, but I will prolly wait for a month or two before purchasing/installing that... Sure, I am gonna be mad at that decision once I'm on the water and wish I had the better answer, but what I currently have cost a lot more than I was planning (doesn't it always) ;-)

Thanks much

vr
Rogman

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Copy on the Shunt, thanks much!!! Thinking along the same lines on a 14AWG extension cord... Might shoot Ionic a quick question to get their take as it is their charger this time that would have the EXT cord in the loop... I can prolly guess what they are gonna say, but I will ask anyway ;-)

Put the batteries on the charger tonight based on your advice, thanks again... Batteries have internal bluetooth BMS, and here are a couple of screenshots on each battery...

View attachment 187977View attachment 187979View attachment 187980View attachment 187981View attachment 187982View attachment 187978

May try this a trip or two with just the Ionic BMS App on the Iphone... The smart shunt is a more elegant solution, but I will prolly wait for a month or two before purchasing/installing that... Sure, I am gonna be mad at that decision once I'm on the water and wish I had the better answer, but what I currently have cost a lot more than I was planning (doesn't it always) ;-)

Thanks much

vr
Rogman

Well that is way cool that your batteries have a built in shunt so to speak, and looks pretty darn comprehensive. Should be interesting to see if the 36V battery in the connection will show 36V, total watts and Ah’s. The Victron shunt will be redundant but as you say a bit more elegant but it will work…

When I got my Battle Born batteries, the instructions said to charge them up if they were going to wired in series.. something about all the cells being balanced.

You will be happy with the money you spent with the battery performance, you will be able to go all day long and still have WH’s left over. And, they won’t have the acid, the smell, the weight etc of the lead acid batteries.

As far as the extension cord goes, you have to run one from the house to the boat any way… Ionic can’t expect you to plug the charger into the wall socket. FWIW, I’ve used a 100’ 16AWG cord to run my two chargers without any issues.

 

[Zackdadams]

This is the one I used.
Its SJTW jacket means it's abrasion and water resistant.

GoGreen 14/3 25 ft' SJTW Outdoor Extension Cord
https://a.co/d/5ygiVBe

If you want to go a step above, you could get an SJTOW cord which adds oil resistance.

Southwire 14/3 SJTOW 25-Feet, Outdoor Extension Cord
https://a.co/d/34CTNNM

 

[Roger Vrooman]

Well that is way cool that your batteries have a built in shunt so to speak, and looks pretty darn comprehensive. Should be interesting to see if the 36V battery in the connection will show 36V, total watts and Ah’s. The Victron shunt will be redundant but as you say a bit more elegant but it will work…

When I got my Battle Born batteries, the instructions said to charge them up if they were going to wired in series.. something about all the cells being balanced.

You will be happy with the money you spent with the battery performance, you will be able to go all day long and still have WH’s left over. And, they won’t have the acid, the smell, the weight etc of the lead acid batteries.

As far as the extension cord goes, you have to run one from the house to the boat any way… Ionic can’t expect you to plug the charger into the wall socket. FWIW, I’ve used a 100’ 16AWG cord to run my two chargers without any issues.

Yepper, copy all, makes sense!!! Thanks much!!!

This is the one I used.
Its SJTW jacket means it's abrasion and water resistant.

GoGreen 14/3 25 ft' SJTW Outdoor Extension Cord
https://a.co/d/5ygiVBe

If you want to go a step above, you could get an SJTOW cord which adds oil resistance.

Southwire 14/3 SJTOW 25-Feet, Outdoor Extension Cord
https://a.co/d/34CTNNM

Thanks Zack, cord ordered... Appreciate the link... vr Rogman

 

[Roger Vrooman]

I've been sick most of this week, so not a lot of progress on the trolling motor install... Kind of sad, since the weather is beautiful today and would like to have the boat out!!!

Got the MK RTA-54, and have attempted to install... Guess I have something wrong, as the two pieces are not lining up by about a 1/16 or 1/8 inch... I've looked at the instructions, and can't figure it out, yet... Hard to really concentrate still being a little sick, but this is starting to piss me off... Really getting tired of taking stuff apart and putting it back together... UGHHHHH!!!

Guessing I got one or both of the pieces upside or something... Please shoot a reply if you can provide some advice on my way ahead!!! Thanks much...

vr
Rogman

 

[Roger Vrooman]

Brought the trolling motor in the house (wife not pleased ;-) ), so I could work on it in the AC!!! Removed the "inner" part of the RTA-54 to see if it "fits" with the Shuttleslide plate not attached, which it did... Can't really figure out why, but when I placed a stainless washer between the RTA-54 inner piece and the Shuttleslide plate, the quick release mechanism now engages/works... Don't know if this comprises the integrity of the entire unit or not, but will call Shuttleslide on Monday to ask them... Either way, I can now at least attach the trolling motor to the boat and finalize the placement of the bottom Shuttleslide plate and bolt it to the boat...



Also, a question of if needed, not needed or will it cause more damage than help... Thinking about putting a small amount of dielectric grease on extension cord connections to NOCO plug-in, and then using shrink wrap around the connection... Any issues with me doing that???



Finally, for now, I bought these handi-hoops to run Cat 7 ethernet cable in the attic, and was thinking (pretty dangerous, I know), maybe I could use these with some 5200 to keep all the new wire-looms up and out of the way... Thoughts???



Thanks much

vr
Rogman

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I think your idea of dielectric grease on the plug prongs is a great idea… you can put that stuff on all electrical connections. I’m not so sure about the heat shrink on the extension cord ends, due to the irregular shape it may just end up holding water / moisture in there. Just slather on some dielectric grease onto the prongs and I think you should be good.

I like the handi hoops! My friend gave me some of these little wire run mounts that I cannot find anywhere else that mount with a screw… used those on my recent wiring projects to keep things neat and tidy.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

 

[Roger Vrooman]

View attachment 188199

Very impressive and damn, that's tight!!! I can't ever seem to make wiring look even a fraction that good!!!

I think your idea of dielectric grease on the plug prongs is a great idea… you can put that stuff on all electrical connections. I’m not so sure about the heat shrink on the extension cord ends, due to the irregular shape it may just end up holding water / moisture in there. Just slather on some dielectric grease onto the prongs and I think you should be good.

Yepper, that's what I am worried about... I "may" take a couple of old extension cords, slather the prongs with dielectric grease, shrink wrap it, and then put it in a bucket of water for a couple of days, pull it out, let it air dry, cut it apart to see if water seeped in or not... Certainly don't want to make it a "haven" for moisture ;-)

Thanks much

vr
Rogman

 

[Roger Vrooman]

Before I start connecting all of my wires, can someone please look at this crude wiring diagram and see if I am on the right track??? Will never claim that I know anything about electrical work, so would like to ask the pros...



My questions:

1) Does it "matter" which lug on the BEP Battery Disconnect Switch??? I do NOT see either lug labeled which is frustrating...

2) I have the breaker wired up like the diagram that came with it-- Load to Trolling Motor, Line to/from battery positive, Correct??

3) For the batteries, does it "matter" in what order I connect these??? I had planned on the positive from the battery to the battery disconnect switch to be my last connection...

4) Currently, all the batteries have the charger leads attached... Can I install all the other wiring on top of the charging leads, or is it better to have the charging leads on top???

Thanks much

vr
Rogman

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Before I start connecting all of my wires, can someone please look at this crude wiring diagram and see if I am on the right track??? Will never claim that I know anything about electrical work, so would like to ask the pros...

View attachment 188514

My questions:

1) Does it "matter" which lug on the BEP Battery Disconnect Switch??? I do NOT see either lug labeled which is frustrating...

2) I have the breaker wired up like the diagram that came with it-- Load to Trolling Motor, Line to/from battery positive, Correct??

3) For the batteries, does it "matter" in what order I connect these??? I had planned on the positive from the battery to the battery disconnect switch to be my last connection...

4) Currently, all the batteries have the charger leads attached... Can I install all the other wiring on top of the charging leads, or is it better to have the charging leads on top???

Thanks much

vr
Rogman

1. No. It’s just a switch, on or off with no polarity or current flow detection.

2.Yes

3.As long as it is wired the same in your diagram. Try to assure the wires don’t end up under anything or in a place where they will get chaffed. Leave the conductors long enough to complete the wiring with the batteries not in the tray and then be able to move them into the tray.

4. Put the chargers leads on top of the main wiring. These main wires are much heavier than the charger leads.

 

[Roger Vrooman]

1. No. It’s just a switch, on or off with no polarity or current flow detection.

2.Yes

3.As long as it is wired the same in your diagram. Try to assure the wires don’t end up under anything or in a place where they will get chaffed. Leave the conductors long enough to complete the wiring with the batteries not in the tray and then be able to move them into the tray.

4. Put the chargers leads on top of the main wiring. These main wires are much heavier than the charger leads.

Very nice, thanks much!!! In other words, go with your gut, and stop being lazy ;-)

Thanks much

vr Rogman

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Negative ghost rider…. You’re not being lazy! That’s what this web site is all about! Getting input from others so we hopefully don't make a mess of things. You did your homework and made a plan, nothing wrong with asking the group for opines.

 

[Roger Vrooman]

Negative ghost rider…. You’re not being lazy! That’s what this web site is all about! Getting input from others so we hopefully don't make a mess of things. You did your homework and made a plan, nothing wrong with asking the group for opines.

Yepper, love your attitude, especially from someone that normally needs to ask a bazillion questions to get anything done!!! ;-)

Thanks much

vr
Rogman

 

[Roger Vrooman]

Guess it is time to kick it into overdrive on this install!!! Out fishing yesterday, and at second spot, go to pull up anchor to move, and it feels light, and all I pull up is the anchor chain and the shackle has come loose!?!?! WTF!!! I was just thinking I needed to install some stainless safety wire on all of my shackles... Guessing the fish are playing practical tricks on me and have the ability to unscrew shackles ;-) The ONE time I didn't have snorkel gear on board, go figure... $100+ Fortress donated to Santa Rosa Sound!!!

vr
Rogman

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Guess it is time to kick it into overdrive on this install!!! Out fishing yesterday, and at second spot, go to pull up anchor to move, and it feels light, and all I pull up is the anchor chain and the shackle has come loose!?!?! WTF!!! I was just thinking I needed to install some stainless safety wire on all of my shackles... Guessing the fish are playing practical tricks on me and have the ability to unscrew shackles ;-) The ONE time I didn't have snorkel gear on board, go figure... $100+ Fortress donated to Santa Rosa Sound!!!

vr
Rogman

As a friend of mine says, “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want”.

Sorry to hear about losing your anchor… Hopefully it was a good day otherwise!