My SX230 Trim Tab and Electrical System Install

[biglar155]

I'm mid-job at the moment but came back to the house for lunch and to let the boys mow the lawn. Figured I'd post the work so far:

So after a couple weeks of measuring, fretting, holding things in place, measuring, and fretting some more, I did the deed and started drilling holes in my boat.

I put some blue painters tape in place and with extra hands from the boys, we determined that this location seemed optimal.


Earlier in the week I had prepped a template for marking the holes:


The template also has a "stupid" side just in case:


Drilled two holes for the first (Starboard Side) tab so that I can hold in place and test. (I'd rather fill two holes than 18.)

Drilling was accomplished by STARTING with a counter-sink (gotta get the pointy kind - I'll post a pic as this thread continues), then drilling the correct-size hole. (Again, will post later, it's all written down on notes on the pad of paper sitting on the swim deck in storage).

With the holes drilled I ran the screws in to make sure I was good to go. On the first try, they were a little tight so I went up a size. After that they went in fine. (Yes this is a pic of the port side taken later. Back off man. Back off. )


To mount the tabs, I wound up having to remove my boat buckles to give them enough room to swing down out of the way. I'll still need to use an offset screwdriver to get them all in. (Already in the tool box.)

Then I just had to finalize the position of the actuator mount and pop a quick hole.

With all said and done, the bracket on the trim tab just makes contact with the boat when fully retracted. This shall cause me no loss of sleep, but I might add 1/16" to the gap between the front of the tab and the "step" in the hull if I were to do it over.


With one tab installed, I wired it all up to the controller (held in my hand) and a jump pack to make sure we had good movement and no binding. All is well.

I repeated the measurements (and double-checking) on the port side and life is beautiful.



Other than the small difficulty they will give me getting the screws in, my boat buckles will not be an issue due to the extension bracket I installed when I got them. The purpose of the bracket is to make sure the strap comes straight out of the ratchet mechanism. They came from Boat Buckle. I think I had to buy them separately.


Point is, they give me plenty of clearance with the tabs retracted so I don't have to relocate the straps.

One thing you'll want to watch for: Don't put the actuator bracket so close to the tie-down eye that the tie-down hook rubs on the actuator.

With both tabs "hanging" by a few screws, I ran another test and was satisfied with the install. We packed up and headed home for lunch.

Best part: I arrived home to find the 5200 and 4200 I ordered had arrived while we were gone so I can complete the install today.

More info and photos to come - but I think that'll be the bulk of it.

On the electrical front, I plan to install a panel under the port-side aft seat. The spot there is big enough for a 14" X 11" panel with a little extra clearance.

Here's what I'm thinking so far:


The black outline is 14 x 11 and the blue dots represent the mounting screws for the panel.

Having the ACR after the main disconnect is what I want. When I say "off," I mean "off." I want all contacts open.

Thoughts or advice on layout? I'm still fiddling with this one.

 

[tdonoughue]

You're missing a negative wire from the ACR to the battery, methinks. Should be at 6 o'clock on the ACR...

Why the double negative bus? Looks like you have a bar and then one in the top of the fuse box? Simpler with just one, no?

Nice job on the tabs. We were a little less careful. I didn't double check the college physics major in his measurements... You're doing a much better job. And ours works.

 

[biglar155]

Thanks! Things took a minor 'turn' during the second half. We got the port side tab installed and the actuator base installed (as well as the extra hole for the cable) and all was good. Didn't go overboard on the 5200 so didn't have it oozing all over the place. Used 4200 for the actuator base as I see that as a part that may need to come off someday to be replaced.

Then we decided to press on and do the starboard side. My method is to mount that hard-board template to the boat with the two "test" screws then use a 1/4" bit to mark centers of the holes. Then remove the hardboard and use those marks as a reference for the counter-sink, and finally drill the 7/32" hole required by the #14 SS sheet metal screws.

I had the hardboard mounted and the 1/4" bit chucked in. My two teenage boys have been very helpful on this project, but for a moment they were being teenage boys and I allowed myself to be distracted...... Yup... Popped two 1/4" holes in the boat before I realized what I had done.

Ran up to Fleet Farm to see if they had any #16 SS sheet metal screws but no dice. #14 was it. (It wasn't a wasted trip though. The ammo shelf was empty but I spotted a 200rd box of Fiocci 9mm that someone had set down on an end-display. I snatched that up!)

So now I need two #16 sheet metal screws to finish the job. Sigh. Not earth shattering though and so far I'm very happy with how it's turning out.


For the electrical: You are correct about needing a neutral on the ACR. I'll pen that in.

The big neutral bus is so I have a place to land the larger cables. Otherwise I'd be stacking up two battery cables and two engine cables on that little post on the distribution box. That doesn't feel right to me. (I get a little panel-building-OCD from one of the guys I work with.)

 

[Seadeals]

@biglar155 I love how you look at the bright side of things with the 9mm find. You’ll have [HASH=3748]#16s[/HASH] before you know it PLUS a box of 9mm to boot!

 

[tdonoughue]

On the dual negative bus, I get it.

So, then, why not just attach the big battery cables there and go from the bus to the fuse box, connecting the negatives of the circuits in the box to the box.

See? I speak anal/OCD, too...

 

[biglar155]

On the dual negative bus, I get it.

So, then, why not just attach the big battery cables there and go from the bus to the fuse box, connecting the negatives of the circuits in the box to the box.

See? I speak anal/OCD, too...

Yup. That's the plan. Neg of batteries and engines to the bus. Neg of fuse box to the bus. House circuits will come back to the fuse box bus.



Still not sure I love the placement tho. I'm really bad at layout for anything. Hence the dry-erase board. Even when I see it I still have to ponder on it for a while.

 

[tdonoughue]

That's ok. What is the rush? Let it fester, then switch it up and see if you can optimize. You'll be so much happier when you get it in...

 

[biglar155]

@biglar155 I love how you look at the bright side of things with the 9mm find. You’ll have [HASH=3748]#16s[/HASH] before you know it PLUS a box of 9mm to boot!

Gotta stay positive! It's tough sometimes but you have to focus on the things you can control - and walking by a lonely-looking box of ammo and deciding to put it in my cart is certainly something I can control.

As far as the miss-drilled hole, as it turns out, a pan-head stainless steel sheet metal screw to fit a 1/4" hole in fiberglass seems to be a bit of an odd duck. Apparently once you get past #14, you start going by size and I believe I'd need a 5/16" diameter screw - which I can't seem to find in the pan-head variety. It could be the fact that I'm not fully versed in the naming/sizing convention.

The hunt for said screw (on the internet) seemed to be generating more questions than answers so I went back up to storage to asses the situation. I made a discovery: Of all the holes I drilled, the two that I accidentally drilled out too large are the ones that I can access the back side of. Yes, it's through an extra layer of fiberglass, but a 1/4" SS screw with a washer and lock nut will work. Proper application of 5200 will keep this endeavor as water-tight as the other screws so I believe I'll be in business.

Hoping to put the wraps on the mechanical install either today or tomorrow. At trip up north this coming weekend to get the cottage opened up for Mom will mean the sealants will all have plenty of time to set up.

Then we're on to the electrical system.......

Lots going on this year so may not even get her wet but getting lots of projects done. If I do decide to write off the season, I'm going to use it as an opportunity to modify the trailer brake lines so that I have a flex-hose on the port side as well as the starboard.

 

[tdonoughue]

My misdrilled holes (the entire tab worth) I figured out before the 5200 set, pulled all the screws and quickly redrilled a quarter inch higher. Filled all the bad holes with 5200, plus the new holes, and re attached the plate (which then covered the misdrilled holes). No leaks so far (knock on wood).

 

[biglar155]

My misdrilled holes (the entire tab worth) I figured out before the 5200 set, pulled all the screws and quickly redrilled a quarter inch higher. Filled all the bad holes with 5200, plus the new holes, and re attached the plate (which then covered the misdrilled holes). No leaks so far (knock on wood).

My Dad always said "Wood putty and trim covers a LOT of mistakes. If you can't stop making mistakes, at least learn to control them so that you can cover them with wood putty and trim." ?

 

[biglar155]

So last night, I took Thing 4 up to storage with me and we got the starboard-side tab and actuator base mounted.

Remember how I mentioned that the actuator bracket "just" touches the boat? It occurs to me that I can take a file to that spot (on the actuator - not the boat) and take a couple of light passes. I'm willing to bet that if I take .030", I'll be able to slip a piece of paper between the bracket and the hull - which will mean I'm not in contact anymore.

Here's the port side all done up. (Didn't fish the wire into the boat quite yet.)




Next up will be to cut the hole for the controller. I plan to go with the spot behind the throttles - which means some of the last few warning stickers will have to go. Not sure I'll be able to handle the boat without them, but I'll do my best. I'll use the at-help feature if I have any issues.

I've got the "Mark II" version of my panel layout set and I like it better.

I may "go cardboard" with this one and see how it fits.

 

[tdonoughue]

If you rotate the fuse box 90 degrees CCW, a) the little labels on the cover won't be sideways and b) the negative block of the fuse box will be closer to the negative bus bar, making it less likely you short to the bus bar when playing with the positive part of the fuse box...

 

[Paulie]

So last night, I took Thing 4 up to storage with me and we got the starboard-side tab and actuator base mounted.

Remember how I mentioned that the actuator bracket "just" touches the boat? It occurs to me that I can take a file to that spot (on the actuator - not the boat) and take a couple of light passes. I'm willing to bet that if I take .030", I'll be able to slip a piece of paper between the bracket and the hull - which will mean I'm not in contact anymore.

Here's the port side all done up. (Didn't fish the wire into the boat quite yet.)
View attachment 121912

View attachment 121913

Next up will be to cut the hole for the controller. I plan to go with the spot behind the throttles - which means some of the last few warning stickers will have to go. Not sure I'll be able to handle the boat without them, but I'll do my best. I'll use the at-help feature if I have any issues.

I've got the "Mark II" version of my panel layout set and I like it better.
View attachment 121914
I may "go cardboard" with this one and see how it fits.

With reference to your controller for the tabs, I just finished my install last month and here’s where I mounted mine. I’ve been out a few time now and I’m very happy with the location. Easy to reach, sitting or standing.

 

[biglar155]

Finally making progress again. (Life sure keeps a person busy doesn't it?)

Panel board build v224.54 is complete. (Yes, there's been some analysis paralysis.) After adding fuses (didn't like the ones that mount to the battery terminals), I had 5 lbs of "stuff" in a 10 lb bag so - in spite of having cut, trimmed, drilled, and painted the original board - I started over.
Here's the result awaiting installation:


New box of terminal rings came in the mail yesterday. Got sticky-backs up the wazoo and some 2-part epoxy for mounting them to the boat so that they don't come lose.

The hole is cut for the trim tab control panel mount so "all" I gotta do now is get this electrical panel installed, pick up a couple new batteries (current battery is shot), get everything wired up, and put the boat back together.

I'm really trying to "do this right" in spite of being time-limited to work on it. If I have to sacrifice the season to accomplish a bunch of upgrades I've always wanted to do, then I'm resigned to it. So part of what's taking so long is when I look at something and go: "Oh. Not leaving that like THAT." Case in point: In the SX230 there is a cover on the starboard side of the engine compartment. I think there's 8-10 screws that hold it on and it's a PITA to remove when you wanna hook up the YDS. I purchased an inspection port that is removed by unscrewing the entire center piece of the port. That will simplify access. (I do have a minor concern about it coming un-done while underway. If that happens I'll have to mitigate.)

So progress continues. Hoping to get a few outings in the Fall but we'll see what happens. Biggest thing is that I'm knocking several items off of my wish list.