Best place to drill a hole in my new Waverunner (shudders)?

[daveyjones]

Hey, I am going to wire a Fishfinder/Depth-finder on my brand new 2023 VX HO. All the youtube videos on this have older models with cupholders - so they're drilling the wiring holes in the bottom of the cup holders. Has anyone performed an install on the new model with the multi-mount (threaded hole for accessories) without cupholders? Should I just drill adjacent to where the threaded hole is - or perhaps in the dash near the bottom? Also considering going where the removable trim pieces is on the top/side (right next to the threaded part). Really don't want to regret what I'm about to do! I'm using a RAM mount and a Garmin Echomap 44.

 

[Ronnie]

You may be able to mount the depth finder display without drilling any holes for the wiring, just run the wires under the seams of the body/cowling panels. You will have to drill at least one hole for the transducer wiring and two more to mount the transducer. I suggest you take a look at greenhulk.com as well since that site is focused on PWCs.

 

[daveyjones]

I'll look there too, thanks. I'm actually going to try mounting the transducer on a flat surface near the engine. One youtuber had success with this - he used "duct puddy" to hold it down. Sounds strange but worth a try. I don't actually care about crystal clear visualization or water temp. I mostly just want a decent depth finder and charts. I probably won't even use it for fish finding.

 

[Ronnie]

So you are going with an in hull transducer instead of mounting it on the outside of the hull? If so you have to use a solid adhesive like 3m 4200 or 5200 not silicone which is flexible and won’t work (I know this from bad experience). I think the transducer needs to be mounted in front of / away from the intake grate as well. The water passing under the transducer has to be “clean” (not disrupted or aerated). Good luck and please post pics of what you get going.

 

[daveyjones]

Sure, I'll follow up with results - may be a week or so.

 

[VitaminSea]

I have an older VX and added a depth finder. I installed the transducer in the hull, and have had good success. Kinda of hard to see in the picture, but it’s just to the right of the pump. If I recall, I did a test run with it held in place with some Gorilla tape and a little bit of water in the hull.

Good luck!

 

[daveyjones]

Cool. What did you use as an adhesive? Same as what Ronnie suggested? The duct putty stays malleable so it has an “undo button.”

 

[VitaminSea]

The instructions I were provided were to use a two part epoxy and to push down and rotate 90 degrees upon installation to ensure air bubbles were avoided.

I don’t recall the exact product, but it was most likely a JB Weld product. Hoping I never have to remove it.

Never heard of duct puddy.

 

[daveyjones]

I decided to take a conservative approach and run the wires through the blank plate that is in leu of where the audio controls would be (I did not opt for the audio package). I zip-tied the wires above and below the blank plate and, for lack of anything better, I used some black liquid gasket sealer to form good seal around where wires feed through the plate. I ran both wires through the existing boot below that's also zip-tied. I may rid myself of the RAM mount arm and mount the Garmin mount directly to the Quick-Connect/directly on the Waverunner. The RAM mount is good quality, but it doesn't seem necessary after my test run. Lower is better (out of the wind) and the Garmin is plenty large to see down low and can already tilt and rotate.

To really hide the wires I could have drilled in the center of the blank space to the left of the main display, but I just couldn't bring myself to drill there. And down low on the panel (where I originally planned) wasn't an option as there are three tabs there that would likely be compromised if I drilled above them.

My test run with my install was successful! I mounted the transducer with duct putty (of all things!) in a flat spot just to the stern of the oil filter. The readings seem accurate (I had readings from 1.5 ft to 20 ft) and the signal was constant. Also, the transducer didn't move one bit from my spirited test run where I left the water many times with some major impacts. Overall I'm completely happy and fingers crossed the duct putty will hold up for a long time. It stays soft and malleable, so I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. If not, I may go with something more permanent like suggested above!