Dauntless 200; Adding Trolling Motor

[BoS]

For anyone who has added a bow-mounted trolling motor to their Dauntless: did you [pull wires through the hull]?

I have an 2007 200 Dauntless without the fishing option. I plan on pulling wires through the hull rather than having them cross the deck.

[Phil T]

You do realize the hull is completely filled with foam.

The generally accepted advice for owners that do not have the bow pre-wired is to:

Wire and install a plug in the forward or side wall of the console.
Fabricate a heavy duty electrical "extension cord with a plug at the motor and a plug for the console receptacle.

When not in use, store the cord in the console or other storage area.

[floris van den berg]

I am curious how you would pull the wires through the hull .
You might want to look into a way of pulling the wires throught the front navigation light channel.

How Phil discribes how to wire the motor is how I do it and it works fine btw

[BoS]

[According to the owner's manual for a 200 DAUNTLESS the combined sidelight lamp] wiring runs through a rigging tube. I am hoping this tube is large enough to pull thru as well a 6-AWG [pair of conductors]. I have not looked yet. [If it is possible for me to pull two 6-AWG conductors through the rigging tunnel which now contains the wiring for the navigation lamp] I would put a plug on the bow.

Otherwise [unclear].

I hate wires strewn across the deck while I am fishing.

To find a 200 DAUNTLESS (to buy) took me forever. I never came across one with the pre-rigged circuit for a trolling motor.

Yes, I know the [hull interior is filled with] foam.

[I thought that] comment was tongue-in-cheek.

[The excellent reserve buoyancy due to the double bottom construction with foam filled interior] is why i bought the boat; I don't like cold water.

[jimh]

Please report back after you have located and inspected the existing rigging tunnel in your 200 DAUNTLESS that is shown in the owner's manual. Please let us know if the diameter of the tunnel and its path is sufficiently wide and clear that you can pull into the tunnel two 6-AWG conductors.

[BoS]

Not only is [the rigging tunnel to the bow on my Dauntless 200] wide enough for two 6-AWG wires, I pulled two 12-AWG and two 14-AWG wires, as well. The rigging tube is there, even if the trolling-motor-option is not installed. Wires [for navigation lamps also] go thru this tube.

[BoS]

Not only is [the rigging tunnel to the bow on my Dauntless 200] wide enough for two 6-AWG wires, I pulled two 12-AWG and two 14-AWG wires, as well. The rigging tube is there, even if the trolling-motor-option is not installed. Wires [for navigation lamps also] go thru this tube.

Figured I'd take a minute to expand on this process. I'm assuming all Dauntless boats of the same period (mine is 2007) are similar, but following the Whaler diagrams sent by Mr Chuck helps a lot.

There is a rigging tube, likely 1" ID flex electrical poly_ conduit (non-metallic) that runs from the console (port side) to the hollow cavity underneath the bow, terminating port side about 6-8" off the center line, about 4-6" behind the navigation lamp, about 4-6" below the deck the nav lamp is mounted on. Originates in the console at a black rubber boot, behind and aft of the portipottie mount near the deck floor inside the console.

Mind you, I had a heck of a time even pulling the navigation light wire thru. I cut the lamp wires at the bow, behind the electrical connectors that are about 12" below the plug for the NAV lamp.

It goes: NAVIGATION LAMP----(8" grey+black wires)---PLUG---(12" grey+black wires)---butt splice connectors----(12-15 ft of grey+black wires)-------into the console interior to connect with wire harness.

You can actually pull the splice connects thru the bow hole, guessing Whaler prewired the lamps and butt spliced where needed, depending on the boat length.

Whaler taped the two wires together along the length of the run about every 8-12", and this probably was catching at the bow terminal point of the rigging tube. I didn't cut a hole for the trolling plugs until later on in the process- had I done it earlier it likely would have saved me a lot of time because with the hole I could reach into the hull and wiggle the wires free from catching on the end of the tube. I cut a 3"x6" rectangular hole above the anchor locker, centered about 1.5" below the bow deck that the NAV light sits on. This was a perfect spot and size to cut, allowing plenty of room to reach in to aid in the wire pull, and giving me room to mount my starboard panel with a 24v trolling plug and a 12v plug and a USB plug in case the remote for my Ulterra runs low. I also left a nylon cord in the rigging tube to pull additional wires later.

To finish off, my twin group 31 batteries are tucked in boxes and strapped down underneath the live well inside the console. Portipottie is gone (that's a whole other gross story- apparently the cap fell off from the holding tank, and anything crapped into the portipottie washed down the keel drain. Had to rig a toilet brush on an extending stick to clean that nastiness out). 60A breaker mounted above the batteries near the door for easy access, and a marine switch (a mini Perkins on/off) mounted under the steering wheel on the console exterior so I can flip the trolling motor on and off easily without accessing the console interior- my MK remote stays next to this switch. A MK 2 bank charger is mounted on the console interior above where the portipottie was (the console has an interior and exterior wall, and between them was a void so I 5200'd a piece of marine plywood to firm up a mounting point since the charger is kinda heavy). This charger is wired to both trolling batteries, and an extension cord runs under the deck to the transom where I have installed a Marinco 110v plug in the engine well. That way when my batteries are low I simply plug a cord from my house into the back of my boat to recharge them- without having to climb into the boat to do it.

End result is great- looks factory, works like factory, no wires on the deck. Easy to charge, and everything tucked out of the way.