- Fig. 1. Dashboard of 190 MONTAUK showing installation of chart plotter and VHF Marine Band radio.
- 2022-05-19 11.52.53.jpg (118.57 KiB) Viewed 738 times
- Fig. 2. Bow area showing installation of electric trolling motor.
- 20240324_165928506_iOS.jpg (80.28 KiB) Viewed 738 times
- Fig. 3. A 190 MONTAUK on a boat lift.
- 20240324_165738948_iOS.jpg (96.66 KiB) Viewed 738 times
I am new here. I got got lots of great advice from your posts. I'd like to share some picturess and learnings from the setup of my new 2022 Montauk 190.
I installed a Minn Kota Riptide (saltwater) Terrova 80lb thrust 24v trolling motor with iPilot Link with 72" longer shaft, an in-dash Humminbird Solix 12 fishfinder with transducer, 4 batteries total (2 main, 2 trolling/24v), a 4-bank Minn Kota battery charger, and a 1-2-Both-Off battery switch (may upgrade this).
My boat was ordered with the Trolling Motor prep package, which was well worth it once I figured it out. It deletes the bow rails, gives you the bow trolling motor plug, an extra battery, and a couple of circuit breakers so you can go 12v or 24v. Although I had to do a lot of work with batteries and wiring, and replace their 40A circuit breaker with a 60A Minn Kota breaker, it was still well worth having most of the wiring in place for the installation.
Minn Kota Riptide Terrova 80 Trolling Motor with iPilot Link
I re-used my Terrova 80 with 54" shaft, but had to replace the shaft with a longer one. I figured about 65" as optimal so I bought a 72" shaft and motor assembly to make sure it would go deep enough. I can always cut some off the shaft if it seems too long, but so far it's manageable. Replacing the shaft was easy enough once I bought the special spring retention tool. BTW, Minn Kota told me I couldn't replace the shaft with the 72" shaft due to different electronics. Rick at AnglersStorageGa.com, also know as Marine Carpeting in Georgia, confirmed the brains were all in the head unit and that it would work. He was correct. I retained the existing wiring in the unit (set up as a coil spring) and it was just barely long enough to handle the longer shaft.
Using a longer shaft meant I needed to upgrade my quick release mount to a heavier duty version due to greater torque on the mount - the RT54 instead of the RT17.
The lip on the boat gunwales meant I needed a spacer, custom cut to match the curve of the bow. I bought WHITE KING STARBOARD 8" X 12" 1/2" on Amazon and cut it with a scroll saw. I had to use a standard (not metric) thread tap to cut threads into the bow, which is reinforced to hold bolts for a trolling motor.
I lined the trolling motor (TM) along the right side of the boat due to visibility - the steering wheel is on the port side and I can see buoys coming at me better this way. But I did put the TM as close to the centerline of the boat as possible. It may interfere a tad with my bow light - we will see.
Another concern with TM location is clearing the bimini when it's in the down position for storage in my garage. Even with the 72" shaft, my motor does not interfere with the bimini lying flat.
The trolling motor has a heading position sensor. I mounted mine on my rod holder at the front of the center console, and ran the wire in through the same opening as the VHF antenna.
Humminbird Solix 12
After careful examination, this was the largest Humminbird I could install in-dash. I decided on in-dash for slickness and anti-theft.
Installation was easy yet terrifying at the thought of making a mistake on my new Whaler and having an unsightly hole in the console. Therefore instead of measuring twice, cutting once, I opted for measuring 7 or 8 times. I also drilled pilot holes about an inch inside of each corner so I could confirm measurements and clearances INSIDE the console. Also ordered a special carbide/ceramic cutting blade to cut the fiberglass. Obviously I taped the entire dash area with masking tape before marking and cutting. Also had to remove the steering wheel for clearance. Believe it or not, the Solix slipped in perfectly on the first try. Looks great! Be careful figuring out where "level" is on that curved dash/console while sitting in your boat on a trailer which is also probably not perfectly level.
Humminbird Transducer
I have read a ton of conflicting information on where to mount an transom transducer. I opted for putting it on the starboard side, closer to the outboard than some recommend, but used a piece of starboard so I could relocate it if necessary. It hasn't been. All I notice is that the outboard on zero trim will block the port side imaging a bit unless I trim it up about 2 notches - no big deal.
Running the transducer wire from the transom to the center console was pretty easy with my Amazon fish tape (see next section). There's also a string provided from the factory. Cut into the cable cover from the outboard to get it inside the boat, then pull it through the conduit into the center console.
Wiring the Trolling Motor to the Console
For full capability of the iPilot Link feature, you need to run an ethernet cable from the trolling motor at the bow to the fishfinder in the console. This was ridiculously difficult, so much so that I almost gave up several times. The dealer tech gave me some advice, as well as Boston Whaler support, and I soldiered on.
Since the boat is filled with foam, you need to route the wires and cables through a fairly small piece of conduit that is already stuffed with wires. Access to that conduit is difficult as well. At the bow, remove the plate holding the trolling motor and 12v receptacle. I also had to remove the light socket in the bow cleat and cut those wires, leaving enough for me to reattach them later. In the center console, ideally remove all batteries and battery boxes for easier access, then cut the zip tie holding the huge bunch of wires going into the deck of the boat. Raise that boot up a foot or two if you can, cutting zip ties right and left to enable moving wires where you need them. You'll need to be INSIDE the console for this to work, so if you're a really big guy, you might need a sub.
You'll be able to see the end of the conduit through the hole in the deck inside the console. If you're not sure, try running a thin fish tape from the bow backwards, but you may or may not succeed. You are trying to get every bow wire pulled back into the center console, but some of them are taped together inside the conduit (sigh). What you need to do first is to pull the smallest wire grouping that you can find, and pull it all the way back into the center console. For me this was the bow light wires and I think a 3rd wire attached to them. Once you get those out, it's easier to pull the larger group of remaining wires back into the console. Now you can run a fish tape from the bow to the console with ease. I used Upgrade Fish Tape Wire Puller Through Wall Wire Threader Fish plus Fish Cable Fastener with Steel rope 40FT(12M) from Amazon. It is more of a "pull" tape than a "push" tape but it worked great. Get the pull end routed into your center console.
Haul all of those wires out of the console and into the boat so you can sort them out. Untape them everywhere you see tape lining them up. Then you need to reassemble all of them together, ALONG WITH THE HUMMINBIRD ETHERNET CABLE, and stagger each end piece so that you have the smallest diameter profile possible. Tape them all together in that narrow profile. Get the end of that bunch attached to your fish tape. Note that electrical tape was not strong enough for this job - I used Gorilla tape and then suffered through getting it off of the wires later.
Pull the wires down into the hole in the center console and through the conduit to the bow. If you get too stuck you may need to pull them back out and adjust your tape or your wires.
Once they are through, you can separate them and complete your wiring.
Batteries
I went for 2 main batteries and 2 trolling batteries (in series for 24v). Each bank is a separate system so you can diagram them and wire them separately. I kept the Trolling Motor battery bank dedicated exclusively to the trolling motor (except the 12v bow receptacle) to reduce interference with the Humminbird Solix unit, which was an accessory off of the main bank.
For the main batteries, I stuck with the 2 dual purpose batteries that came from the dealer. One was wired for a 12v trolling motor, but I repurposed it since it was identical to the main battery and therefore ideal as a backup. All I really did here was replace the standard on-off battery switch with a 1-2-Both-Off switch from Blue Sea. I have a Blue Sea Mini Add-A-Battery kit coming in a few days and may upgrade to that. The positives of each battery went to either side of the switch, and the negative terminals of each battery were connected with a black wire of the same gauge as the positives (2ga). All other wires remained as provided from the factory. Accessories (DC Main, Elec Main) feed off the negative/common terminal of the battery switch. The Solix is wired into the fuse box, as is the Minn Kota Heading Sensor.
For the trolling motor batteries, I re-used my Costco Group 27 deep cycle batteries from my previous boat. Wiring was simplified by the Whaler trolling motor pre package, which already has a #108-6 red wire that will connect the positive on the #1 battery with the negative on the #2 battery. The trolling motor package from Whaler provides 2 40A circuit breakers inside the console, one for 12v and one for 24v. I replaced the 24v breaker with my Minn Kota 60A breaker that is correct for my Terrova 80 trolling motor. The other 12v 40A breaker remains in place and is wired to the bow trolling motor receptable, however the red lead going to the batteries was terminated and wrapped with heat shrink tap.
I went back and forth on a separate on-off battery switch for the trolling motor batteries, and decided not to use one. The trolling motor plugs in at the bow. I make sure to unplug it before plugging my 4-bank battery charger into AC power.
I opted for individual battery boxes instead of battery trays, even though they take up more room and are a hassle to wire. The reason was storage. I want to be able to stuff things into the center console without worrying about shorting out a battery. With 4 battery boxes and a 4-bank charger, I pretty much have the entire console floor full, but it makes a pretty flat platform. I store lifejackets on top of them.
The battery boxes are nearly impossible to wire with the thicker gauge wires. Therefore I used a scroll saw as necessary to create openings in the boxes for easier wiring. Wherever I ran wires through these holes, given their sharp edges, I placed that flexible conduit stuff around the wires to protect them.
Minn Kota MK440PC 4-bank 10A charger
I like to plug the boat in while in my garage to make sure my batteries are always topped off and maintained. I installed this charger into the center console, towards the floor, mounted on a piece of plastic cutting board. Standing on the trailer after boating, I can open the console door, switch the battery switch off, and then plug the battery charger into an extension cord hanging from the ceiling. Pretty easy.