New 2400 Rig up is complete!

[Bryan Foti]

Well, last night we called it complete, although I still have to decide if I will use the swim platform/ladder that I bought or look for another model. It was a long drawn out process, but I wanted this boat to be a trouble free as possible for many years to come. I don't care what kind of boat you buy, hang around them long enough and you will find things you wish you would have done differently. After mounting the power pole and remote sensor, I removed the steering wheel and mounted the switch on the opposite side of the trim tab switch. This way, I can activate either switch in the dark without fumbling around trying to see if I have the correct one. Then I flush mounted my electronics, a Garmin 541s and a Standard VHF in the dash. I mounted a 4' VHF antenna to the fold down rail, and a FM antenna on the starboard side of the console with both wires making it into the console via water proof connections. All electronincs were connected to a electrical board that I mounted to the inside wall of the console, directly behind the glove box. This board was labled for each device, then input power comes from one of the accessory switches on the dash panel. The second accessory switch was wired to my compass light, so I could kill the compass light and reduce glare while running at night without killing my nav lights. In the past, I would throw a towel or hat over the compass to reduce glare at night, so I will see if this makes life easier for me.

Then I mounted my speakers, two front and two rear. The Sony juke box is mounted in a neat little box I got from West Marine on top of the dash so I can keep my glove box open for cell phones, wallets, etc. After that, I mounted my Racor LG100 air/fuel seperator filter on the vent line. I am anxious to see if it makes any difference when I fill up this weekend! I also shortened the fill line hose by several inches and reconnected the ground wire to the fill neck which was not connected. I then moved back to the console where I mounted a Minn Kota 3 bank charger to the front wall of the console. I did this by removing the front back rest cushion, and used 1/4" SS bolts so the heads are covered by the cushion. All three deep cycle trolling motor baterries were mounted to the floor via battery trays from Academy, then the charging wires were hooked up and the batteries were numbered so I can save time in the future when a problem arrises. I hate having to spend time tracing wires to see why a battery is not charging. This way, I get a red light on the charger, my troubleshooting time should be pretty short. This boat came from the factory with two SS cleats on the bow approximately 2 - 3 feet from the very front of the boat. I realized this could cause a problem if I ever have to be towed in, especially in a rough water situation. The keel of this boat is deep and the boat will need to be towed from the very front of the bow, so I mounted a thrid 9" SS cleat at the very front of the bow.

I finished my part of the rig up by replacing the factory galvanized rims with 7 spoke aluminum rims I bought off of ebay for $70/ea. I think it dresses the boat/trailer up and I hate those factory rims once they get a little grease on them. My Yamaha 4 stroke 250 comes as a 30" shaft model customized by Trail's Yamaha. I am able to get the motor higher out of the water, as well as have easier access to the bildge and rear splash well of the boat, w/o sacrificing performance or weight. I thought it would look crazy, but it came out great and to me, looks better on this boat than a regular 25" model. I also got one of the new Yamaha motor blocks which does away with the old style transom savers that connect to the trailer. I was told that Yamaha engineers did extreme test on why seals and trim/tilt systems were having so much trouble a few years ago. It was determined these so called "transom savers" were doing more harm than good. This new device (well, new to me) is so simple and easy, I feel like a big dunce for not thinking of it myself!

As reported earlier, I found two plastic "T" hose connectors in the bildge that I have seen break in the past on other boats. I removed those and replaced the whole set up w/ brass fittings. In the process, I was able to remove one section of hose that was only 3" in length and surely prone to failure. The upper overflow hose to the rear livewell was replaced with a black rubber hose as a purely cosmetic task. The clear hose that was on the boat already had mildew growing on the inside of it since it would hold moisture and is contantly exposed to light. To me, this hose gives it a more clean look and matches the other black hoses that are in the area for engine and steering. While I was in the bildge area, I installed 2 master battery switches. This will help save my battery, as well as my electronics. I put one for powering up the console and one for the outboard. I will never again worry about having a dead battery from one of my kids leaving a switch on.....as long as I remember to turn them off!

Hope this helps and I have a link to photobucket pics below. Once on the first picture, click the previous button since I loaded them backwards to see what I did on my install and rig up.

http://s843.photobucket.com/albums/zz35 ... 002.jpg%26

[rhino]

Hey Bryan , Glad to hear ya' got your boat the way ya' want it . I tried clicking on the link and photobucket pops up , but I don't know what to do next ?

[Bryan Foti]

Rhino - let's try this one!

http://s843.photobucket.com/albums/zz35 ... 002.jpg%26

[Bryan Foti]

Well, that one didn't work either.....I'll have to get one of my kids to get the link hooked up since I obviously don't know what I am doing!

It worked on another post on here about my fueling problems, but I have a short circut somewhere!

[DGAustin]

Considering the purchase of a 2400 and was wondering what depth of water you need to get up in. Have a lot of shallow areas where we fish. Thanks, Don

[Bryan Foti]

With the current closure of the GoM, we were forced to stay inside and fish for reds all weekend. I fished several duck ponds in our South La marsh where I was sight casting to reds in less than 2' of water. The boat runs, and bayous had plenty of water due to high tides all weekend and I never had a problem. I did turn up mud on a couple of hole shots, and I was in 2'-3' of water. I tucked the outboard low, put the trim tabs down and gunned it. Got up on step everytime!

Now, I must say, not sure what would happen if I had a hard/sandy bottom. Our marshes are soft mud and allow us to get up on step w/o damage. I imagine it would be a little harder for the same boat with a sand bottom.