How To Install A Depth Finder On A Pontoon Boat

Today, I am going to teach you how to install a depth finder on a pontoon boat.

I was reviewing the forum and saw different questions asked by the customers.

They were confused in doing the installation of the depth finder.

Some people don’t know how to mount the transducer.

Few were having problem in finding the location of the transducer.

After a through research, I came up with the proper procedure to get the installation of the depth finder done.

The preliminary step for the installation of depth finder is having the great depth finder.

The depth finder which matches your pontoon and its working criterion is the one you should look for.

You can search the best fish finder for pontoon boats.

Make sure the complete kit of depth finder is of great quality and boost the performance of the fish finders.

The technology of Sonar is used in the depth finders to make it function properly.

Transducer sends and receives the waves and collects the data from the water depth.

The information is then displayed on the monitor screen.

The location of transducer varies from one boat to other.

Many pontoon boats are placed on the bottom or back of the pontoon.

A wire is used to connect transducer with the monitor.

Make sure to maintain optimum distance between the wires to prevent interference.

If the livewell pump is present, it is essential to keep it farther away from the wires to avoid signal distortion.

The optimal length of the wire for maximum number of pontoons is 20” (5.7meters).

Find the proper place for placing the monitor of depth finder.

The other thing to consider is the width of the screen. The screen size with standard 5” is easy to mount.

After you are done in finding the right place, get off the boat and make sure that there is no interference between the wires of monitor and fish finder.

The construction of boat is in such a way that the cords run throughout the boat.

All the cords emerge from the deck hole and move back to the engine.

This understanding helps you to place the cables for the depth finder easily.

Many customers don’t know that the kit of depth finder doesn’t contain all the materials needed for installation of depth finder.

To remain stress-free and get your installation completed in short time, make sure to buy all the required items.

Following are the compulsory materials that I would recommend buying for depth finder installation process:

Nut bolts that fits each other perfectly. Rubber and metal washers Plastic tubing to keep the wires safe and insulated

Electrical wires for providing power connections (if your pontoon boat doesn’t have a fuse box)

While you’re working on this you might consider getting some marine LED lighting strips to add to your boat.   This will upgrade your courtesy lighting, give your boat a fresh look and allow you to do all the wiring for 2 upgrades on your pontoon boat at one time.

If you read the instructions carefully, it can be an easier process.

Use a drill machine to make two holes on the bottom bracket of the pontoon boat using the accurate measurements.

Care is necessary as tube can get punctured.

Fix the transducer setup of depth finder using the accessory items.

Washer can be used during this part to deal with large size of the bolt.

This part seems difficult as it is a bit risky. When done with care, it is easy and causes no harm.

• Make sure not to remove the siding of pontoon on your own. Take the help from other end to prevent the rear end from falling down.
• Fix the screws before moving on to the next one. This prevents the misplacement of screws.
• Moving from the console to the rear side of the pontoon, the siding is removed. Now, you can look at the inner arrangement of the cords. It allows ease during installation process.
• Set the transducer wires on the same way keeping in view the arrangement of cords of pontoon boat.
• Place the plastic conduit along the path of the console around the wires.

This is the point where you have to deal with care.

If you have adopted the right installation steps; you should have known where to mount the monitor.

The question arises how to install the monitor.

• Place the bracket of the monitor on the console where you want to mount the monitor.
• Mark the points with the pencil to allow perfect drilling.
• Drilling the holes require extra attention to protect the delicate fiberglass.
• Start with drilling the small holes and then progress to the bigger ones to avoid risk of errors.
• Fix the bracket of monitor using bolts on the holes. Place the smooth side of the bolt upward and rough side downward.
• Seal the bolt with the metal washer and nut from the bottom of bolt.
• To stop the water from entering the bolt and bracket of the fish finder, small amount of silicon is beneficial. Console holes with silicon provide extra safety.
• For the transducer cord, an additional hole drilled beside the bracket. To make it looks good, use a rubber grommet.

It is necessary to connect a power source to the fish finder. Fishfinder manufacturers provide 5’ of cord running from the power supply to the depth finder.

To gear up the installation process with the short length, following supplies can be used to enhance power of the fish finder.

Fuse Box

• Connect the power supply directly to the fuse box present under the console. This step needs a connector plug that is compatible with the plug of the fuse box.
• The fuse box has accessory plugs and empty plugs for the connector. In case of absence of empty plugs, seek help from the electricians.
• If there is no electrician on hand, go for the second option.

Battery

• This option is best for the fuse box lacking empty slots. The accessory required in this step is 20’ long electrical cable, which is good for marine application.
• Place the wire in the same manner like you place the cord of the fish finder from the console through the boat.
• Connect the wire from to the battery. Make sure to connect red with negative and black with positive.
• Avoid direct contact with the both terminals of the battery at the same time.

Now, you can get the results of your efforts.

Fasten the bracket and plug the transducer cable.

The depth finder setup is ready to get started. Put your pontoon boat back and start fishing.

By following the above instructions you can learn how to install the depth finder on a pontoon boat. But why stop there, you can also install a Cuisinart grill modified for pontoon boats. You could even install them on the most popular one man pontoon boat.